Southwestern Professor Available to Talk About Leadership Transition in Japan

Alisa Gaunder, associate professor of political science at Southwestern, can talk about incoming Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and what changes may be likely in Japan under his leadership.

Hatoyama was named prime minister Sept. 16 after his party, the Democratic Party of Japan, defeated the ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Taro Aso in an Aug. 30 election. The Liberal Democratic Party has governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955.

Gaunder is an expert on political leadership in Japan and is the author of a 2007 book titled “Political Reform in Japan: Leadership Looming Large.” She is teaching a course at Southwestern this fall on Contemporary Japanese Politics.

Gaunder arranged for former Southwestern students Tyson Berger, Chris Bailey, Lissa Terrel, Grace Webster and Sarah Morris to meet Hatoyama during a 2005 trip to Japan in which several Southwestern students interviewed various political leaders in Japan on an ASIANetwork Freeman Foundation Grant.

Gaunder is chair of the Political Science Department at Southwestern and also directs the university’s International Studies Program. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from University of California, Berkeley.

Professor Gaunder may be reached at 512-863-1418 or gaundera@southwestern.edu

Southwestern Professor Available to Talk About H1N1 Virus

Martín Gonzalez, associate professor of biology at Southwestern, can talk about what the designation H1N1 means and why this is important. He also can talk about ways to minimize transmission of the virus between individuals, the history of vaccines developed to prevent flu viruses, and the safety and side effects of flu vaccines.

Gonzalez teaches microbiology at Southwestern. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

Professor Gonzalez may be reached at 512-863-1621 or gonzale2@southwestern.edu

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