MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon is one of several state university officials who will accompany Gov. Jennifer Granholm on a five-day business trip to Japan.
Simon will leave Sunday to join the governor on an investment mission to attract Japanese auto and bioscience executives to Michigan.
The governor will meet with major Japanese auto manufacturers and suppliers, such as Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. to help secure future research and to ensure Michigan will be high on the consideration list for any future plants, said Granholm's spokeswoman Heidi Hansen.
Simon, who will return on Thursday, said it's also an opportunity to meet students and to hear about the work MSU is doing in Japan to help provide educational opportunities, including internships for students with Japanese companies.
"It's a real privilege to be with key MSU alum to help make the life sciences seminar happen," Simon said, adding that the trip is also a chance to continue to foster international relations. "It's a bonus for MSU to get to do that along with the governor."
Granholm's list of travel partners to Japan will include the Department of Labor and Economic Growth Director David Hollister, state Economic Development Corp. officials and economic development executives from Oakland County and the Detroit Regional Chamber, Hansen said.
Among the MSU faculty members also attending are Acting Provost John Hudzik and biochemistry professors Justin McCormick and Rawle Hollingsworth.
Other university presidents scheduled to attend include Wayne State University President Irvin Reid and University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, Hansen said.
Simon said the focus of the trip is to help promote research in life sciences for the university.
Simon said her stops will include a biotech seminar in Osaka and the Japan Center for Michigan Universities in Hikone, to meet university supporters. She will chair a panel of faculty on Wednesday in Osaka to talk about MSU's biotech research and connection with Japanese businesses. Three of the seven presenters on the panel will be from MSU.
In addition to her panel discussion, Simon will travel to the U.S. pavilion at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi to visit MSU affiliates and students who were working as and training exhibit guides.
Political science and Japanese senior Brian Forest was one of about 30 MSU students who worked as guides and translators at the U.S. Pavilion World Expo. He worked as a guide for about six months.
"It's a really important thing for the university to extend more contacts over there," Forest said.
Simon said having more international connections and drawing more attention to MSU's biotech research programs could help bring research dollars to the university.
Amy Davis can be reached at davisam8@msu.edu.
