SUNY Potsdam History Professor Awarded Grant to Study 'Japan in the Space Age'

Associate Professor of History Dr. Shiho Imai Wins D. Kim Foundation Grant to Support Research

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SUNY Potsdam Associate Professor of History Dr. Shiho Imai was recently awarded a D. Kim Foundation Research Grant.

POTSDAM, NY (02/19/2015)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam Associate Professor of History Dr. Shiho Imai was recently awarded the D. Kim Foundation Research Grant to support her research. Her proposed project, "Japan in the Space Age," will explore the country's foray into space from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The D. Kim Foundation is dedicated to furthering the study of the history of science and technology in East Asia, since the start of the 20th century. The foundation provides fellowships and grants to encourage and support young scholars in the field, and promotes the exchange of ideas and contact of people between East and West, old and young, and from different fields.

"I will place Japan's early space program in the context of popular interest in science fiction, Apollo 11 and the first Japanese expedition to the South Pole," Imai said. "As I elucidate the role of space research in forging a national identity, I will also examine science education."

The D. Kim Foundation grant will allow Imai to return to the National Diet Library in Tokyo, to study how postwar curricular initiatives shaped Japanese views of space, history and national identity.

Dr. Shiho Imai earned her bachelor's degree from Sophia University in Japan, before going on to receive her master's degree from Tufts University and completing her Ph.D. at Brown University. At SUNY Potsdam, she teaches pre-modern and modern Japanese history, as well as specialized seminars.

SUNY Potsdam's Department of History offers a variety of courses spanning the globe, ranging from the Ancient World to the present. The department's faculty are inquisitive scholars whose passion for history enlivens classrooms. For more information about studying history at SUNY Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/History.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $27 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

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