Professor AikoSakurai Delivered Her Final Lecture in GSICS

Professor Sakurai’s Final Lecture was held in the Presentation Room of the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS) on April 22, 2014.She gave a lecture about her research and findings on disaster risk management in the education sector that she has conducted in the past two years. The title of her lecture was “Disaster Risk Reduction in Education Sector: Lessons Learnt from the Great East Japan Earthquake”.

Sakurai-sensei3

In the lecture, she has presented the issues of education for disaster risk reduction in Japan, taking up the case of school in stricken area based on experience of Great East Japan Earthquake. She has also indicated that it was important for schools and their local communities to collaborate in order to promote education for disaster risk reduction together. Moreover she has mentioned about NGO’s role in case of an emergency, citing the example of Save the Children Japan’s case during the Great East Japan earthquake.

Since Prof. Sakurai is alumnus of Ogawa seminar, many Ogawa seminar students joined her final lecture. As well, Prof. Sakurai spent time talking about how to have awareness as Ogawa seminar student and future career planning as an encouragement to students.At the end of lecture, a bouquet of flowers from Prof. Ogawa and Ogawa family was presented to Prof. Sakurai as sign of gratitude well wishes.

During her tenureat Kobe University, she has taught Risk Management Class and has implemented Campus Asia Project, which aims to educate risk management specialist in East Asia. From May 1st, 2014, Prof. Sakurai will become an Associate Professor in the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University .

By Asuka Yasuoka