Unraveling the world's phenomena with mathematical formulas. A curiosity for mathematics will eventually change society.

Profile

From Morimura Gakuen Senior High School, a private school in Kanagawa Prefecture

From Kanagawa Prefecture. He attended a combined junior and senior high school, where he belonged to the tea ceremony club in both junior and senior high. He continues to practice the tea ceremony today. In high school, while voluntarily studying differential equations, he discovered the fun of being able to "explain the phenomena before his eyes with mathematical formulas," which strengthened his interest in mathematics. Since two of his respected high school teachers were graduates of the Department of Mathematics at Keio University's Faculty of Science and Technology, he decided to pursue admission to the same department. He currently belongs to the "Minami Laboratory" and conducts research on the theme of "statistical causal inference." He is also participating in the "Programme for Leading Graduate Schools (All-round type): 'Science for Development of Super-Mature Society,'" an educational program designed to cultivate the next generation of advanced doctoral talent.

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

I attended a combined junior and senior high school in Kanagawa Prefecture, and I actually joined the tea ceremony club when I was in junior high. My initial motivation was "I can eat sweets at school" (laughs). However, the more I learned about the tea ceremony, the more I realized its appeal. For example, the tea ceremony is often thought to be very quiet, but the space and the utensils are all arranged to foster communication. Fascinated by this depth, I became the president of the tea ceremony club in high school. During my junior and senior high school years, perhaps because the idea of a "male tea ceremony club member" was interesting, I was often called upon for the school's public relations activities. I would talk about the charm of the tea ceremony in front of parents and actually prepare tea... The tea ceremony, which I started in junior high, has become one of my cherished hobbies that I continue to this day.

I had always liked mathematics and physics, so I vaguely thought I wanted to study one of them. However, what specifically made me decide to pursue mathematics was studying differential equations as an extension of my entrance exam preparation. With differential equations, you can describe the motion right in front of you as a mathematical formula... Realizing that, I rediscovered how interesting mathematics is. Since mathematics is the foundational discipline for various fields, I thought, "Let's start from there." Also, the reason I aimed for Keio University's Faculty of Science and Technology among the many universities was that two of my favorite high school teachers were graduates of the Department of Mathematics at Keio University's Faculty of Science and Technology, and they advised me that "it's a great environment to learn in."

"There are so many different kinds of people" was my first impression (laughs). Students admitted through internal advancement, AO (Admissions Office) entrance exams, general entrance exams... There are Keio students who enter through various paths, so their personalities are truly diverse. The students who come through internal advancement are particularly interesting because they don't have the constraint of entrance exams. Some of them just love to study and have outstanding knowledge in specific fields, which was a culture shock to me. There were times when I'd think during class, "They're talking about some difficult-looking formulas next to me," and it wasn't until a year later that I could finally understand what they were talking about.

After advancing to the Department of Mathematics, the first required course I took was "Fundamentals of Mathematical Sciences I." This class incorporated discussions and opinion exchanges among students into the lecture process, which created opportunities for communication among students. Also, the lecture with an associated seminar, "Statistical Science and Seminar," which I took in my third year of undergraduate studies, was also memorable. In this class, through conversations with the TAs (Teaching Assistants, who are graduate students), I was able to think about choosing a laboratory and my future path. I have been a member of the "Mihoko Minami Laboratory" since my fourth year of undergraduate studies and am now in my first year of the master's program, and this class was a major reason why I decided to study statistics.

I think a unique characteristic of the Department of Mathematics is that there are many serious Keio students with excellent attitudes in class. Since the number of students in the department is smaller than in other departments, the close relationships among Keio students are also an attraction. Keio students teach each other, hold study sessions... We all work hard together to improve. Unlike engineering, the results in mathematics are not easily visible, and it's not something where you'll necessarily succeed just by repeating trial and error. You can never reach the correct answer unless you think along a proper path. But that's precisely why mathematics is interesting, and I believe this department has many people who are strong-willed and can work on things steadily and diligently.

I am researching a field of statistics called statistical causal inference. For example, when you want to know the effect of smoking on health, it is not enough to simply analyze the relationship between the presence or absence of smoking and health status. This is because smokers are thought to have low health consciousness, and other factors that affect health, such as alcohol consumption and dietary habits, may also be poor. In other words, even if you simply compare the relationship between smoking and health status and get the result that "smokers' health is poor," it may not be due to smoking itself, but rather to overeating and drinking caused by the smokers' low health consciousness. In this case, examining the pure effect of smoking on health based on mathematical validity is an example of statistical causal inference. In my research, I am currently solidifying my foundation in the theory of this field by reading textbooks. In the future, I hope to conduct analysis using real data.

The moment when something I didn't understand finally becomes clear is the happiest for me. For example, I'm currently reading English literature on "statistical causal inference," and even as I read through chapters 1 and 2, it doesn't quite click. I can understand each piece of knowledge and theory written there, but I don't understand why they are being explained. Then, around the end of chapter 3, the theories finally connect and form a clear picture. At times like that, I think, "Ah, I see!" In mathematics, accumulating theories and knowledge is important, and I feel a sense of reward at the moment when that accumulation leads to a single answer.

It is a program aimed at cultivating the next generation of leaders, targeting Keio students selected from 13 graduate schools at Keio University. In this program, students are required to complete master's programs in two graduate schools as a major and a minor, and then proceed to a Ph.D. program. Also, every Saturday, we invite people from companies to act as mentors, and we think about social issues and compile policy proposals. Through participating in this program, I hope to connect mathematical and statistical sciences with insights from the humanities and social sciences. My current research theme, "statistical causal inference," requires not only quantitative analysis using data but also qualitative analysis of the background of social issues. Therefore, I also want to acquire knowledge and theories related to qualitative analysis.

Because I am participating in the Leading Graduate School Program, after completing the master's program at the Graduate School of Science and Technology, I plan to enroll in a master's program at another graduate school within Keio for one year to obtain a second master's degree, and then proceed to the Ph.D. program at the Graduate School of Science and Technology. After completing the program, I hope to find employment at a government agency or think tank that measures the effects of policies based on quantitative analysis. In countries like the United States, it is common to verify the effects of policies using quantitative analysis methods, but such policy reviews are not yet common in Japan. I believe that the framework of my current research theme, "statistical causal inference," could be one approach to this. I hope to do work that connects statistics and policy, making use of the knowledge I have gained at university.