2024.09.06
Hirotaka Sugino, a 3rd-year student in the Ph.D. program at the Graduate School of Media and Governance and a member of the laboratory of Professor Junichi Ushiyama of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, received the "Young Investigator Award" at the 18th Motor Control Meeting.
The Motor Control Meeting is an academic conference where participants from various fields such as physiology, biology, engineering, medical sciences, rehabilitation, and sports science, who research motor control mechanisms throughout Japan, come together to report and discuss their respective research findings. It is held once a year with the keywords of "fostering young researchers" and "interdisciplinarity."
The "Young Investigator Award" was established to encourage the research of outstanding young researchers in the field of motor control and to further invigorate the Motor Control Meeting. It is selected from general presentations given by first authors who are researchers within five years of obtaining their doctoral degree (including those who have not yet obtained one). It is rare for a graduate student to win this award amidst fierce competition from numerous postdoctoral researchers, making it a remarkable achievement.
Presentation Title
"Elucidating the Neural Mechanisms of Bimanual Cooperative Stretch Reflexes"
Comment from Hirotaka Sugino
In my third year of high school, I decided to study the "human brain and movement." After enrolling at SFC, I have been steadily accumulating research results under the guidance of Professor Ushiyama. I am truly delighted that my work has been recognized in this way. These research findings are the result of many trials and errors, successes and failures, from building the experimental environment to planning and implementing experiments and verifying hypotheses. Therefore, this award is deeply meaningful to me and has given me great confidence.
On a personal note, this summer (2024), my younger brother won a gold medal in the men's team gymnastics at the Paris Olympics. Witnessing his achievement up close moved me deeply, and I had just renewed my determination to "work hard so as not to be outdone as his older brother." While this award brings me a sense of relief, it has also renewed my resolve. Although we are aiming for different goals, I will continue to devote myself to my work so that I am not outdone as someone who strives to master their craft.
I could never have achieved this award on my own. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my collaborator, Professor Daichi Nozaki (Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo), who always gives me precise advice, the lab members who support me daily, and the many other faculty and administrative staff. Above all, I am deeply grateful to Professor Ushiyama, who has always guided me with passion and has consistently created an environment where I can enjoy and immerse myself in science. I will continue to devote myself to my research to turn these findings into even greater achievements.
Published by: General Affairs Section, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office