SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Symposium Organization today announced a detailed schedule for the 17th annual Kyoto Prize Symposium, with unique educational events on four area university campuses.
Dr. Irwin Jacobs, co-founder of QUALCOMM, continues as honorary chairman of the Symposium, which begins with private media interviews of the latest Kyoto Prize laureates by appointment (for details call 858-576-2674) at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, Tues., March 20, 9:30-11:00am, hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU).
A private opening ceremony will take place at PLNU, followed by a benefit gala honoring the laureates at 5:30pm in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel’s Sapphire Ballroom, with Mr. Masato Miyachi, Chairman of MUFG Americas Holdings and its U.S. subsidiary, MUFG Union Bank, presiding as gala chair. The evening’s proceeds will fund educational opportunities for local students — including six Kyoto Prize scholarships valued at up to US$10,000 or MXN100,000 each, to be presented during the gala to outstanding high school seniors from the San Diego/Baja region. Gala tickets can be purchased for $300 by calling 858-888-0979.
Kyoto Prize Symposium Lecture Events
The symposium continues March 21-22 with public lectures by the laureates on local university campuses. Lecture admission is free, but seat reservation is required using the registration links below or by visiting www.kyotoprize-us.org.
San Diego State University, Wed., March 21: “My Fifty Years with the Transistor,” featuring Dr. Takashi Mimura, 2017 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Advanced Technology, 10:00-11:30am-PDT, Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. Mimura, a Japanese semiconductor engineer, invented the High Electron Mobility Transistor, or HEMT, which has overcome fundamental speed limitations associated with conventional semiconductors. HEMT technology has opened new frontiers in high-frequency electronics for applications ranging from satellite broadcasting and wireless phone networks to automotive collision-avoidance systems, representing a pivotal contribution to information and communications technology — use these links to read more about Mimura or register to attend.
University of California San Diego, Wed., March 21: “The Magical Mystery Tour from Physics and Applied Mathematics to Plant Physiology,” featuring Dr. Graham Farquhar, 2017 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Basic Sciences, 3:30-5:00pm-PDT, Price Center West Ballroom. Farquhar, an Australian plant physiologist, is one of the world’s foremost authorities in the study of photosynthesis, the foundation of all ecosystems on Earth. The process models that Farquhar and his colleagues developed over four decades have been incorporated into nearly all contemporary models of the terrestrial biosphere’s carbon cycles, playing an indispensable role in climate science and offering new insights into the development of drought-resistant crops — read more about Farquhar; register to attend.
University of San Diego, Thurs., March 22: Dr. Richard Taruskin, 2017 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy, will make two appearances. A renowned musicologist, author, historian and UC-Berkeley professor emeritus, Taruskin has transformed contemporary perspectives on music using research methodologies and critical analyses that defy conventional paradigms. The quality and volume of his work reveal that in music, creativity can be found not only in composition and performance, but in meticulous discourse as well — read more. Taruskin will deliver an autobiographical lecture, “All Was Foreseen; Nothing Was Foreseen,” 10:30am-12:00pm-PDT, at Shiley Theatre — register to attend. At USD’s Manchester Hall, from 2:00-3:30pm, Taruskin will discuss “The Many Dangers of Music,” using ideas from his prodigious canon of critical essays — register to attend.
“It is always an honor and a pleasure to welcome world-leading thinkers to San Diego,” said David C. Doyle, chair of the Kyoto Symposium Organization and partner at global law firm Morrison Foerster. “We are delighted to host these Kyoto Prize laureates, and to introduce this year’s Kyoto Prize scholarship recipients, whose high school achievements already foretell great promise for the next generation.”
The Kyoto Prize is presented each year by Japan’s non-profit Inamori Foundation to individuals and groups worldwide who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the betterment of society, in “Advanced Technology,” “Basic Sciences,” and “Arts and Philosophy.” The prize consists of academic honors, a gold medal, and a cash gift of 50 million yen (about $460,000) per category, making it Japan’s highest private award for global achievement.
The non-profit Inamori Foundation was established in Kyoto, Japan, in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder of both Kyocera Corp. and KDDI Corp., and honorary adviser of Japan Airlines. Inamori created the Kyoto Prize in reflection of his belief that people have no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of humankind and society, and that the future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between scientific progress and spiritual depth.
The Kyoto Symposium Organization
The Kyoto Symposium Organization is a San Diego-based 501(c)3 non-profit established to support the Kyoto Prize Symposium and Kyoto Scholarship programs with the Inamori Foundation and co-hosts San Diego State University; University of San Diego; University of California, San Diego; and Point Loma Nazarene University. Since 2004, the Symposium has generated more than $2.5 million for scholarships, fellowships and other educational opportunities in the San Diego/Baja region.
