The Tokyo Tech Academy for Convergence of Materials and Informatics (TAC-MI) held an event on Ookayama Campus on September 27, 2022 for TAC-MI students to present their latest research findings and receive career guidance from TAC-MI member companies. This was the second event of its kind in academic year 2022 after TAC-MI's doctoral students presented their research at the June 30 session.
In the first part of the September event, 14 master's students gave poster presentations to approximately 100 TAC-MI program staff members, students, and industrial collaborators. In the second part, TAC-MI students held interviews and received advice from their industrial mentors. The third part was an industry-academic exchange event, during which 29 TAC-MI member companies introduced themselves for the purpose of career guidance to TAC-MI students.
Part 1: Poster presentations of research findings by master's students
After brief opening words from School of Materials and Chemical Technology Dean Hidetoshi Sekiguchi and TAC-MI Director Takeo Yamaguchi, the poster presentations kicked off. Fourteen master's students gave poster presentations to TAC-MI program staff members, students, and industrial collaborators. TAC-MI's industrial collaborators and program staff members examined each poster carefully while actively and openly exchanging opinions with the students. In addition to face-to-face presentations, the students also delivered presentations via Zoom to online participants.
Students explaining poster content to audience members
"These students are conducting research on material development while utilizing the advantages of digital transformation. I felt that the TAC-MI program is developing talent who can make a real impact in the industrial world," one industrial collaborator commented.
"It was a valuable opportunity to receive comments from professors and industrial collaborators who specialize in different fields," one of the student presenters commented.
"Through discussions with people from companies, I was able to learn what the corporate world considers important, and this was a good opportunity to reconsider the significance and benefits of my research," another student stated.
Overall, this was another wonderful opportunity for TAC-MI students to think about how to convey their research to non-specialized audiences.
TAC-MI master's student presenters and doctoral student participants
Part 2: TAC-MI students' interviews with industrial mentors
In the second part of the event, master's students held interviews with and received advice from their industrial mentors. TAC-MI students have the advantage of evaluating their strengths and weakness in face-to-face meetings with researchers, developers, technical experts, product planners, and marketing professionals from various industries. One industrial mentor is assigned to each student. Throughout the duration of this program, each student has an industrial mentor who continuously guides the student from enrollment to program completion. Master's students meet their mentors once a year, while doctoral students meet them twice a year. After listening to the poster presentations in the first part, industrial mentors gave various useful tips to the students regarding research activities, future careers, and other aspects of their development.
Part 3: Company introductions and career guidance for TAC-MI students
The third part of the day was an industry-academia exchange event, during which 29 TAC-MI member companies introduced themselves in booths for the purpose of career guidance to TAC-MI students.
The students commented on the interviews as follows:
- It was useful to hear information particularly aimed at doctoral students.
- I was able to imagine a company that would suit my career plan, as each company emphasized its characteristics in their explanations.
- I was able to get advice about what kind of problems can be solved in society using my research methods.
Company introductions at booths
"It was a very meaningful time because I was able to talk directly with the students in person. I think this allowed me to learn more about the students' thinking and level of interest compared to an online interview," one industrial collaborator commented.
Participating companies
AGC Inc. / ASAHI KASEI CORPORATION / ENEOS Corporation / Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. / JEOL Ltd. / JFE Steel Corporation / JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation / KANEKA CORPORATION / Kao Corporation / KYOCERA Corporation / Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation / MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC. / MITSUI MINING & SMELTING CO., LTD. / NAGASE & CO., LTD. / NGK INSULATORS, LTD. / NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD./ Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. / Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd. / Seiko Epson Corporation / SHOWA DENKO K.K. / Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. / SUMITOMO CHEMICAL Co., Ltd. / TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. / TDK Corporation / TODA KOGYO CORP. / Toshiba Corporation / TOSOH CORPORATION / Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd. / ZEON CORPORATION
At the exchange event, in addition to learning about the business activities of the participating companies, the students also gained valuable knowledge about the human resources required by these firms, and about the fields where doctoral graduates can play active roles.
Through regular exchange events such as this with companies, TAC-MI aims to cultivate multi-talented individuals required by industry who apply a broad, global perspective to understanding new social services and creating new ideas.
What is TAC-MI?
TAC-MI, established in January 2019 under the auspices of the Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education (WISE) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, aims to cultivate multi-talented individuals who can play a leading role in creating new industries and academic fields involving materials science, information science, and social services. The program also places strong emphasis on working closely with industry.
