08Matsumoto: University people tend to think this way, including myself, but society seems to feel otherwise. If a person who graduates from the graduate school is outstanding, his or her path will naturally progress in the direction that President Ochi envisions. How-ever, strictly speaking, there is no obvious difference in excellence between holders of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. In graduate schools in Europe and the United States, students are taught to build and devel-op their own ideas through debates and other activities, but this is not the case in Japan. I feel that it might be better to start with producing students with the skills needed by society in order to raise the reputation of graduate schools among companies?Ochi: Right. I believe that support from companies and education reform in gradu-ate schools are both needed. It takes a con-siderable amount of time for companies to recognize and choose to support universi-ties that have produced excellent graduate students. While we wait, the gap between Japan and Europe and the US will continue to widen. It would be nice if companies remembered that they are thriving today because they received support from various sources, including the government, and I hope that they will be willing to invest in the future of Japanese science.Matsumoto: I agree with your opinion. Therefore, I thought it was necessary to teach graduate students “unwritten learning and common sense,” and in 2009 I launched the Hakubi Project, a project to support the development of next-genera-tion researchers at Kyoto University. The aim is to cultivate human resources that become world-class researchers working at Kyoto University and that lead the next generation of academics. As program-spe-cific faculty members on an annual salary system, we provide a salary and research funds for five years. To select outstanding human resources, we asked people from not only Kyoto University but also other univer-sities and the industry sector to participate in the selection process. (In 2022, 20 people were selected from 283 applicants. The new recruitment will begin in April 2023, with prospective selectees scheduled to be announced in early December.)Ochi: STEM Education is an approach com-bining Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and the addition of ART makes it STEAM Education, which is attracting attention these days. Although it is necessary to specialize in a specific field, I think that in the future, moving freely between fields and having a variety of perspectives through STEAM Education, which adds elements of the arts and liberal arts to education, will become vital. How do you view STEAM Edu-cation?Matsumoto: I feel that STEAM Education is important. Especially because I cannot do it myself. I like sculptures, and I think art has a connection with people's hearts in a broader sense. Personal growth requires connection with others, and it is very important at what stage one realizes that one cannot do anything in this world alone. Parents can sometimes provide good advice, but parents generally become less involved as children grow older. Universities teach specialized subjects, but they cannot teach how to build interpersonal relationships. Relationships cultivated during the university years are im-portant for a student's growth, but one of the weaknesses of university education is that the time for such relationship-building is limited.Ochi: I completely agree. I lived in a dormito-ry at a school in Matsuyama City from junior high school to high school. It was classmates, upperclassmen, and underclassmen all living together in a group in the dorm. I am still close to some of these people, such as Profes-sor Takashi Shiraishi, who is two years older than me and now a scholar in international politics, and Mr. Junzo Yamamoto, who is two years younger than me and is a member of the House of Councilors. I suppose I was lucky to spend those six years learning about how to communicate with my classmates, my seniors and my juniors.Matsumoto: Meeting such people is also “luck,” isnʼt it? Who you meet is sometimes within your control, but mostly by chance. If by chance you meet someone who is superior in many aspects, you will want to befriend such a person and learn many things from them. It is important to create many such opportunities for many students.Ochi: Yes, it is important to create many such opportunities. Currently, there are approxi-mately 15,000 students enrolled in 12 facul-ties and four graduate schools at our universi-ty, of which 1,726, or just over 10%, are inter-national students who grew up in different environments with foreign philosophies and cultures. Also, the Japan branch of the Arizo-na State University of the U.S. has opened within the Higashi-Hiroshima Campus in August 2022. We have been working to create an environment in which students can meet many people with the excellent qualities you mentioned, as well as encounter a wide variety of people and cultivate friendships.Matsumoto: Increasing meeting opportuni-ties and connecting with people are import-ant. Assistant professors and associate profes-sors who are immersed in their own research and have no intentions of helping others with their research, or who supervise students in their own lab but ignore other students, are problematic. When people enter society, they develop a desire to contribute to society. I respect people who have that desire. Connec-tions with people are the most important assets in academics and work.Ochi: No one can do anything alone. I also think that valuing connections with the people around you is extremely important. Lastly, would you please share a message for our students?Matsumoto: This may not be too significant, but please decide on what you want to do and what your ambition is. Whether you want to become a researcher, join a company and contribute to society, or go into the world of arts and culture, ambition is important, and once you have decided, pour your passion into it. Academic abilities can be improved at universities, but studying is not the only thing required of you. It is important to think at an early stage about what you want to do once you are an adult.Ochi: Envisioning the future at an early stage is indeed important. Thank you very much for your time today.STEAM Education supple-ments relationship buildingCherish connections with people, set your ambitions, and pour your passion into it
元のページ ../index.html#9