The joy of learning and an attitude of continuous thinking. The strengths gained through research become a lifelong asset.

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Graduate of Chiba Higashi Prefectural High School, Chiba Prefecture

From Chiba Prefecture. He started playing baseball in the second grade of elementary school and was passionate about his club activities in high school, aiming for the Koshien tournament. After retiring from his club, he began studying for university entrance exams. Deciding he wanted to "study a subject in university that is fun to learn," he resolved to study physics and enrolled in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University. At the Faculty of Science and Technology, he chose the Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics in his second year and joined the Ando Laboratory in his fourth year. Now, having advanced to the master's program, he continues his research on his theme, "Spin Torque Generation Using Copper Oxide."

[*] Academic year at the time of the interview (October 2017).

When I think back on my high school days, it's all about baseball. Since it was a public college-preparatory school, we weren't exactly a powerhouse, but the members of my year were highly motivated to "devise our own practice routines to get stronger," and we had practice or practice games almost every day. I was a cleanup hitter, so I practiced daily to improve my batting average even a little. As a result, we made it to the fourth round of the prefectural tournament before being defeated by an A-seed school, but I think it was a great experience to have fun thinking about how to approach our club activities and achieve a certain level of success. Another memorable experience was attending a high school in Detroit, USA, for about two weeks through an exchange program. It was a valuable experience where I gave presentations to overseas students about Japanese culture and modern trends, deepening our cultural exchange.

My high school baseball tournament ended in July of my third year, so I focused on my studies after that. There was a fellow baseball team member from my year who attended the same Juku, and we, who had previously competed in baseball, started competing with each other over mock exam scores. Discussing how to choose reference books and efficient study methods is also a fond memory. The main thing I considered when choosing my path was that I wanted to "study a subject in university that is fun to learn." I originally liked math as a subject, but as I studied physics for the exams, there were many times I thought, "So this is where that formula I learned back then comes into play..." The feeling of truths connecting across subjects was very fresh, and I eventually came to enjoy physics. That feeling was a major guiding principle in deciding my future path.

Although my main goal was to study physics, I didn't dislike other subjects at all. While many universities have students specialize from the time they enroll, Keio's Faculty of Science and Technology uses a "gakumon" (academic discipline) system. The ability to study a wide range of fields in the first year and then choose a department upon advancing to the second year was a major attraction.

Another reason I chose Keio was its appealing atmosphere. A senior from my high school baseball team was on the university's athletic association baseball team, so I once went to Jingu Stadium to watch a Waseda-Keio rivalry game when I was in high school. At that time, seeing Keio students with their arms around each other's shoulders singing "Wakaki-chi," I felt it was a university with strong student connections and a sense of unity. After enrolling, Keio won the Waseda-Keio rivalry game I watched in the spring of 2014, and I also put my arm around others' shoulders and sang "Wakaki-chi." Back in high school, I never imagined I would be doing something like this (laughs).

I enrolled in "Gakumon 1" and felt that I could study a wide range of subjects, just as I had imagined. However, the level of classes increases at university, so the breadth of subjects also meant it was often challenging. Still, I believe that being able to learn knowledge from diverse fields with a broad perspective, centered on my main interest in physics, has become a great asset. Also, being able to continue playing the baseball I love on the Faculty of Science and Technology's athletic association baseball team was a gain for me. My university life was busy with classes, experiments, club activities, and a part-time job, but it was very rewarding.

I was attracted to the Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics, which connects specialized fields in a more interdisciplinary way. In fact, in the Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics, the professors' research is diverse, and you can study various specialized fields such as quantum mechanics, fluid dynamics, numerical computation, and control engineering. Also, while basic research is very important, I am personally interested in applying the theories gained from basic research and delivering them to society as products. From that perspective as well, I thought there was a great advantage to advancing to the Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics. The Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics has a class called "Special Lectures on Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics," where we hear from people in various fields from companies and research institutions, which provides a good opportunity to think about career paths after graduation. Another advantage is that there are presentation classes where you can acquire the skills to communicate clearly to others and practice for research presentations.

After visiting several laboratories, I decided to join the Ando Laboratory. Of course, the research theme was appealing, but I was also impressed by the strong image of graduate and undergraduate students independently advancing their research with help from the professor. Perhaps the attitude of devising ways to advance our research reminded me of my high school baseball club. What I felt after actually being assigned to the lab was the joy of confronting new fields that are not yet in textbooks. The input I had accumulated through high school and university was becoming a single output through research. That was a feeling I experienced for the first time after joining the lab. I decided to go on to graduate school because I wanted to experience this cutting-edge research more deeply and for a longer time.

I am conducting research on spin torque generation using copper oxide. Spin torque, which can control the magnetization direction of magnetic materials at high speed and with low energy consumption, is attracting attention for applications such as information storage memory. However, it was generally believed that rare metal materials like platinum were essential for highly efficient spin torque generation. Last year, my research group discovered that by naturally oxidizing copper, a relatively inexpensive material, we could achieve a spin torque generation efficiency superior to that of platinum. To further this research, I am aiming to elucidate the physical mechanism by which spin torque is generated in copper oxide. I believe this research will lead to the construction of new, unprecedented theories and the further development of the academic field.

One day, during an experiment a senior lab member was conducting, copper was accidentally mixed into a sample they had prepared. Over time, the measurement results of this sample became different from the usual results. Since data without reproducibility lacks credibility, this was a clear experimental failure to anyone. However, when we considered why the experimental results changed over time, we arrived at the hypothesis that the copper might have been naturally oxidized by oxygen in the air. In other words, an experiment born from a failure led to the discovery of a new property of copper oxide. In the world of science, a new discovery made by chance from an experimental failure is called "serendipity," and it was a fascinating experience to witness it firsthand. In physics, the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. I think that's what makes academia interesting. New discoveries are something you can arrive at by pursuing them. I believe it's important to keep going as long as you are interested.

I am aiming to summarize my current research in an English paper and submit it to an international journal. Also, it would be amazing if I could incorporate the theme I researched into a product and release it to society. Whether to continue research by advancing to the Ph.D. program or to get a job at a manufacturer that deals with electronic devices. I am considering both possibilities for my future. However, no matter which path I take or what theme I handle, I want to enjoy the research process itself. Overcoming challenges one by one and pursuing the truth... I believe the many things I have learned in the process of conducting research will be a great asset for my future life.