Interim Report: Harvard Graduate School of Education
by Shafaat Abubakar UkishimaHarvard Graduate School of Education Education Policy and Analysis Hello! It has been 2 months since I started studying at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and my experiences so far have been even better than I had imagined. This Fall, I am taking a variety of classes at the Graduate School of Education as well as the School of Government. In my Education Policy class, I am working with a classmate on how to tackle the problem of high teacher attrition in early childhood education post-COVID from the perspective of a policy analyst. In addition, I have the fun opportunity to create a real business venture in my entrepreneurship class. Together with my teammates, we are starting an interior design company called “Space to Be”, which uses Social-Emotional Learning frameworks to design learning spaces for children who have difficulty regulating their emotions and connecting socially with peers and teachers. I am also cross-registering at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to learn more about why structural transformation has failed in Africa. To take advantage of all the resources available at Harvard, I joined the Harvard Business School’s Innovation Lab (i-Lab), where I will be working on my co-founded venture (Pendly) with my childhood best friend. The aim of Pendly is to create a network of schools across the world where students who wish to acquire the English language can learn through real-life experiences. My hope is that this project will expose more Japanese students to experiential learning, as many English learners in schools rarely get the chance to use their language skills in real-life scenarios. In schools in Africa, this initiative will be useful for children in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities who lag in their English literacy development. I also became a board member for the Teachers for Equitable Education Policies (TEEP) student-led organization. The aim of the organization is to collaboratively discuss and create awareness about ways to include teachers in education policy making. In addition to this, I will be working as a student ambassador for the Center of International Development at the Kennedy School, to spread research ideas on development to the world of practice. At Harvard, the real resources have been the people I have met. Even in a classroom with lectures given by world-renowned professors, the importance of taking advantage of the perspectives given by fellow classmates is always emphasized. I have met people from every continent in the world, and while we each have our different backgrounds and interests, we are all connected by the shared vision of making our world a better place. Aside from all the school-related activities, I have also had the chance to explore Massachusetts, which is really, as many Americans I have met here say, a “watered-down version of New York”. By watered-down, they mean safer, quieter, more student-friendly, slow-paced, and just very homey! In Harvard Square, there are a few Japanese restaurants that serve amazing ramen, so whenever I feel homesick, I just go there. I have a favorite café (Tatte) as well, where I get one of the best cheesecakes. Lastly, I enjoy going to Felipe’s, a super popular spot in the area with great Mexican food and cocktails, where all the Harvard students hang out on the weekends. I am extremely grateful to Friends of UTokyo (FUTI) for giving me the opportunity to pursue my master’s at Harvard with their financial support. The scholarship has taken a huge burden off me, especially in these times when the Japanese yen is depreciating against the dollar. My wish is that whatever knowledge I gain at Harvard, millions of other children around the world benefit in some way from it. I am excited to continue exploring this space both intellectually and socially!
Interim Report from Princeton University
