Greetings from Director (Fumio Kishino)

Professor Fumio Kshino, former Director, Cybermedia Center, Osaka University
Professor Fumio Kshino,
former Director,
Cybermedia Center,
Osaka University

Welcome to the Cybermedia Center of Osaka University.

On behalf of the faculty, staff and students in the Center, I would like to thank you for your interest. Our Center was founded in April 2000 by reorganizing the former Computer Center, the former Education Center for Information Processing, and a part of the library. This reorganization was undertaken to promote the study of the science of education comprehensively with consideration of the rapid development of information technology. We implemented new services such as the provision of multi-media language education using a CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning) system in addition to the existing education of information science, the provision of the latest super computer for shared nationwide use and a high-speed network system on campus.
National universities were transformed into corporate bodies in 2004 and the intermediary objectives and plans of our institution were defined. At the same time, the Cybermedia Center defined its own objectives and plans. The main content being to promote not only campus-wide, but also nationwide sharing of facilities for research on information technology, which includes the maintenance and introduction of the most advanced super computer, and the technology used to develop teaching materials as an infrastructure of a nationwide shared system on research and education. Furthermore, in order to develop research in the academic fields of our nation, the Cybermedia Center promotes shared research exceeding the range of a corporate body and also plans to maintain an academic environment conducive to the nationwide use of the facilities. By so doing, we plan to further consolidate our role as a provider of super computer facilities for shared nationwide use.

Vision

  • Being incorporated, each corporate body is to be entrusted with the expenditure of the budget, but as long as the national budget is used, contributions to society, in addition to education and research, are required. Having the role of the provider of facilities for nationwide use makes it necessary for us to be in close contact with other institutions and to offer services, such as the effective use of our super computer.
  • Along with the existing support of an information infrastructure for the study of education, there is a strong demand for support in the use of various information systems on campus. For example, it is expected that making easy access to the academic information system available to both the teachers and the students will make classes more effective. We would like to establish an integrated communication infrastructure on campus.
  • The content itself is important. Therefore, we are going to promote e-Learning by constructing studios, providing staff, and implementing other necessary changes to support the development of useful content.
  • We aim at creating an information infrastructure that anyone can use easily, so it
    will become more important to ensure security and protect against the misuse of
    information. We will collaborate with related departments to reach this goal.

In order to provide a sophisticated level of information and network services, it is necessary to conduct our own research and further develop our existing services. Therefore, when this center was established, priority was given to enhancing the research sections. We continue to emphasize research and development and make efforts to promote practical use of our latest research.
It is assumed that in the future, there will be an emergence of the ubiquitous society in which computers are integrated into various things related to human beings and the environment. In such an information-centered environment, we can expect to have a society in which the general public can use computers with ease, enjoyment, and excitement. One of the problems is that the latest information and communication system has not been fully used in universities, though an easy-to-use system has been introduced outside of the academic world. We want to take the lead in presenting model services to society. Being incorporated, the university will be requested more than ever, through industry-university cooperation, to provide improved services for the students and society. The Cybermedia Center will continue to research, develop, and maintain communication infrastructure technology for the next generation. In addition, through cooperation with related departments, the Cybermedia Center will engage in the latest research and play the central role in the education and the popularization of the most-advanced information processing technology. We are looking forward to working with you as we explore areas of mutual interest.