[No. 64] Naoko Hikuma (Okai)

In my kindergarten graduation book, I wrote that my dream for the future was "to become a magician." When I became an elementary school student, I started to admire chemists, thinking, "Chemists are like magicians. They can change the color, shape, and even the properties of things." Now that I am a materials researcher, if I could show my childhood self a chemistry experiment, I'm sure she would be delighted and say, "Wow, that's amazing. How interesting!"

When I first entered Keio University, I was completely overwhelmed by the lively and powerful atmosphere of the campus. To find a place where I could feel at ease, I joined a small chamber music club. In the club, I enjoyed listening to conversations about other faculties. Although much of it was too difficult for me to understand, I was thrilled by the scent of academic fields different from science and technology.

In my first year, I participated in the Japan-France exchange program of the Faculty of Science and Technology and went to a French engineering university, Ecole Centrale de Nantes. In the exchange program at that time, a Keio student and a student from that university were paired up one-on-one and would homestay with each other's families. During the summer vacation of my second year, the student who hosted me in France, Mariodile, came to homestay at my house. We still correspond by letter more than 20 years later, encouraging each other across borders as fellow female engineers working in companies while raising children.

During student labs, I was exhausted by the weekly lab reports and the revised reports I had to rewrite due to insufficient analysis. I wanted to escape the storm of reports as soon as possible, but my life of being chased by report writing has continued to this day. I now look back with gratitude, realizing that it was training to ensure I wouldn't struggle after graduation.

For my graduation research, under the guidance of Professor Tamotsu Senna, who retired last year, I conducted research on the powder properties of ceramics. I liked experimenting, but I was hesitant about presentations and discussions because I hated being nervous. I often failed to explain things logically and clearly in front of Professor Senna, and he would frequently get angry with me. There were days I felt dejected, thinking, "But I'm doing my experiments so seriously..." However, after I started working for a company, I gradually came to understand why he had scolded me back then. I would like to express my gratitude once again for the strict yet passionate guidance that trained me. Now that I am in a managerial position, I have become even more strongly aware of the importance of presentation and communication skills, and I am working hard to improve these skills to overcome my previous aversion.

The reason I joined my current company was a factory tour trip organized by the Department of Applied Chemistry during the spring break of my third year. We visited several factories in the Chugoku and Kyushu regions, and one of them was the Omuta Plant of Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. The reasons I wanted to join the company were the sincere corporate culture I felt at that time and my interest in the high-performance ceramic products I saw there.

For the first six years after joining the company, I was involved in the research and development of ceramic materials, making use of what I had learned in my graduation research. Currently, I belong to a physical properties analysis group that covers all of the company's products. As a comprehensive chemical company, we handle a wide range of products, including electronic materials, resins, organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, cement, and pharmaceuticals. I am truly glad that I studied a wide range of subjects in the Department of Applied Chemistry, including organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, quantum chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering. It is very rewarding when the knowledge and skills I learned at university are useful in my work at the company.

Right now, I have so many things I want to do and need to do that I am constantly struggling with prioritization and time management. Technological progress in the world of materials is also extremely fast, and there is never enough time to study. On the other hand, I also cherish the time I spend with my family and neighbors. All three of my children, currently aged 4, 7, and 9, have been cared for at daycare centers or by family welfare workers since they were three or four months old. When my children were small, just going to the office every day was a tightrope walk. In times of crisis, especially when my husband was on an assignment away from home, my neighbors, including support members from the Family Support Center, helped me out. I am able to continue working as part of a dual-income couple because of the support of so many other people, and I am filled with gratitude. While I am healthy and able to work, I want to give back through my job and community activities. I am now 41 and in the prime of my working life, but I cannot stay at the office for long hours like I did before I had children, so increasing my time efficiency and doing highly productive work is a key challenge for me.

When I was in high school, I chose to major in science, imagining my future self holed up in a lab, silently conducting experiments alone. However, after I started working for a company, I came to realize keenly that even in technical positions, communication skills are necessary to produce results. At Keio University, in its free and open academic atmosphere, I was greatly influenced by my flexible and sociable classmates. The experiences of that time have become the foundation for my work today.