Activities

December 2025 Interim Reports of the Graduate major in Materials and Information Sciences ＆ TAC-MI Research Findings Presentations

Doctoral students from the Academy for Convergence of Materials and Informatics (TAC-MI) and doctoral students from the Graduate major in Materials and Information Sciences presented their latest research findings at the Multi-Purpose Digital Hall on Ookayama Campus on December 9 and December 10, 2025. Approximately 130 TAC-MI program staff members, Faculty members, students, and industrial collaborators tuned in to the presentations. This event was held in hybrid format for both in-person and online participants.

Part 1: Presentations of research findings by 1st-year doctoral students

A total of twenty 1st-year doctoral students 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.

Part 2: Presentation of Self-Designed Thesis progress by 2nd-year doctoral student

In the second part of the event, twenty-two 2nd-year doctoral students gave presentations on 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 these findings upon completion of their doctoral degree program, and faculty members at TAC-MI 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 in English at either this event in June or December during the second year of their doctoral program.

Awards ceremony

At the awards ceremony on December 18, 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

TAC-MI students’ interviews with industrial mentors

In the third part of the event, TAC-MI students including course 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. This time, forty-seven TAC-MI students conducted interviews with their industrial mentors.

Fostering multi-talented individuals through Industry-Academia Exchange Events

At the end of the event, an exchange meeting was held to deepen communication between TAC-MI students, industrial collaborators, and faculty and staff. Additionally, feedback sheets from industrial collaborators and faculty members were shared with the presenting students after the event. The opportunity to receive advice from industrial collaborators through interviews, exchange meetings, and feedback sheets after presentations was a valuable experience for the participating students. Through exchange events with corporate partners, this program continues to cultivate multi-talented individuals required by industry who apply a broad, global perspective to understanding new social services and innovating new ideas.