Officials from UTC and the Japan-America Society of Tennessee tour UTC’s Research Institute and learn about research conducted on campus. Photo by Angela Foster.
On Aug. 10, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga leadership welcomed the Japan-America Society of Tennessee (JAST) to campus to highlight and strengthen relationships among Japan, the state of Tennessee and UTC.
JAST was established in 2000 to “nurture goodwill and friendship in response to the growing presence of job-creating Japanese-owned facilities in Tennessee.” The organization’s mission is to strengthen the economic future of Tennessee and Japan by building on longstanding relationships and by promoting mutual understanding and cultural awareness.
Chancellor Lori Bruce, Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Matt Matthews, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi and Assistant Vice President and Chief Economic Development Director of the University of Tennessee System Victoria Hirschberg welcomed JAST members Consul-General of Japan in Nashville Shinji Watanabe, Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville Mitsuru Shinozaki and Executive Director of JAST Sammie Arnold.
“We are deeply grateful for your visit and for this invaluable opportunity for us to explore ways we can expand our capability,” Matthews said. “Japanese business, culture and friendship are essential for us here at UTC, in the city of Chattanooga, and in the state of Tennessee.”
Sartipi explained that the UTC Research Institute’s founding principle was to host on-campus centers dedicated to multidisciplinary research.
“Our research is strongest when we bring together expertise across disciplines and pair it with the real-world challenges our industry partners are working to solve,” Sartipi said. “There is tremendous opportunity to build on UTC’s relationships with Japanese companies and institutions, creating collaborations that advance research while giving our students meaningful opportunities to work alongside global industry leaders.”
Dr. Mina Sartipi explained research conducted by the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress.
City of Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, Lauren Ball and Ella Malone from the office of U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty, and Steven Howell from the Office of Congressman Chuck Fleischmann represented their respective city, county and state.
A representative from the JAST member DENSO was in attendance. The relationship and collaboration between the automotive components manufacturer and UTC has continued for more than 20 years. Other JAST representatives, including Bridgestone, NTT Data, Komatsu and Mitsui & Co., were also present.
Local industry leaders and representatives from EPB, Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Maury Alliance, Baker Donelson and Tennessee Wesleyan University were also in attendance.
Attendees learned about the Research Institute’s ongoing projects from the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) and about the Quantum Center from Director Rick Mukherjee.
“Research is happening through collaboration,” Mukherjee said. “We see it in our research because we receive real-world problems to solve. If you have problems in industry and want to see quantum’s impact, that’s the conversation we’re interested in, and it’s what sets us apart.”
The group toured the Quantum Centers Quantum Networking Lab and listened to Postdoctoral Research Associate Mohmad Junaid Ul Haq explain the research conducted in the lab. They also visited one of CUIP’s labs to examine firsthand their work on connected autonomous vehicles and connected vehicle infrastructure.
After the tour, Bruce thanked the attendees for coming to campus and presented Watanabe with a commemorative coin marking the University’s 140th anniversary.
Bruce thanked the delegates, industry leaders and legislators for their attendance and enthusiasm for partnership, saying to the group, “It is a very proud moment for us to have you at our campus.”
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