2017 Activity Report
vol.13:The University of Electro-Communications
Activity Report of Open Application Course vol.13
Ten (ASEAN+India) University Students Visited Japan to Study the Most Advanced Science and Technology toward the Future Low Energy and Low Carbon Society
Reported by Dr. Kenzo Takahashi, Professor for International Strategy, The University of Electro-Communications (UEC)
The University of Electro-Communications (UEC) has successfully performed the second fiscal year UEC Sakura Exchange Program in Science during the seven days from October 15th to 21st, 2017, according to the UEC’s multiple fiscal year plan with the topic “To study the fundamental idea and practice of the most advanced science and technologies toward the future low energy and low carbon society” which was adopted by JST in 2017.
The seven universities with higher educational level and reputation in five ASEAN countries and India which have received or have been ready to receive UEC’s international internship students were selected. They are King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) in Thailand, VNU University of Engineering and Technology (VNU-UET) in Vietnam, Multimedia University (MMU) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in Malaysia, Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) in Cambodia, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in Indonesia, and National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) in India.
Ten positive students with excellent academic records and better manner, interested in science and technology of Japan were selected and invited, out of many applicants through documentation and international interview over Skype connection.
As a preliminary step before their travel to Japan, they followed the summary of the program and references, mutual member introduction, the fundamental knowledge of Japanese culture and language, visa and insurance processes offered by JST, airport pick-up, over Skype connection as well.
All the member students safely arrived at Narita International Airport around the same hours early in the morning on October 15th, experienced the traditional culture of Japan with the guidance of UEC students at Asakusa Temple on the way to their hotel where they had the orientation.
They visited UEC campus in Chofu on 16th and 17th, had their courtesy call to President of UEC and tours to the representative laboratories relevant to the topic with lecture, discussion and introduction of current experiments. New viewpoints of studies covering IoT were added this year so that the effect of the program toward the future society would be enhanced.
Further, they had the lesson and practice of daily Japanese language in the class during two days, the study tour of UEC Communication Museum where they could know and experience the R&D history of electronics, information, communication and computer technologies. They also had a time of communication with ASEAN scholars in UEC and UEC’s students who experienced the international internship studies in ASEAN countries for their better understanding of studying in Japan. Successively, they had tours to the external sites practicing the relevant advanced science and technology.
On October 18th, they visited the world’s largest third-generation synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8 and SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free Electron Laser (SACLA) facility providing X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) located at Harima Science Garden City in Hyogo Prefecture. After the introduction of SPring-8 by Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) and tour to the facilities, they studied UEC’s R&D activities of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell covering the structural analysis of elctrocatalysts based on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) Beam Line BL36XU.
On October 19th, they visited the international R&D hub Keihanna Science City between Kyoto and Nara and studied Keihanna Eco-City project toward the Next Generation Energy and Social Systems including a smart city model with CO2 reduction and energy saving through ICT. On October 20th in the morning, they visited National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) located at Koganei in Tokyo and experienced the multi-sensory interaction technology in a virtual space where the energy would be saved and the mutual real-time machine translation of voice conversations in multiple languages, developed by NICT. In the afternoon, they visited The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Odaiba Seaside Park, experienced and enjoyed the talk with an android and they were impressed with the performance of biped walking and one leg jumping of the humanoid robot ASIMO. On October 1st early in the morning, the program was reviewed and they were divided to two groups of early and late departure flights, all of them safely returned to their home countries.
As a remarkable event of the program, it was discussed and decided by themselves and UEC students who welcomed them at the airport to use Google Messenger over IP for their mutual contact so that the roll call at transfer points, crisis and health management during their stay, confirmation of boarding in time and safe arrival at each returned airport were achieved without trouble. Most of them looked unaccustomed under tension each other on arrival at Narita but they were in harmony on departure, and they thanked JST and us for their experience of advanced science and technology of Japan and participation in the community of invited and UEC students. Most of them have referred in their reports to their interests in studying in Japan and they have strongly expected the sustainability of the program in coming years considering their colleagues or juniors.