by Shiho Sugiyama ＜Basic Information＞ Program: Exchange Program of the University of Tokyo Home University：the University of Tokyo (UT) Department at home university: Electronics and Information Engineering Host University：Princeton University (PU) Department at host university: Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) ＜Academic Life＞ The four courses I’m taking during this fall semester are: Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition (ECE) Machine Learning for Predictive Data Analytics (ECE) Autonomous Control System (MAE, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) Lightwave Communications (ECE) The essential difference I have found between the academic style in UT and that in PU is the number of courses to take during a semester. We take 4 courses here in PU, while back in my department in UT, we usually take 20 courses. Here in PU, each course has two or three classes per week. Although the workload is relatively heavy, I find it manageable if you make use of the office hours offered by each course. You can join in a review session, ask specific questions about homework, and discuss the course material with your friends there. Some of these courses are open to both undergraduate students and graduate students, so I can interact with PhD students in these precepts. I think this is an uncommon and important opportunity for an undergraduate student to get to know the students who can be role models of their academic life. I’m happy about having made friends with some PhD students coming from China and India myself. I’m really surprised to find that so many students in ECE are Asian people. It is often the case that all people in the ECE are Asian. They are mostly Chinese or Indian, and there are almost no Japanese people. I’m glad about all the courses I take here. Since each course has abundant time to cover the material, it offers various approaches to the same matter, such as lecture on theory and application, discussion, review session, coding assignment, lab work, and problem set, which together give us deep understanding, a working knowledge, and experience. Basically, instructors welcome questions from students and answer them in class, being flexible with the course schedule. ＜Dietary Life＞ There are several choices for your dietary plan here; you can either sign up for a meal plan which gives you one meal per day (block 105), three meals per day (unlimited), take part in an eating club, or prepare food for yourself. I signed up for Block 105, and usually eat dinner (sometimes brunch) at whichever dining hall I like. Let me share some of the photos of food here. Each dining hall offers various foods from salad to main entree in a buffet style, and I bet you can find your kind of food. They have gluten-free food, halal food, and vegetarian food, too. For the other two meals, namely breakfast and lunch in most cases, I have bagels or instant noodles, which I can get at low prices at the Princeton University store. Although you can buy food in this store at relatively low prices, still I think twice before I buy other things because of the weak yen against the dollar these days added to the originally high prices here. (A pack of pocky costs ¥577 here at present. It is a surprisingly high price when youcompare it to the price in Japan, which is approximately ¥150.) (You can buy almost everything you need in life in the Princeton University store, in additionto food; toiletries, stationery, bedding and medicines.) Sometimes you run into free meals. You can grab pizzas, hamburgers, cupcakes and so on.They are so generous. ＜Housing Life＞ Some dorms including mine are old and not very well equipped, while others are brand new, or even under construction. Fortunately, I have my own room now, so I live without any stress regarding housing. All the buildings are beautiful and it is very refreshing to walk around campus. The buildings look pretty especially when it is sunny, or when the sun rises or sets. Since the engineering buildings where I take courses are at a distance from my dorm, I walk about 40 minutes per day. I really enjoy walking around. Below are a few of the photos I’ve taken so far on campus. ＜Climate＞ In Autumn, the sunshine is very strong. It is comfortable otherwise thanks to the less humid climate, in comparison to summer in Tokyo. The fall or even winter has come recently in late September, and it discourages me from going outside. I’m afraid how cold it will be in winter. ＜Social life＞ Exchange students come from