I am delighted and honored to be invited to address you at the Commencement Ceremony of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). On behalf of Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) as your partner university, I want to begin with my heartiest congratulations to you all for what you have accomplished in highly prestigious POSTECH. It is a major life passage for you, with finishing an important phase of your lives and education to commence a new chapter.
You each have completed an intense, rigorous education, with a strong and quantitative basis, regardless of the intellectual field of science and technology in which you concentrated. In addition to the knowledge you have acquired, you have been endowed with power to think by yourself and create new knowledge. With the POSTECH’s three precepts of Integrity, Creativity and Aspiration in mind, as stated by your founding president, late Professor Hogil Kim, you are encouraged to leap up and make new challenges for the future.
I would like you to draw an attention at the drastic and rapid changes of our society in the 21st century, where you each are about to play a key role. Our society is increasingly globalized, thanks in part to unprecedented progress of information and communication technology. We are interconnected, across time and space, borders and sectors, as never before in human history. In our diverse but extensively interconnected world we have many neighbors, nearby and faraway. It will be essential to increase and improve knowledge and information about other people, cultures and societies. We recognize that our society is getting complex and diversified. Globalization has profoundly been developed in not only economics but also culture and any other aspects. It is probably accepted that globalization makes the world intensively competitive, and therefore each nation concentrates on enhancing its distinctiveness for empowering competitiveness. We should pursuit a dialogue for improving quality of living with prosperity and sustainability. Every effort should, however, be paid on preventing conflicts on the international, national and local levels by reducing misunderstanding and mistrust.
It is not a time for conflict, but rather a time for collaboration and reconciliation.
Our society is also increasingly knowledge-based. Enormous progress of science and technology has benefited our society with affluence and convenience. Significant returns towards economic growth are accomplished, while negative influence becomes apparent in poising threats to human society and the global environment. It is obvious that our society faces more complex and diversified problems. We recognize, however, that science and technology is indispensable for resolving the problems which society faces. Without question science and technology should keep playing a major role for prosperity and sustainability of all people. Creating, acquiring and sharing knowledge, specifically in science and technology, is becoming an essential part of the knowledge-based society.
It is a time for you to create new scientific knowledge, and create new innovation through transforming knowledge, with keeping in mind the three precepts of Integrity, Creativity and Aspiration.
Who should play a key role in the globalized and knowledge-based society? They should be broadly educated young men and women with international leadership. An understanding science and technology is surely part of what such leaders must possess. It is impossible to figure out the perspectives of globalized and knowledge-based society without understanding advancement of science and technology. But it is emphasized that ‘Creativity is essential of leadership’, and that ‘Creativity is most effectively fostered in science and technology education’. Leadership is often performed in such a situation as facing an inexperienced matter. The key issue is whether new ideas is created for resolving the matter. There are an increasing number of leaders with strong background of science and technology. A big expectation goes to you each for challenging an international leader.
I would like to conclude my speech by quoting ‘Think Globally, and Act Locally’.
Thank you, congratulations, and the very best of luck.
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