On Thursday, 23 December, the 8th Osaka City University Special Encouragement Award for Female Researchers - Okamura Award Ceremony was held. After the ceremony each of the awardees gave a talk on their research.

　After the greetings and review by Vice President Mari Kanazawa, the award ceremony was held, with the Advisor to the President Michio Miyano presenting the award certificates and supplementary prizes to the winners.

　In his congratulatory speech, Professor  Miyano explained that the award was founded thanks to a donation from Chieko Okamura, who was the first female student to enter Osaka University of Commerce, the predecessor of this university, in 1947. “We hope that the four winners of the Okamura Award will take this as a step forward in their research and make even greater steps in their careers. I would like to encourage female researchers and students to follow in the footsteps of the award winners, to work with even greater enthusiasm in their own research, and to contribute to the development of Osaka City University”, said Professor Miyano.

Vice President Mari Kanazawa

Adviser to the President Michio Miyano

　After the ceremony, the awardees gave a talk about the details of their research. 

The winner of the Special Award, Associate Professor Akiko Kojima, presented the results of her research and activities in her laboratory, including the establishment of an evaluation system for food ingredients that have a preventive effect on lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and cancer, which she has been working on for many years. One more Special Award winner, Lecturer Anna Kakehashi, talked about her many research achievements and her efforts to promote women's activities in the field of carcinogenesis.

　The Postdoctoral Researcher Encouragement Award winner, Specially Appointed Lecturer Ilieva Maria Vasileva, presented on her ambitious international conference activities despite the research limitations due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Lastly, the Graduate Student Encouragement Award winner, Ms. Natsuki Yabune, talked about her vigorous activities in presenting research papers at international conferences. Student attendees were very much inspired by the content of the event. After each commemorative lecture, there was a message from the nominator praising the efforts of the award winners, which made the audience even more excited.

Commemorative photo

8^th Special Award for Female Researcher Encouragement - Okamura Award Winners

	Special Award Akiko Kojima Associate Professor Food and Human Health Sciences Lecture, Graduate School of Human Life Science
	Special Award Anna Kakehashi Lecturer Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine
	Postdoctoral Researcher Encouragement Award Maria Vasileva Ilieva Specially Appointed Lecturer Graduate School of Business
	Graduate Student Encouragement Award Natsuki Yabune 1st year doctoral student at the Department of Molecular Materials Science, Graduate School of Science