Britain, Switzerland, France. Some of us get together in our free time, going to the gym, theater and festivals. I went to the art museum of PU with some of them. It was fun discussing the interpretation of artworks with them and the museum guide. I got together with Japanese students or those who have some roots in Japan. The other day I visited the dorm room of one of them with some friends from this community and we talked about careers and graduate schools for hours. It was very informative. I’ve also made friends with students here. My roommate and I went to a welcome event of the Society of Women Engineers, played bingo for ice-breaking, and enjoyed talking with the friends we met there even after the event was over. (Right: Lunch with students taking a course on the Japanese Language. We talked about aworkshop of cooking Japanese food.) ＜Club Activity＞ I joined Princeton Robots Club. Although I couldn’t take the course of Introduction to Robotics, which I had planned to, because the course was already closed when we exchange students could apply for them, joining this club will make up for this loss, or give me even greater experience. I belong to the communication subteam which is in charge of controlling and organizing the networking system. I am really glad that the members of this club are kind and welcoming. ＜Events＞ The international center
Interim Report from Princeton University
by Rina Umeda This is Rina Umeda; my motto is “avoid regretting not doing”; and I have the tendency to intake knowledge, new experiences, and even feel emotions by color. It has been about a month since arriving at Princeton University, and I am starting to feel my vision color palette expanding from an addition of a new color lens – a bright and strong orange. Originally, I saw things from a single and simple blue light. Now, I am sensing an addition of a new orange lens that my time at Princeton has introduced to me, which I firmly believe is the reason why my academic knowledge and well-being as a person have expanded and grown. To be honest, I am not confident to say that I fully own this orange lens quite yet, but instead have some experiences to share that encapsulates my time so far at Princeton and why I believe this orange lens is starting to grow inside of me. The vague orange lens is most evident so far in my academic experience at Princeton. I am currently studying civil and environmental engineering and the biggest difference with my home university, the University of Tokyo, is the number of classes. Here at Princeton, I am taking 4 classes, and whilst most of them take place 3 times a week, this number is significantly different from my usual class schedule at UTokyo. This has allowed me to visit office hours for each of my Professors much more frequently, and this is especially helpful for me, as I do not have an engineering background at UTokyo. However, I am glad that I took the challenge to study abroad in a field of study that is sophisticated and strongly connected to my personal goal for Japan to reach a carbon-neutral society by 2050. Being here for a month, I am slowly becoming more knowledgeable about what specific engineering methods and technologies are appropriate to reach this goal. For example, in my “Negative Emission Technologies” class, I am learning about the different separation mechanisms such as membranes, as well as learning functions for valorizing carbon dioxide using microorganisms from wet waste in my “Resource Recovery for a Circular Economy” class. Not only the engineering aspects, but I am also taking a class on “Inequality and Sustainability” which is helping me shape an international yet inclusive notion in creating public policy. All of these classes are contributing to building my orange lens in academics which will inevitably lead to reaching my carbon neutral 2050 goal. Not only my academic experience, but some of my extracurricular activities have also been helping the growth of my new orange lens. I have joined one of the student-led organization groups called “Society of Women Engineers (SWE)” where I have met other students from various engineering departments and had enriched conversations on our past academic background as well as what kind of goals as