AY2023 TAC-MI 5th International Forum
The Tokyo Tech Academy for Convergence of Materials and Informatics (TAC-MI) held its 5th International Forum at Oiso Prince Hotel in Kanagawa Prefecture from December 4 to 6, 2023.
TAC-MI holds the International Forum once a year with the aim of improving international communication skills through English presentations to a diverse audience of students, academics, and industry players. This year, forty TAC-MI students participated in this forum, and presented their research achievements to the audience in English. Seven overseas doctoral students supervised by TAC-MI’s international advisors were also present throughout. In total, approximately 130 participants including industrial collaborators, TAC-MI program staff members, and TAC-MI students joined the forum. This event was held in hybrid format for both in-person and online participants.
Current research presentations by TAC-MI’s 1st-year doctoral students
On December 4 and in the morning on December 5, a total of fifteen 1st-year doctoral students and one 2nd-year doctoral student gave presentations under the guidance of TAC-MI’s 2nd-year doctoral students who chaired the session. Each 15-minute presentation was followed by a 5-minute Q&A session in English. These research presentations were also part of the TAC-MI Qualifying Examination, a critical checkpoint in the TAC-MI curriculum. Participating students confidently presented the significance and achievements of their research and, after the presentations, actively engaged in Q&A sessions with the audience.
Presentations by TAC-MI’s 2nd-year doctoral students and overseas doctoral students
In the afternoon on December 5 and in the morning on December 6, seventeen 2nd-year doctoral students and six overseas doctoral students gave presentations on their research. Each 7-minute presentation was followed by a 4-minute Q&A session. TAC-MI’s 2nd-year doctoral students provided presentations about the progress of their TAC-MI Self-Designed Theses. For the Self-Designed Thesis, students choose a topic different from that of their dissertation and conduct research on their own initiative. They present their research findings upon completion of their doctoral degree program to faculty members at TAC-MI who review the presentations. Through this process, students acquire the ability to conduct unique research independently based on new ideas supported by knowledge of materials science and information science, transcending their individual specializations. TAC-MI students present their research progress at either an event in June or the International Forum in December during the second year of their doctoral program.
Lectures by overseas advisors
During the three-day international forum, world-leading researchers who cooperate with TAC-MI provided lectures and introduced some of their recent research findings.
| Speaker | Lecture title |
|---|---|
| Professor Peter Grutter McGill University, Canada | Characterizing defects at semiconductor interfaces and 1/f noise |
| Professor M.Michael Gromiha Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India | Binding affinity of protein-carbohydrate complexes: computing meets experiments |
| Associate Professor LIU Wei Beijing Normal University, China | Psychology-Driven Interaction Design |
| Associate Professor Natt Leelawat Chulalongkorn University, Thailand | Business Continuity Management and the Emerging Risks |
| Professor Sergei Kazarian Imperial College London, UK | ATR-FTIR spectroscopic imaging: from cancer detection to analysis of pharmaceuticals |
| Professor Christopher Kemper Ober Cornell University, USA | Can polymer sequence play a role in photoresists for EUV lithography? |
| Professor Xu-Ming Xie Tsinghua University, China | Intelligent Network Structured Flexible Materials |
These researchers also participate as overseas advisors in TAC-MI’s international mentoring system, which aims to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of each student through interviews. Seven overseas advisors participating in this international forum met with TAC-MI students, offering advice and encouragement regarding the students’ research presentations. The other three overseas advisors were not able to participate in this forum due to differences in time zones. The advisors watched the recorded student presentations at the international forum, and then held online interviews, and offered valuable advice after completion of the actual forum.
Awards ceremony
At the awards ceremony on December 6, Best Presentation Awards were awarded to the most highly evaluated 1st-year doctoral students of TAC-MI and participating overseas students by audience. Good Presentation Awards were awarded to runner-up.
TAC-MI’s award winners
| Best Presentation Award | Daiki Tokura（Life Science and Technology） |
| Good Presentation Award | Ryusei Higuchi（Materials Science and Engineering） Rika Marui（Materials Science and Engineering） Yu Jiatong（Chemical Science and Engineering） |
Overseas award winners
| Best Presentation Award | Catherine Boisvert（McGill University, Canada） |
| Good Presentation Award | Chaoqiuyu “Rachel” Wang（Cornell University, USA） Fathima Ridha（Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India） |
TAC-MI students’ interviews with industrial mentors
During the International Forum, TAC-MI doctoral students conducted interviews with and received advice from their industrial mentors. TAC-MI students have the advantage of evaluating their strengths and weaknesses 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.
Deepening exchanges with companies and overseas counterparts
The three-day event not only offered students the opportunity to deepen exchanges through discussion of presentation and shared free time, but also opened up new perspectives to Tokyo Tech faculty members, overseas advisors, and industrial collaborators. Through its International Forums and other events, TAC-MI continues to cultivate multi-talented individuals required by industry who apply broad, global perspectives to create innovative ideas through a combination of materials and informatics.
