Norihisa Miki: It's Too Early to Have a Dream

2018/08/21

University faculty members have various duties such as education, research, and university administration, but I believe that supporting students is the most important and most rewarding part. When I was in charge of the Academic Advisory Board for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, I interviewed several students who were struggling. Although the details varied, they had one thing in common: "I don't know what I want to do" or "I can't have a dream for the future." They all seemed to be suffering under the pressure from society and themselves to have a dream. I told them, "It's okay not to have a dream." This is not a symptomatic sophistry to comfort students. It is a fact that can be easily explained.

When you ask elementary school students about their dreams, they say soccer player, baseball player, or YouTuber. Since elementary school students have few role models they know, these are about all they have. So, as they progress to junior high, high school, and university, what do they actually know?

Looking back at myself, I was born into a soy sauce brewery in the scenic city of Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture. Because my grades in high school were good, I took the entrance exam for the School of Medicine but failed. I then entered the Faculty of Science and Technology through the late-stage entrance exam. My interests shifted from physics to biology, virtual reality, and robots, and I finally obtained a doctorate in micro-robot research. When did I ever imagine myself like this?

After that, while researching micro-engines at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I worked part-time at a law firm, experienced 9/11, and founded an ice hockey team called "Sushis" at the MIT Japanese Association. At that time, did I ever dream that I would one day become the director of the Athletic Association Skating Team and witness the first victory in the ice hockey Waseda-Keio rivalry in 43 years?

I became a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and conduct research on micro/nano small machines. Currently, I am researching artificial kidneys with a professor from Tokyo Medical University, brainwave music with a professor from Tokyo University of the Arts, and last year I founded a university-launched venture related to "salt reduction." Having watched my father run Kanei Soy Sauce, did I ever envision starting a business in the food industry in my future?

There are still many things I don't know and many unexpected things waiting for me. Even now, in my mid-40s, I look forward to new encounters, thinking, "It's still too early to have a dream."