[No. 20] Shinichiro Inoue

I feel happy and proud to have spent the most brilliant time of my life at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University. I spent six years at Keio University for my undergraduate and master's degrees. I was blessed with wonderful teachers, senior students, and friends, and I truly had a great time as a student.

My motivation for choosing the Faculty of Science and Technology was simple: as a high school student, the word "research" sounded cool to me. During my student years, I sometimes felt that the Faculty of Science and Technology was tough compared to the humanities faculties because of the many experiments and required classes, but in retrospect, I believe this is an advantage of the Faculty of Science and Technology.

In our student days, passing the university entrance exam was a major goal, and after enrolling, there was a tendency to enjoy university life in ways other than studying. However, at the Faculty of Science and Technology, in addition to experiments and classes, we were able to learn from our professors how to approach research and problems through our graduation research starting in our fourth year. I am truly indebted to Professor Kuno and Professor Senna. Professor Kuno's retirement year coincided with the year I completed my master's degree (March 1987), so our generation was the last to be taught by him. Professor Senna both scolded and encouraged my naive way of thinking and taught me how to approach things. I am grateful to Professor Senna for the fact that I have managed to get by to this day.

Just as people have personalities, I believe schools do too. There were things at Keio University that could not be learned in the classroom alone. One of them was cheering for the Keio Athletic Association teams in sports like baseball and rugby. For six years, I never missed going to cheer at the spring and autumn Waseda-Keio rivalry baseball games. Cheering for our alma mater with the new students in the spring and with the graduating seniors in the fall are fond memories. I will never forget singing "Wakaki-chi" with my friends at Jingu Stadium, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, and the National Stadium. I believe that such extracurricular activities are one reason why the bonds among the diverse students from all over the country deepen by the time they graduate, becoming Keio University alumni. The friends I made during my student years are still precious to me. In our day, classes for the first and second years were divided based on language selection, so after moving to the Yagami Campus where we were separated by department, I saw less of my first and second-year classmates in classes and labs. However, even now, 20 years later, I still occasionally meet up with those friends with whom I studied (and played?) together during that most impressionable and precious time.

After graduation, I joined Komatsu, a construction machinery manufacturer, and had the opportunity to study abroad, spending just under two years in Manchester, UK. I applied for the company's study abroad program because I remembered my student life at Keio University and wanted to study again. Learning English conversation from the age of 30 was more challenging than any experiment, but I had many good experiences. Bringing my wife with me was a true privilege of being an international student, as it gave us the opportunity to talk with students from various countries about our respective nations and cultures as families. For me, who was not good at music or painting, it was a good opportunity to think about national culture and science and technology. The reason I was able to stay enrolled in the Ph.D. course at my university in the UK even after returning to Japan and eventually obtain my Ph.D. was because of the support and encouragement from those around me, including my supervisor Professor Carter, my family, and my colleagues. I also learned that research is about steady, step-by-step progress and the importance of persevering without giving up. After obtaining my degree, I went to report to Professor Senna and Professor Isobe, and Professor Isobe gave me the opportunity to introduce my research in an academic journal. The professors at Keio University always give a warm welcome to Keio University alumni. In the late 1990s, I was stationed in Washington state in the US for four years, working on the operations for polycrystalline silicon for semiconductors, a new business Komatsu had entered. I am currently engaged in research related to construction machinery at the Komatsu Research Division. In the United States, I saw many people who, after working for a while and saving up for tuition, went back to graduate school. In Japan, such cases still seem to be rare, but I believe that if the system changes, even more talented individuals will emerge. I have high hopes for the future of Keio University.

Although it has been almost 20 years since I graduated from university, I remember the days I spent studying at Keio University as if they were yesterday. The "Wakaki-chi" still flows within me.