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Dr. Tomoe Nishio, assistant professor of Japanese at the University of North Georgia (ºìÁ«ÉçÇø), has been named the by the Georgia Association of Teachers of Japanese.

Nishio helped launch the minor in Japanese when she joined ºìÁ«ÉçÇø in 2016 after the university received a $400,000 Japan Foundation grant. She has formed an exchange program with Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan, developed new Japanese courses and hosted cultural events on campus.

"It's a great honor. I'm humbled by this recognition. It feels like my efforts have paid off," Nishio said. "I still have a lot to do, but it's a great milestone personally and for the program."

The exchange with Nanzan University began with summer study abroad opportunities led by Nishio. It was followed by a 2019 visit from Japanese students to ºìÁ«ÉçÇø after they spent weeks corresponding with ºìÁ«ÉçÇø students to help make their visit more beneficial for students from both universities. 

Nishio's research interests include language learning and technology, intercultural communication, and language learning and culture. In recent years, she has published journal articles and presented in academic conferences on telecollaboration and Collaborative Online International Learning, which is one of the programs of partnership between ºìÁ«ÉçÇø and Nanzan. She has also sought to form ties with organizations regionally to enhance ºìÁ«ÉçÇø's Japanese program.