Approaching the real world through a mathematical approach. Building skills by following my curiosity.

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From Johoku Saitama High School, a private school in Saitama Prefecture

From a young age to the present, he has always "learned according to his own curiosity." This attitude has not changed since entering university, and he is now engaged in daily research in pursuit of a form of mathematics that is useful in the real world. What does he find so appealing about the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Keio University's Faculty of Science and Technology? We talked to him about his student life, from taking entrance exams to enrolling, his research at the university, and his part-time job that utilizes his expertise, to get a real-life picture of a student in the Faculty of Science and Technology.

[*] As of the time of the interview (October 2018).

In high school, I balanced club activities and studying in my own way. I was in the soft tennis club, which I had been a part of since junior high, and practiced about three times a week. On days when I didn't have club practice, I often studied in the library or study hall before going home. Since I was originally good at science subjects, I chose the science track when selecting my field in my second year of high school. Many of my classmates were talented and aimed for high-level universities, so by keeping pace with their studies, the level of the universities I was aiming for naturally became clear.

This applies not just to mathematics but to all science subjects, but I find it interesting that if you know "one thing," like a principle or a formula, you can solve many problems. For example, if you know the formula for the area of a circle, S = πr ² , you can calculate the area of a circle with any radius. It may seem obvious, but I think it's truly amazing. This was a simple example, but in a broader sense, I enjoy "using a few tools through trial and error to arrive at an answer." Because my preferences matched the characteristics of the field in this way, I think I naturally came to like science.

I didn't go to a prep school for my entrance exams. My older brother and sister also went to university without attending prep school, so I wasn't particularly worried. At home, my parents didn't really say things like "You should study," so the mindset that "studying is something you do on your own" naturally took root. Therefore, I made my own study plans and followed them. For things I couldn't cover with my own studies, I learned from my well-informed classmates who were attending prep schools.

When I was deciding which university to apply to, the keyword "industrial and systems engineering" wasn't initially on my mind. However, as I browsed various university websites, I came across the website for the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Keio University's Faculty of Science and Technology and felt, "This is exactly what I want to do!" Specifically, I was very attracted to the idea of using the power of mathematics to solve real-world problems. I was more interested in "What can I do with it?" rather than delving into pure mathematics like you would in a typical mathematics department. Also, I felt it was too early to decide on my final major and department at the university entrance exam stage, so the "Gakumon System" [*] was also appealing. The flexibility to learn a wide range of subjects after enrollment was a big factor.

[*] Gakumon System: A system where students choose one of five "Gakumon" (academic programs) at the time of admission, gradually narrow down their desired field of study according to their interests after enrollment, and decide on their department when advancing to their second year.

In a word, students at Keio University's Faculty of Science and Technology are "fundamentally serious" (laughs). This impression comes from the fact that many students manage to balance their research and studies while also making plenty of time for fun. I myself went on to graduate school because I enjoy my research, and I approach my classes and research with the thought, "I have to absorb as much as my tuition is worth!" There are many students who think the same way and are dedicated to their research, and the environment is set up for that.

Also, the Faculty of Science and Technology has the Faculty of Science and Technology Athletic Association, which is somewhere between a full-fledged university Athletic Association and a student club, and I played soft tennis there. I quit when I became a third-year undergraduate to focus on my studies, but I still see the members from time to time. I was blessed with valuable encounters.

I belong to a laboratory that specializes in a field called "OR (Operations Research)." The deciding factors for choosing my current lab were that I took a class with my current academic advisor and really liked his personality and the atmosphere, and I felt it was an environment where I could learn thoroughly. Now that I'm actually in it, what I like most is that, in addition to being able to concentrate on my research, it's an environment that thoroughly respects each individual's desire to do what they want, which naturally brings out my motivation to learn. Another feature of the lab is the close relationship with the academic advisor. Even when busy, our academic advisor is available to consult with students, and we can advance our research through close discussions, which I think makes for a comfortable environment for students. Also, the members of the same lab are all working on different research themes and have different areas of expertise, so it's great that we can complement each other's strengths and know-how. I'm relatively good at programming, so I sometimes teach other members.

As a first-year master's student, I'm currently in the process of searching for a research topic for my master's thesis.

The theme of my undergraduate thesis was "An Optimization Model for Theater Stage Design Focusing on Visibility from the Audience." This theme came to me when I went to a concert with a friend during my fourth year of undergrad and felt that the seating arrangement from my seat was "hard to see." I constructed a mathematical model to calculate "how easy it is to see" based on the positional relationship between the audience and the stage, and derived the optimal stage placement and shape.

In my master's program, I'm challenging a new theme, network visualization, which is different from my undergraduate studies. In a world overflowing with information, it's important to present that vast amount of information in an easy-to-see and understandable way. Therefore, I'm interested in approaching the question of "what makes something easy to see" through a mathematical approach. It's still undecided what kind of network I will visualize, but I hope to find a unique subject and make it an interesting study.

What I value when deciding on a research theme is "whether I find the theme interesting" and "whether it will be useful to the world." If I don't find the research interesting myself, my motivation won't increase, and those who see the research will also find it boring. Also, my major emphasizes not only theory but also application to the real world. Specifically, for example, when we learn a theorem in class, many professors give us the opportunity to think, "In what situations would this theorem be useful?" This perspective may be basic, but I feel it's very important when conducting research. In fact, one of my lab mates is working on highly original research by finding a new application for an existing theorem.

Currently, to apply the knowledge and skills I've cultivated through research in the real world, I work part-time about once a week at a company that provides healthcare services. The work I'm in charge of includes mathematical optimization, data analysis, and other operational support using mathematical approaches. In the nursing care industry, the use of analog methods for operations is still seen as a problem. For example, the work schedules for caregivers are created by hand. If there are many caregivers, this becomes a huge amount of work, and when you also consider compatibility with the care recipients and each person's desired work hours, creating a work schedule is a very difficult job. So, I automated this process using mathematical optimization techniques. Actually, this problem of "schedule optimization" was the research theme of one of my lab mates, so it was a little familiar to me. This is just a small part of my duties, but it has been a very good experience to apply what I've learned at university in the real world.

In the future, I would like to get a job such as a data scientist where I can utilize the mathematical thinking and programming skills I have cultivated in university and graduate school. I have participated in several data analysis internships so far. At the moment, I don't have a strong preference for any particular industry; in fact, I believe that the strength of mathematical thinking and programming is that they can be applied in any industry. Therefore, I want to jump into any field that I find interesting and utilize the skills I have built up.

I am also currently studying "machine learning" on my own. Although it's a field not directly related to my own research, it's in high demand socially, so I think it will be useful for my future career, and above all, I believe it will contribute to my own learning.