From 16 February through 3 March, KyotoU’s Education Promotion and Student Support Department and North American Center co-hosted the 2018 Kingfisher Global Leadership Program in the United States.
Now in its eighth year, this training program is intended for undergraduate and graduate students aspiring to play leadership roles on the global stage, and features visits to international institutions in the US. It was launched in 2011 with support from Dr Sachiko Kuno, president and CEO of S&R Foundation with a doctorate in engineering from Kyoto University, and the KyotoU Washington DC Alumni Association.
The 2018 program accepted 10 students, selected through a rigorous screening process comprised of an application review followed by an interview. It kicked off in Washington DC with visits to some of the district’s prominent public institutions and research organizations, including the US State Department, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During each visit, participants attended lectures by — and took part in discussions with — frontline researchers and administrators. They gained understanding of how to exercise leadership in a wide variety of contexts, such as running a large-scale project, as well as a great deal of inspiration.
For the latter part of the program, the students traveled to California to visit global corporations based in the Silicon Valley, Google and Intuitive Surgical among them. The tour highlighted the unique work practices and environments of the companies, offering numerous hints on how to create a workplace that is conducive to new ideas.
The final day was spent mainly at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, where participants individually presented on what they had learned over the past two weeks.
At the Hoover Institution
Listening to entrepreneurs’ talk at the Halcyon Incubator in Washington DC
At Evermay, a historic building owned by the S&R Foundation
