Second Annual Gateway to Asia Workshop to be Held at Colorado State Univeristy Friday and Saturday

The second annual Gateway to Asia Workshop, which allows the university community a chance to experience Asian culture, will be held on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24.

Anthony Tu, professor emeritus at Colorado State, will be the keynote speaker for the event. He will give a presentation on the measures against bioterrorism in Japan, Taiwan, China and Singapore on Saturday, March 24 at 10 a.m.

Following the lecture, Michael Ricci will conduct a Japanese tea ceremony. Demonstrations on calligraphy, brush painting and other programs will also be held through the day. All events take place in the Lory Student Center and are free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

Martha Denney, director of International Education at Colorado State, said this event will allow students to have fun while learning about Chinese and Japanese traditions.

"Asia is the most populated region of the world – almost half of the world’s six billion people live there and their civilizations are ancient and have much to teach us," she said. "Gateway to Asia is a wonderful opportunity to learn about Chinese and Japanese cultures and to engage with faculty and students in celebrating the rich and diverse traditions of the region."

Tu was born in Taiwan in 1930 and came to the U.S. in 1954. He obtained a Ph.D. from Stanford in 1961.  He taught at Colorado State University from 1967 until his retirement in 1998, and has been a visiting professor at Chiba Institute of Science in Choshi, Japan since 2003.  He has published more than 300 original scientific papers and books and obtained research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Army, and the FDA.

In 1994 when sarin chemical terrorism occurred in Japan, Tu’s scientific expertise assisted the Japanese police and was central to the ability of Japanese law enforcement authorities to link the sect definitively with the manufacture and use of the nerve gas. For his contribution, he was appointed as the only foreign Honorary Member of the Japanese Society of Forensic Toxicology.

The Friday workshop starts with a traditional Japanese Bon-Dance on the Lory Student Center Plaza and a karaoke contest in the student center.

The Saturday afternoon workshop will focus on traditional Asian physical fitness activities. The White Dragon Kung Fu Group will start with a martial art demonstration followed by demonstrations on traditional Chinese dance, Tai Ji, Monkey Boxing and Kendo.

Gateway to Asia is sponsored by the Asian Studies Board, International Education, Associated Students of Colorado State University, the Japan Club, the division of Student Affairs, the department of Foreign Languages & Literatures, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and E-tea Int’l.

Full schedule of events:

Friday, March 23

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Japanese bon dance (Plaza)

8 p.m.: Karoke contest (Ramskeller)

Saturday, March 24

10 a.m.-11 a.m.: Keynote address (Lory Student Center Room 228)

11 a.m.-12 p.m.: Calligraphy and Brush painting (LSC 230)

12 p.m.-1 p.m.: Japanese Tea Ceremony (LSC 214-216)

11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Gateway to Asia Fair (LSC North Ballroom)

1 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: White Dragon Kung Fu demonstration (LSC North Ballroom)

2 p.m.-2:30 p.m.: Tai Ji and Monkey Boxing demonstration (LSC North Ballroom)

2:30 p.m.-3 p.m.: Kendo demonstration (LSC North Ballroom)

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