Japanese Fulbright Scholar Jin Nishikawa will give two lectures during the week of March 30 about his research on Nuclear Waste Management at the Amarillo College Washington Campus and the other on Nuclear Accident and Science Reporting at the Jack B. Kelly Thunder Room at 4 p.m. center at West Texas A&M University. He is a science and medical writer for the Ashai Sinbum and is a current resident at Harvard. Assistant Professor of Mass Communication, Butler Cain and Coordinator of Nationally Competitive Scholarships Laura Seals chose Nishikawa out of 800 Fulbright Scholars to come to the Panhandle area to do further research and present these public lectures.
“Laura Seals and I wanted to find a Fulbright Scholar who would have broad interest among members of our campus,” Cain said. “Mr. Nishikawa is a journalist, so our Mass Communication students are interested in meeting with him. Because he is from Japan, he has been invited to speak with students who are studying Japanese this semester. He also researches energy issues, and that is an important topic here in the Texas Panhandle.”
Cain said he has an interest for the Asian culture and how journalism is practiced in those regions. He is taking a travel writing class to South Korea in May and Nishikawa will be visiting the Travel Writing class on April 2.
“Jin Nishikawa’s visit to WT is a real privilege for all students,” Laura Dangerfield, senior Advertising and Public Relations major said. “His knowledge of reporting on the traumatic Fukushima Nuclear accident can teach students how to communicate effectively during times of crisis. I’m looking forward to learning more about crisis communication and reporting from Mr. Nishikawa when he speaks during my travel writing class.”
but he wanted to share his interests with the students on campus as well. Seals used the Outreach Lecture Fund to finance Nishikawa and his family’s travels to Canyon.
“I think WT needs to become more globally involved,” Seals said. “I did the leg work to ensure that Mr. Nishikawa would make it to Canyon but I need faculty and student support. If we’re going to bring someone all the way from Harvard, that person needs to be a good fit for our students on campus and their education needs.”
Although Nishikawa will be educating students on his research, Cain and Seals hope he will be visiting the Panhandle to learn as well.
“I hope Mr. Nishikawa enjoys seeing another part of our country, and I hope the experience is culturally significant for him,” Cain said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity when foreign visitors get to see parts of America other than the coastal regions or major cities.”
Cain and Seals also hope that once students are able to interact with Nishikawa, they will have an interest in the Fulbright Program. Cain also said he encourages students to visit our Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships to get more information about future Fulbright possibilities.
“It’s a global world,” Seals said. “Every field has international implications.”
