Testimonials for Pioneer Member Masahiro Sugiura
Shigeru Hanano – I did my PhD training in the Sugiura lab. The wisdom I learned from him led to the basis of my research, which investigates plant biology as a system. I appreciated Sugiura’s mentorship.
Nobuaki Hayashida – Professor Sugiura’s greatness can be explained by many molecular-biological publications describing endosymbiosis of the chloroplast and training many researchers who are contributing to the plant sciences.
Tetsuro Hirose – Prof. Masahiro Sugiura should be regarded as a pioneer of genome biology.
Takashi Ideue – Professor Masahiro Sugiura,I am delighted to know you will be recognized as an ASPB Pioneer. I am very happy o be a member in your laboratory, and.best wishes for your continued success.
Jun Kusuda – The complete structure of the tobacco chloroplast genome established by Dr. M Sugiura is the basis for elucidating photosynthesis, and is expected to provide a means to solve global warming, which is a global problem today.
Yuqing Li – I was a Ph.D. student in Dr. Sugiura’s lab from 1988 to 1991. His group was pretty big, with over ten graduate students and many postdoctoral research fellows. Coming from China, where research chemicals and equipment were inadequate, it felt like paradise working in his lab, with state-of-the-art equipment and easy access to journals, books, and research supplies. The lab provided an outstanding training environment for a young student like me. All the students and staff were very helpful. We spent long hours working in the lab, discussing research, and immersing in the excitement of scientific discovery. I formed lifelong friendships with the students and staff I worked with at the time. It is fair to say that I started my scientific career in his lab. I learned to write my first paper with him, especially how to write with conciseness and precision. I am still benefiting from the several research articles I wrote with him. He was very patient and encouraged me to explore the areas I was interested in. Dr. Sugiura is undoubtedly an inspiration for all of us trained under him. After retirement, he continued his research in the neighboring universities and remained active in publishing more original research papers. He instilled in us the passion for scientific research, hard work, and the drive to find solutions for society. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with him and use what I have learned in his lab to manage my own lab at US public universities and train the next generation of scientists.
Tetsuya Miyamoto – Dr. Masahiro Sugiura was my graduate advisor at Nagoya University. It was 5 years of a truly exciting and fruitful time. His sincere attitude toward science and profound vision made an enormous impression on me. I was very fortunate to have his mentorship, as he gave opportunities and trusted me to do my best. I have huge respect for him.
Junichi Obokata – It was a great honor for me to join the laboratory of Professor Sugiura when the tobacco chloroplast genome was sequenced. I learned much from him, which drove me to think about what the genome was, what the genome is, and what the genome will be; these fundamental questions are still alive within me.
Masaru Ohme-Takagi – It is a gerat honor for me to help recognize Professor Sugiura as a “Pioneer” based on his contributions to plant genome research.
Chikara Ohto – I was an undergraduate and graduate student in Prof. Sugiura’s lab. He had a cutting-edge research vision of genomics even long before GB sequencing machines. He chose the tobacco chloroplast genome for a cytoplasmic organelle. I became a researcher based on valuable instructions from him regarding the themes of chloroplast genome analysis and trascription regulation.
Masahiro Sakamoto – Professor Sugiura has made great contributions to the scientific community by nurturing a large number of excellent researchers, not to mention his achievements in research. I would like to acknowledge a great contribution not only to Japanese plant science but also to the world.
Hiroaki Shimada – Dr. Masahiro Sugiura was the supervisor for my thesis and taught me many things about molecular-level research on rice. He taught many students and produced many research projects through which he made a significant contribution to promote research on plant molecular genetics. Congratulations for your recognition as a Pioneer of ASPB!
Kazuo Shinozaki – Congratulations, Prof. Masahiro Sugiura. I am proud of your pioneering work in plant genomics for understanding chloroplast genes and their origin. I also thank your continuous contribution to plant molecular biology.
Jon Suzuki – As a graduate student in the U.S., I was especially inspired by Professor Sugiura’s pioneering work on the tobacco chloroplast genome. Subsequently, I was privileged to have been accepted to conduct research as a foreign post-doc in his lab. Professor Sugiura’s laboratory was an exciting and stimulating environment for study, fostering many excellent researchers and students and housing world class facilities for plant molecular genetic research. Due to my time spent in his lab, I was able to grow tremendously in the field of plant science. I owe my current position as a researcher in the agricultural field to the foundation I received under his mentorship. Throughout my career path, Professor Sugiura was always very supportive. My heartfelt congratulations to Professor Masahiro Sugiura on being recognized as a Pioneer of the ASPB and for his extraordinary contributions to science and humanity through innumerable fundamental and seminal works in plant research and the nurturing of a generation of future scientists.
Noboru Tomioka – I am very happy for Dr. Sugiura to be recognized as a “Pioneer of ASPB “. Dr. Sugiura is a one of the scientific leaders who over the past 50 years made important contributions to plant science education and research. I believe he is indeed a “Pioneer” of ASPB and one of the top scientists in plant molecular genetics.
Keita Torazawa – It is great honor for me to help recognize Professor Sugiura as a “Pioneer” of ASPB for his contribution to plant genome research.
Robert Whittier – I was blessed to pass through Masahiro Sugiura’s lab starting in late 1987. The 19 months spent there put my research on a success track in Japan, introducing me to top Japanese, Chinese, European, and North American scientists in plant molecular biology. Among the connections thus enabled, Elliot Meyerowitz and Peter McCourt provided me with key advice and alerts that allowed great leaps in the early Arabidopsis genomic research my group pursued after I Ieft the Sugiura lab. Thus, beyond Prof. Sugiura’s landmark publications in chloroplast molecular biology, the role he played in connecting researchers from East and West was remarkable, all the more so given the language barrier he faced as a Japanese born in 1936. Prewar Japan emphasized German, and English language instruction was still in a sorry state, even when I arrived. Despite this, his English was smooth and clear, contrasting sharply with many scientists of his generation. His success of bringing so many together testifies to his will and ability to build scientific bridges.
Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozaki – I am happy to pay tribute to Professor Masahiro Sugiura for his pioneering research in plant molecular biology.
Norihiro Zaita – It is honor for me to contribute to acknowledging Professor Sugiura as an ASPB Pioneer. He was my PhD supervisor, and his guidance and passion inspired me to become a plant scientist and involve plant science in my life.