2024.08.21

Professor Mizuno to Receive the Foreign Minister's Commendation

Dr. Norikazu Mizuno, Deputy Director of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) Chile Observatory and Professor in the ALMA Project, has been selected as a recipient of the Foreign Minister’s Commendation for FY 2024.

This year’s award recognizes Professor Mizuno’s achievements in promoting academic exchange between Japan and Chile. Professor Mizuno has been involved in the operation of ALMA, which has been realized through an international partnership between Japan and other countries in East Asia, Europe, and North America. In Chile, where the telescope was built, the Joint ALMA Observatory has been established to provide unified leadership and management of the operations. Professor Mizuno has been engaged in operational work at the Joint ALMA Observatory since 2008, and was appointed Head of the ALMA Department of Engineering in 2017 and the Joint ALMA Observatory Deputy Director of Operations in 2022. Japan’s technical and scientific contributions to the observatory have been extremely significant, strengthening Japan’s global standing in the field of astronomy. In addition to leading the operations of the observatory, Professor Mizuno has contributed greatly to the promotion of academic exchange and scientific and technological cooperation between Japan and Chile through research results and technological development in ALMA. He has also been making efforts to nurture future generations of astronomers by giving lectures on astronomy at Japanese schools in Central and South America.

The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in international fields, in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. The Commendations also aim to promote the understanding and support of the Japanese public for the activities of the recipients.

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