2018 Activity Report vol.30:Osaka University

Activity Report of Open Application Course vol.30

Program for Education and Research Exchange Related to Multidisciplinary Scientific Technology
Focusing on Fundamental Science, Applied Natural Science, Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronic Engineering in Japan

Report by Professor Yoshitada Morikawa
Division of Precision Science & Technology and Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering,
Osaka University

The Quantum Engineering Design Course (hereinafter, “QEDC”) is part of special English courses offered at the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Univ. Through the support from the Sakura Science Exchange Program, the QEDC invited ten students from partner universities with extensive interaction in research and education; for example, universities with which Osaka Univ. has concluded agreements for double degree programs.

For a ten-day period from August 30 to September 8, 2018, students were invited from nine universities in the four countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. In addition to visiting and touring the research facilities and laboratories at Osaka Univ., the students participated in the Computational Materials Design Workshop where they learned the basics of first-principle calculation through practical exercises.

Visiting a laboratory

The participating students arrived in Japan on August 30. On August 31, they attended an orientation at our university, receiving an overview of the QEDC and an explanation of research. Afterwards, the students toured an Ultra Clean Facility, which is a cutting-edge laboratory equipped with the world’s highest performance clean room technology, ultra-high purity gas technology, and ultrapure water technology. They also visited several other laboratories related to QEDC. In addition to receiving explanations related to advanced research from Osaka Univ. faculty, the participating students also interacted with foreign exchange students studying abroad at Osaka Univ. from their native country or affiliated university.

Touring the Ultra Clean Facility

On September 1, the students visited Arashiyama in Kyoto to experience Japanese culture. The students tried the Yuzen style of dyeing with hand-drawn patterns and visited Tenryuji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Experiencing Yuzen style dyeing with hand-drawn patterns in Kyoto

During the five-day period from September 3 to 7, the students participated in the Computational Materials Design Workshop held by the Institute for NanoScience Design at Osaka Univ. Together with students from Osaka Univ., the visiting students attended lectures on the fundamentals of material design given by Osaka Univ. faculty and tried practical exercises. During the workshop period, lectures and practical exercise were held every day from 9AM until late afternoon or evening. It was an extremely fulfilling and extensive five-day experience for the visiting students. Midway through the workshop period, a party was held as an outstanding opportunity for the visiting students to deepen their interaction with faculty and students at Osaka Univ.

Participating in the Computational Materials Design Workshop

In closing, I would like to express my gratitude to SAKURA Science for making this wonderful opportunity possible, as well as to everyone who cooperated in the program. I hope that the program will contribute to the future success of the visiting students. Furthermore, the program succeeded in building strong relationships between the visiting students and faculty/students at Osaka Univ., as well as friendships between the visiting students themselves. I look forward to how these relationships will foster friendship and cooperation among Asian nations including Japan in the future.

Taking a photo after the completion ceremony with Prof. Morikawa and his teaching assistants