If you don't give up and keep trying when faced with difficulties, you can find a way forward. Applying what I learned at the university to enter the world of “monozukuri” I’ve always admired.

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From Yamate Gakuin Junior & Senior High School (private), Kanagawa Prefecture

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. In her first year of high school, she joined the karate club and became passionate about it. She achieved results with her competitive nature, including competing in the Kanto tournament. Meanwhile, she also dedicated herself to her studies. Influenced by her father, who works in the aviation industry, she decided to pursue a science and engineering faculty. She chose to enter the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology because of its reputation for having many graduates who are successful both in Japan and abroad. She majored in mechanical engineering in "Gakumon 4" and joined the Takemura Laboratory in her fourth year of undergraduate studies. Now in her second year of the master's program, she is engaged in research on generating cell tissue for regenerative medicine using phenomena obtained from ultrasonic waves. After graduation, she plans to work as an engineer at an electrical appliance manufacturer.

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

I had admired martial arts since I was a child, so I took the plunge and joined the karate club in my first year of high school. It was a demanding club with practice five to six days a week, but since I have a competitive nature, I practiced seriously every day. Karate is a sport where you can simply determine "who is stronger" between you and the opponent in front of you. That straightforwardness suited my personality, and I really enjoyed it. During my time in the karate club, our team placed third in Kanagawa Prefecture in a team competition and advanced to the Kanto tournament. Through karate, I feel I learned that "it's important to concentrate precisely when things aren't going well."

From my first year of high school, I was very conscious of admission by recommendation, so I studied to get good results on every periodic test. I'm the type of person who is better at getting decent scores in all subjects rather than excelling in a specific one. By the time of class placement in my second year of high school, I had decided to pursue the science track, but I made sure to study all exam subjects without bias.

I think my decision to pursue science was largely influenced by my father, who works in the aviation industry. Also, since I was little, there's a part of me that has always admired "coolness" more than "cuteness." Since I also liked physics, I had a vague feeling that "monozukuri is cool."

A major reason was that it was one of the most high-level options for higher education. Also, the image of many graduates being successful in society and hearing from my sister, who went to another university, that "the Mita-kai has a wide network both in Japan and overseas" were key points. When I came for a campus tour in the fall of my third year of high school, the atmosphere was great, and I was also drawn to the impression that many students had a strong love for their school. I felt that I could be positively influenced at this university. Choosing "Gakumon 4" at the time of the entrance exam might also have been largely due to my father's influence. I myself was more interested in fundamental mechanics than applied science, so I was attracted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, which has a long history and a clear specialization.

What surprised me most after entering university was the high quality of the classes. Just "thinking I sort of understood," like in high school, doesn't work at all, and since classes are offered in a wide range of fields, I had to overcome my weak areas as well. I remember being incredibly busy with my studies in my first year of undergraduate. From the second year onward, classes are organized by Gakumon, and I found it very interesting to learn about my strong areas, such as the "four mechanics" (thermodynamics, mechanics of machinery, fluid mechanics, and mechanics of materials). Also, the Department of Mechanical Engineering has a lot of practical training, and it was memorable to be able to take classes related to monozukuri. For example, "Graphic Information Processing," which I took in my second year, was a practical course where we had to "conceive and design a product that doesn't yet exist in the world." In this class, I used pencils, rulers, and Copic markers to actually draw the product I had conceived. I can't say I designed a particularly great product, but I felt a sense of getting closer to the field I want to pursue.

We choose a laboratory in our third year of undergraduate studies, and in my case, I visited a great many of them. The reason I chose the Takemura Laboratory, where I am now, from among the many labs was that a friend recommended it, saying, "The atmosphere seems like a good fit for you, why don't you check it out?" When I actually visited, the atmosphere among both the professor and the students was very good. Also, the Takemura Laboratory conducts various research using "vibration" as an interface. The fact that much of the research involves a physical response, not just computer simulations, was also attractive to me. Currently, there are three research groups in the lab, and my group conducts research based on the concept of "medical-engineering collaboration." Since this is a field that will be needed in the future, I feel a great sense of purpose in my research.

In addition to specialized knowledge of mechanical engineering, I became strongly aware of the concept of “learning while teaching, teaching while learning,” which is one of Keio University's philosophies. “Learning while teaching, teaching while learning” is the spirit that both faculty and students are beings who are half teaching and half continuing to learn. For example, in the laboratory, each student pursues their own research theme. This means that each of us must have deeper knowledge about our own research theme than our seniors or professors. Therefore, in the lab, it's common for me to teach new knowledge to professors and seniors, or conversely, to be taught by junior students. By teaching each other, we can learn a broader and deeper range of knowledge. In the pursuit of endless learning, “learning while teaching, teaching while learning” is something that must not be forgotten. I believe this is an attitude that will be useful even after I enter the workforce. Furthermore, the educational program of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is accredited by the Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JABEE). Therefore, graduates are exempt from the first-stage examination of the national Professional Engineer qualification. The Professional Engineer qualification is considered equivalent to the Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States and the Chartered Engineer (CEng) in the United Kingdom, so it can be said to be a qualification that is recognized overseas. Within the Faculty of Science and Technology, only the Department of Mechanical Engineering is accredited, so I think that is also a significant point as I move forward in the world of monozukuri.

My current research theme is "Generation of Scaffold-Free 3D Tissues in a Dish Using Acoustic Standing Waves." In this research, I am working on generating cell tissue for use in regenerative medicine by using phenomena obtained from ultrasonic vibrations. In recent years, regenerative medicine has been attracting a great deal of attention worldwide. When people think of medicine, they often imagine the School of Medicine or the Faculty of Pharmacy, but in recent years, where more advanced technology is required, the creation of new technologies through collaboration between medical sciences and engineering is in demand. I am conducting my daily research by considering how I can contribute to the development of regenerative medicine from an engineering perspective.

The moment I feel the excitement of research is when I can actually prove a hypothesis I've formulated. For example, one of the important steps in my research is to use the characteristics of vibration to levitate cells in a specific location. When I was able to achieve that phenomenon as a result of various experiments, I was overjoyed and thought, "I did it! The cells are levitating!" Conversely, what I find difficult is when I can't get the results I want, no matter how much trial and error I go through. It often happens in research that things don't work out for some reason, even though I believe I've built up a solid theory. However, no matter how difficult the situation, if you just don't give up, a path will eventually open up. That is an important lesson I learned through my research life in my undergraduate and graduate studies. Also, participating in a dispatch program to South Korea for research exchange was a very memorable event. In this program, we introduced our research to students from our partner universities, Yonsei University and Korea University, and deepened our exchange. Interacting with high-level students from overseas was a great stimulus and gave me an opportunity to think about how I should be as a Japanese person and as one of the Keio students.

After completion, I plan to work as an engineer at an electrical appliance manufacturer. The manufacturer I will be joining also deals with the field of medical equipment, so I hope to get a job where I can apply my current research. Of course, once I enter the workforce, I think there will be many things I don't know. While utilizing my area of expertise, I want to be involved in monozukuri while broadening my knowledge and acquiring skills such as writing and English.