[Campus Voice] Event Report: Thoughts from the School of Science, The University of Tokyo – The Future of Female Junior High and High School Students 2022 Online

The event began with an introduction from Professor Kohno regarding the philosophy of the Faculty of Science. During the introduction, what was particularly emphasized was that science was the practice of understanding the “logic” of all things in nature. The discovery of truth requires the curiosity and individuality of each person as well as diversity. Rather than pass judgement based on stereotypes and saying, “researchers are certain types of people, so it doesn’t suit me”, his message was to value your own curiosity and come join the Faculty of Science. Diversity is not only important in the Faculty of Science but at the University of Tokyo as a whole and as an example, plans for the Faculty of Engineering were introduced during the open campus.

 

Next, there was an introduction to the Faculty of Science from Associate Professor Namai. She explained the differences between the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering that for high school students may be a little difficult to understand, and might be the cause of hesitation when selecting a course for the future. The main difference is that the objective of the Faculty of Science is to “open up the frontiers of humankind’s wisdom” while the Faculty of Engineering focuses on “science and technology in society”. However, more research is being conducted recently in areas that fall on this boundary and research in areas that are more engineering-related is even being conducted at the Faculty of Science. We recommend high school students to check the websites of each school and examine the research topics of each.
 
Lastly, there was an introduction to a wide range of career paths for students in the Faculty of Science. There are those that become researchers as well as those that join government entities or private businesses. Some continue to work in their fields of research while others work in completely different fields by leveraging the advanced and versatile capabilities cultivated from their research.

After completing her master’s degree from the Department of Chemistry at the School of Science, she worked as a researcher at the National Research Institute of Police Science. While continuing to work, she obtained her doctorate from the Department of Chemistry at the School of Science and is currently engaged in drafting research and development strategies at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (hereinafter “JST”). Ms. Takamura talked about how her experiences led her to this career path.
 
Ms. Takamura was conducting her research in analytical chemistry while majoring in chemistry at the School of Science, and she wanted to continue her research in an area that would allow her to experience a greater connection to society. This led her to work at the National Research Institute of Police Science after completing her master’s degree. At the research institute, she conducted forensic science research, but with a desire for further growth, she advanced to the doctoral program for working adults in the Department of Chemistry at the School of Science. While working towards her doctoral degree, she studied abroad in the US which was highly stimulating.
 
After obtaining her doctorate and working as a researcher at RIKEN, Ms. Takamura had the major life events of giving birth and raising her child. She mentioned experiencing significant changes to her sense of values and lifestyle after having a child. Until then, she had been focused on doing what she wanted to do but now she wanted to work in a job that could contribute to society and the future, and therefore she switched jobs to a think tank at the Center for Research and Development strategy at JST. There, she studies the latest research trends and proposes policies to government entities (for example, promoting research and development of quantum computers and next generation communications technologies). Being able to obtain advice and guidance from top-class professors from various fields, including the Nobel prize winner Dr. Ryoji Noyori, who serves as the Director-General, she talked about being honored to work in a rewarding job.
 
The government’s science, technology, and innovation policy, Society 5.0, seeks to realize a new society based on a high degree of integration of cyberspace and physical space. To achieve this, social reform through “convergence knowledge” is critical. Social reform that considers not only scientific knowledge but also knowledge from the humanities and social sciences is necessary, and even Ms. Takamura, who researched the sciences at the School of Science, often feels the importance of humanities and social sciences. The need to think through complex issues such as confronting the social aspect of the nuclear power generation issues post the Great East Japan earthquake and COVID-19, etc., not just with scientific knowledge but by taking into account knowledge from a humanities and social sciences perspective is one of the biggest characteristics of the modern era.
 
Next, she spoke about education and gender. It may not be common knowledge, but Japan’s percentage of women receiving higher education is high, even when compared globally. On the other hand, the number of women who choose science and engineering or social sciences is low.
 
Why are there only a few women who choose to go into science and engineering? One possible reason is the effect of gender stereotypes related to the sciences. However, as there is data that shows there are no differences between men and women in terms of the average arithmetic and mathematical capability, Ms. Takamura’s final message to the high school students was to just know yourselves without being bound by gender stereotypes and to not miss the opportunity to utilize your interests and abilities when choosing your future path.
 
