Immersed in Advanced Research in the Kingdom of Computing

Since high school, I've been interested in computer network operations and wanted to enhance my technical skills in inter-organizational routing, which is essential for internet operations. SFC's "Murai Lab" is famous in this field.

"Murai Lab" is a nickname; the official name is the "Murai, Nakamura, Kusumoto, Takashio, Van Meter, Uehara, Miyoshi, Nakazawa, Tezuka, Takeda, and Ogoshi Joint Research Project (RG)." People who agree with Professor Jun Murai's philosophy gather here, and faculty and students from various specialized fields related to computing conduct a wide range of research as a joint research group. It has a history of researching advanced technologies since before the internet became widespread, and I learned that it has deep connections with the WIDE Project, which I had always admired. I wanted to be involved in research on the operation of protocols related to the internet's backbone.

I sent an email expressing my interest in joining the Satoru Tezuka Research Group, which focuses on cybersecurity within the Murai Lab, at midnight on the first day of the new semester. The next day, I visited the research group's room with another student who was also hoping to join. I still engage in friendly competition with that student in our research activities, and as a fellow lab member, they are a great source of inspiration.

After joining the Satoru Tezuka Research Group, I participated in human resource development programs such as NICT's SecHack365 and the Security Camp run by the IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan). It's a very stimulating environment where people with strong technical skills are active, as if competing with one another.

I also joined the Keisuke Uehara Research Group, which handles the operation of the lab's internal network within the Murai Lab, and was entrusted with various tasks. Taking advantage of the Murai Lab's strong environment in the networking field, I even contributed an article to a magazine on how to create routing software. Many of the faculty, students, and researchers at the Murai Lab are skilled in software development, making it an ideal place for it.

The Murai Lab, with its connections to many organizations across various fields, is a treasure trove of opportunities you can't find elsewhere. The continuity of being able to immediately apply what I learn in one activity to another also helps me smoothly see the results of my efforts.

Until now, I have continued my research and activities focusing mainly on two fields: system software and computer networks. My themes include "transport layer communication that considers application context" and "a hardware virtualization layer that consolidates multiple ARM machines connected via Ethernet into one." The latter is for the IPA's Mitou Program. I am co-developing a system with undergraduate students in my research group that, by installing it on multiple computers, consolidates them into one and allows a single virtual machine to run on top.

My initial interest in the workings of the internet from the time I enrolled led me to focus on the technical aspects, which brought me to research computer networks. Thinking about the mechanisms of computer networks also sparked my interest in the field of system software.

In parallel with my on-campus research, I have experienced many research internships at companies. Currently, I am working as a part-time engineer at Preferred Networks, Inc., researching transport layer protocols. An environment where I can advance my research on my own is of the utmost importance, so I am very grateful to companies that give me advice while also allowing me the freedom to think for myself.

My immediate goal is to further develop what I have researched and been active in at the research group into new research and publish it as a paper. I will continue with software development and focus on the interesting activities that are only possible at the Murai Lab.

The Murai Lab is always filled with enthusiasm, attracting people who are serious about changing the world with software. I am inspired by my peers in the research group, and when I face difficult problems, the faculty and researchers are there to help. The professors are highly trusted within the industry, and opportunities also arise from interactions with companies, various institutions, and other universities. I am also working hard to live up to the trust placed in the Murai Lab.

SFC, with its flexible syllabus and few required courses, makes it easy to balance various activities. I set aside days just for extracurricular activities, schedule classes from morning to night on other days, and also make sure to value my leisure time for things like travel. For problems that can't be solved just by working on a computer, I can find hints by talking with my peers.

For people who have something they want to do, there is no better environment than this. Even if you don't have a specific goal, SFC is the place that will guide you in the right direction. Especially for those who want to do something in the computer or information technology fields, I believe the Murai Lab is the number one environment.