NEWS

The Special Event by Dr. Jane Goodall, World's Leading Primatologist and a UN Messenger of Peace, was Held at our Campus

Update: June 30, 2025

On June 30, 2025, world's leading primatologist and a UN Messenger of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall (91), visited our campus to hold the special event titled "Peace, Hope, and Roots & Shoots," hosted by Jane Goodall Institute Japan / Roots & Shoots, co-hosted by ICU and Educators for Future, and supported by The British Embassy in Japan. The Auditorium in the Diffendorfer Memorial Hall was full, accommodating about 300 guests, students, faculty, and staff. The event was also streamed live.

After watching the film preview of "Animal: About Us and Animals," participants listened to a public interview of Dr. Jane Goodall. She spoke about her discovery that chimpanzees make and use tools in 1960s when she entered the forest of Gombe in Tanzania, which transformed our understanding of chimpanzees and redefined the relationship between humans and animals. With humor, she continued to talk about the approach that recognizes the central role people play in the well-being of animals and habitat as well as her program "Roots & Shoots" to inspire and educate young people to make a difference on an individual level.

After the interview, elementary, middle, and high school students in Japan gave presentations on their "Roots & Shoots" activities. The last group of presentations was ICU SDGs Promotion Office, where Ai Sato (3rd year, College of Liberal Arts, Major: Environmental Studies, Minor: Economics) and Rin Kasai (2nd year, College of Liberal Arts) reported on their activities to maintain bamboos appropriately to restore the Coppice Forest, fair trade promotion at the campus, among others, which they work together with faculty and staff.

For the two sessions above, our students gave simultaneous interpretation: Kana Matsuda (3rd year, College of Liberal Arts, Double Major: Media, Communication and Culture, Sociology), and Koyuki Nakanishi (2nd year, College of Liberal Arts).

ICU SDGs Promotion Office's Student Representatives (left) and ICU Students in charge of simultaneous interpretation (right)

The last session was plant activities. After Professor Ryosuke Fujinuma (Major: Environmental Studies) explained about the restoration project of Coppice Forest on our campus, participants moved to the south area of the University Chapel. Dr. Goodall dug a hole and planted young trees (Quercus serrata), surrounded by Roots & Shoots presenters.

The event encouraged each of us that "hope is in action."