There were also various questions for Ms. Takamura, from the high school students in attendance.

Were there any scholarship programs available?

I received a wide variety of financial support from the University of Tokyo during my undergraduate and graduate studies. Recently, more financial support has become available for graduate students and women.
 

Did you have any concern about advancing into a field with only a few women?

I had no concerns. I didn’t think too deeply about it but I was able to find work regardless of gender and I was also used to this environment. People interacted with me regardless of gender and therefore, I haven’t experienced any issues.
 

What is the difference between the doctorate program for working adults and a regular doctorate program?

The doctorate program for working adults differs depending on the university and major. In my case, I went to the research lab and participated in seminars primarily in the evening and weekends to achieve my research outcomes to obtain my academic credits.
 

Did you have any hesitation when changing jobs?

More than the hesitation of changing jobs, I felt strongly that I didn’t want to miss the opportunity and therefore took the challenge.
 

How did you maintain a balance with extracurricular activities during your junior high and high school years?

I effectively maximized the use of my time and made sure to make time to study.

Next, we heard from Assistant Professor Tou who is a research associate from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science.
The theme was how the functions inherited, and Assistant Professor Tou talked about the history of research in the field of genetics as well as about her research life.
 
Assistant Professor Tou researches epigenetics which studies how factors other than DNA impact how the activation of specific genes is regulated, and began this research while studying abroad in Los Angeles. After returning to Japan, through her research in epigenetics, she identified the relationship between plants and stress. She discovered that when plants were exposed to stress from drought, they produced acetic acid which led her to prove that pouring vinegar on plants would make them strong against drought. This fact is increasingly being utilized around the world, making a big impact in resolving environmental and food issues.
 
Currently, she is working on research related to genetic switches. Plant genomes contain many mobile genetic elements called transposons that can suddenly cause mutations, and DNA methylation can inactivate these transposons. Assistant Professor Tou seeks to understand how plants can limit the effect of DNA methylation to transposons and by doing so, hopes to benefit the medical field and the development of agricultural products in the future.
 
A variety of questions from high school students were also posed during this session.
 
 

Are English skills important in conducting research?

English is important. We read and write papers in English. Communication with researchers around the world is done in English and therefore out of necessity, I studied hard.
 

What is the difference between research at the Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Science?

At the Faculty of Science, we focus on the “why?” of how things work at a fundamental level. Rather than starting from an issue that we want to resolve, our research begins from a seed of curiosity or a fundamental question.
 

What jobs are there for people who study life sciences?

Some jobs are in drug discovery, cosmetics, food manufacturing, and government positions. People work in many different fields by indirectly leveraging the capabilities acquired in research and even work in jobs that may seem completely unrelated such as the publishing industry.
 
There were many other astute questions that delved into scientific content and a lively discussion took place with the speaker.

Lastly, a mixer with students from the Faculty of Science was held in five separate rooms. Here, I would like to mention some of the questions that were raised in the rooms with Ms. Nakazato who is researching astronomy simulation at the Department of Physics and Ms. Morii who is researching dark nebulas at the Department of Astronomy.
 

Did you have concerns about job prospects having studied astronomy?

There are several job opportunities related to space and astronomy. There are many who go into jobs that utilize knowledge of satellite development, programming, and imagery development. It all works out.
 

What is the difference between space research in the Department of Astronomy and the Department of Physics?

If you want to do theoretical research and are interested in elementary particles and the early universe, there are more options available in the Department of Physics. But if you want to focus on observations, the Department of Astronomy may be appropriate as it offers opportunities for practical observations.
 

When do you decide specific areas of specialty and topics?

After enrolling in the Junior Division of the two-year program in the College of Arts and Sciences and the first year in the Faculty of Science, from B1 to B3 we will be learning what is necessary for basic research. Through the classes, you will learn about your professor’s research and from B4, you will conduct your own research. For those moving on to graduate school, you will decide your graduate school research topic and which research laboratory to go to.

A vision of the future in the field of science is one which might be unfamiliar to junior high and high school students, but listening to specific examples hopefully made it a little bit easier for everyone to imagine their own future in this field. Please come visit the actual research labs and research sites during open campus events to gain interest in science and research and we hope that many female junior high and high school students will select the path towards the Faculty of Science.