Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech)

Located on the southern island of Japan, Kyushu Institute of Technology is a public university that focuses on education and research in scientific and technological fields.

The university was approved by government in 1907, and was originally a private training school for engineers known as Meiji Senmon Gakkō (Meiji Vocational School). Its first campus opened in Tobata in 1909. Kyutech became a Japanese national university in 1949.

The university is spread across three campuses. Tobata, the oldest campus, was designed by Tatsuno Kingo. The Iizuka campus was established in 1986, and Wakamatsu campus opened in 2001. All three are in Fukuoka prefecture.

The university has some of the strongest international connections of any institution in Japan. This includes exchange partnerships with more than 100 universities in four continents, stretching from the University of Surrey in the UK to the University of Wollongong in Australia. As part of these exchange programmes, foreign students in partner universities can attend Kyutech for up to two semesters and earn credits while studying their specialist subject or major.

Chosen after a student contest in 1931, the traditional emblem of Kyutech is a phoenix dragon on a red and black background, symbolising knowledge and harmony. As part of centenary celebrations in 2009 a logo with the letters "AVK" was created, standing for Action, Value, and Kyutech.

The most well known alumnus of Kyutech is Ted Fujita, who earned the moniker "Mr Tornado" for his meteorological research into the weather phenomenon. To this day the damage of tornados is ranked on the "Fujita Scale" and its variations.