2013.12.20
Associate Professor Hiroya Tanaka of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies has been selected as a "NISTEP Researcher" for 2013.
The National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP), a national research institute under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, selects individuals each year who have made significant contributions to science and technology. The name "NISTEP Researcher" (lit. "Nice Step Researcher") is a play on the institute's acronym, NISTEP, combining "nice" for "wonderful" and "step" for "leap forward."
The research achievements of Associate Professor Hiroya Tanaka were recognized for their significant contribution to the promotion and dissemination of science and technology and for their potential to advance science and technology in Japan.
A Comment from Associate Professor Hiroya Tanaka
It has been almost five years since I began a style that combines the "two focal points" of academic research and social implementation of "digital (social) fabrication (social manufacturing using 3D printers and other tools)" in collaboration with FabLabs across Japan and around the world. I believe that this effort to bridge research and practice, technology and society, and citizens and universities is what is generally referred to as the "SFC spirit." While I am grateful for the blessed research environment that makes this possible, I have also made further discoveries through these activities. One is that there are universities like SFC all over the world. Within the global FabLab network, which spans over 200 locations in more than 50 countries, there are countless examples of attempts to inextricably link the three pillars of research, education, and social contribution while practicing a new form of "workshop." In these spaces, design engineers with a social mindset, who seek to connect cutting-edge technology with social applications, are actively engaged. I believe it is crucial for the future of SFC to cross borders and work closely with like-minded colleagues around the world to envision and lead the way toward the next vision beyond the "web society"—the "fab society." Now that I have completed my major role as the executive committee chair of the International Fab Lab Conference, my goal for next year is to establish a full-fledged international research center for digital fabrication and begin activities with an eye on the "next 10 years." In this endeavor, I also hope to create a completely new 3D printer "originating from Japan."