The era when people involved in the sciences could succeed by immersing themselves in their specialized field of research is over. It is time for everyone at Tokyo Institute of Technology to turn their gaze toward the future of civilization and the broad connections that exist among the sciences and between the laboratory and society. These very connections link the university to the world. We are all human beings living together on this planet; and we must do this for our own benefit as well as for that of our fellow men and women.(April, 2006)

Masuo Aizawa
Former president, Tokyo Institute of Technology