TSUKUBA
OSU Vice Provost Dr. Kaya Visits UT
On March 27, 2025, Dr. Kaya, Vice Provost of The Ohio State University, accompanied by his wife, Dr. Rita, visited University of Tsukuba. The purpose of their visit was to exchange views on the ISS program, the Summer Festival, and the possibility of participating in Expo 2025 Osaka.
On this day, ISS program leader Prof. Matsushima was absent on a business trip. In the ISS lunch meeting with the OSU Vice Provost without the UT leader, Prof. Morio and Prof. Akiyama moderated the meeting, and Prof. Hasan and Prof. Lee were in charge of product demonstrations.
With the arrival of VIP people from OSU, the receiving side of UT faculty members were very nervous… well, not really.
Prof. Hasan, an English speaker freed from Japanese, and Prof. Akiyama, who is ridiculed as a “fast talker” even by native English speakers, meet the distinguished guests in their usual fast, light, and casual talk.
Prof. Hasan and Prof. Akiyama showing no signs of nervousness at all, their unpretentious attitude made Dr. Kaya and Dr. Rita relaxed, and the meeting proceeded in a friendly and convivial atmosphere from start to finish.
More than 99% of the people in Turkey are Muslim. On this day, the month of Ramadan, Dr. Kaya, originally from there, ate halal food popular in UT and craved it. Prof. Hasan, originally from Syria, where the majority of the population is Muslim, also ate the food with relish.
Dr. Kaya: Modal, I am not religious, what about you? Don’t you have to follow the teachings of Islam?
Prof. Modar: I am not unwilling but unable to follow the teachings of Islam…
Dr. Kaya and Prof. Modar confirming each other’s situation of not following the teachings of Islam while chowing down on halal food during the month of Ramadan.
Too funny….lol
Dr. Kaya enjoying the halal food (back left)
In Turkey, a country where if you are born there, you become Muslim by default, Dr. Kaya belongs to the remaining 1 percent or less… We don’t know about his past, but he is actually an expert on the history of the Ottoman Empire and has published many books on the subject.
The Ottoman Empire, as you know, was a large Muslim empire that flourished in what is now the Republic of Turkey. Maybe Dr. Kaya’s pursuit of his research on Islam has led him to a state of non-religion?
Dr. Kaya, not a simple man.
Dr. Kaya, a hardcore historian, seems to be surprisingly(?) very interested in products
Adorable Dr. Rita
The demonstration by Prof. Lee’s students (Max, Alvin and Karl) was also a big hit with Dr. Kaya. Too bad there are no photos available.
The 2025 Summer Festival will be held in a virtual space. Dr. Kaya, who saw the VR space projected by Prof. Hasan, was excited that he himself would appear in the festival as an avatar.
In this year’s Summer Festival, upgraded from last year, the avatar next to you may be Dr. Kaya.