women engineers we have for the future (Below is a photo of some future women engineers and me from the orientation). I have also joined another student-led organization named “Princeton University Energy Association (PUEA)” in which we are currently working on facilitating the Fall Conference where different experts on the energy sector come to Princeton to share their knowledge and provide a space for students to have energy-related discussions. Why it is specifically the color “orange” is still a question, and I fail to give a logical answer to it. It may be because the color orange is complementary to my original blue light, or it is simply the school color of Princeton University. Whatever it is, it is definitely a color lens that my original light could not have produced. I would like to use this space to thank the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A. and Friends of UTokyo, Inc. for the funding, and the very reason I have realized the ability to expand my color palette. As I am writing this report in my room, I look back to the window and see a bright orange sky (I have attached a photo of the sunset!). I will continue to follow my motto “avoid regretting not doing” and make sure I capture the orange lens as bright and strong as the sky, with the 3 months left I have here at Princeton.
Visiting Medical Student Elective at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
By Mariko Kanegae 私はJohns Hopkins University (JHU)で3/21〜4/20の一か月間臨床実習を行う機会をいただきました。私がお世話になったのはPediatric Neurologyという小児の神経疾患を扱う診療科で、Peds-Neuroの主科入院に加えて、他科やEDからのコンサルト診療も行います。 JHU実習内容について 学生の基本的なdutyは、担当患者を1-3人決めて受け持ち、pre-roundingをして回診時に上級医に軽くプレゼンテーションすることとカルテ記載を行うことでした。Pre-roundingとは、朝の回診前に一人で担当患者の病室を回ることを指し、患者の前日からの変化についてカルテを参照したり、担当看護師などから聞き取ったりした上で、神経学的所見を取ります。チーム回診で病室に入る直前に、担当のjunior residentおよび医学生が患者の総括、前日からの変化や重要な所見、アセスメントとプランについて、大事な部分のみを簡潔にプレゼンテーションをします。担当できた症例の幅も広く、てんかん、難治性頭痛、視神経脊髄炎、重症筋無力症、急性の末梢神経麻痺などを診る経験を積むことができました。 週に3回はmorning reportが設けられており、Neurology全体の中の各チームが持ち回りで症例検討や疾患に関する講義を行います。また、週に1回Peds-Neuro内で行われるGrand Roundがあり、小児神経の症例検討や疾患に関する講義が行われました。 その他の時間については、回診にかかる時間や担当患者数にもよりますが、救急外来に来院した患者の診察や、神経伝導検査、腰椎穿刺を見学させていただきました。他科病棟フロアに入院している患者の場合は時間に余裕があることが多く、先生より先に一人で向かって問診や所見を取らせてもらいました。腰椎穿刺に関しては、上の先生の指導のもと初めて実施する機会をいただきました。先生方にはやや稀な非侵襲的な手技だったことを意味するchampagne tapだったと教えてもらい、とても褒めてくださり嬉しかったです。 これらの実習内容に加えて、serviceがひと段落ついたら抗てんかん薬の選択、重症筋無力症等に関する軽いレクチャーもしていただきました。症例に関して面白そうな論文や医学雑誌があれば紹介していただき、実習の合間に読んだりして過ごしました。また、先天性の異常を持って生まれた新生児に関して、小児のGeneticsチームが示唆した非常に稀な遺伝子異常に関して報告されている論文があったので、その日家に帰って読んで、次の朝の回診のプレゼンテーションでチームに簡単に報告するなどしていました。 KKI見学 JHUの病院の近隣に関連施設としてKennedy Krieger Instituteという発達障害のある小児から青年のための外来および入院、様々なサービス部門を備えた機関が設置されています。Peds-Neuroと関わりの深い施設であったため、一度見学してみたいとチームに伝えた所、一緒に診療科を回ったJHUの医学生や先生の厚意でKKIの先生複数人に繋いでもらうことができ、少しだけPeds-Neuroの実習を抜けてKKIの外来クリニックを見学させていただく機会も幾度かいただきました。そこでは、自閉症、ADHD、何らかの発達の遅れを疑って受診した患者の初診を見学し、朝の疾患講義にも数回参加しました。ある先生は当初の予定を変更して、私が見学したいと言っていた自閉症に関する講義をアレンジして、KKI内の各施設・部屋を案内してくださり、アメリカで臨床をするならとresidencyのシステムを説明してくださりました。また別の先生は、Prenatal exposure to antibodies from mothers of children with autismをマウスモデルで研究された経験のある方で、精神疾患の病態に関しても少し興味があったので知見を広げることができて嬉しかったです。 終わりに 今回の実習では、日本に比べて学生実習の範囲が広く、学生の自主性が求められていることを強く実感しました。新しい患者さんの診察に一人、または先生と一緒に行った後、What do you think?と訊かれる場面が多くありました。プレゼンテーションの際もそうですが、自発的にアセスメントやプランを考える機会が多く、実際に担当医の立場に立って考える現実的な訓練になりました。診療チームの先生同士の会話などは医学用語だけでなく、症状の様子を表す単語なども速く流れていくので、最初の1-2週間は付いていくのに必死でしたが、段々と慣れていき、診療や話し合いに使用する英語力の成長も得られたような気がします。また、患者さんやその家族と毎日診察でお話を聞き、交流する経験によって、本人やその家族が医療に求めることを直に聞くことができ、医療者として貴重な学びの機会を得たと思います。小児神経は重度の慢性疾患を患う患者さんも多く、的確な医療を提供するだけではなく、本人とその家族の訴えに向き合う姿勢の重要性も実感しました。 チームにいらしたSenior Residentの中には、小児科の教科書であるHarriet LaneのNeurologyパートの執筆者もいらしてチームのレベルの高さを実感しました。また、同じくElective ClerkshipでPeds-Neuroを選択していたJHUの医学部3年生2人と4週間程実習を共にしましたが、JHUSOMに入る前に2年間、社会人として働いていた時の経験について聞くことができた上、これからのキャリア形成について話し合うこともあり、私にとって将来のキャリアを考える上でJHUの医学生と密に交流できたことは非常に参考になりました。 他にも、実習を通して日本との医療制度の違いを感じる機会が度々ありました。ホンジュラスから品質保証されているかも不明な薬を安く購入して常用していたり、抗がん剤があまりにも高価なため服用しておらず、費用は病院持ちで腫瘍摘出の手術は行うけれど、定期的な服用が必要な薬剤は購入できないままだったりと、もちろん日本でも社会的な要因が医療資源へのアクセスを阻む例は多々ありますが、サポートを受けられない状況にある家族を目の当たりにして心を痛めることもありました。 最後になりましたが、今回の実習を支援してくださったGlobal Leadership Awardを授与してくださったFUTI、医学部国際交流室の皆様、奨学金応募にご協力くださったHolmes先生、大坪先生、ボストンにいながら気にかけてくださった花井順一先生、準備にあたって私の相談に丁寧に乗ってくださった先輩、ご協力いただいた皆様に感謝申し上げます。
Harvard Summer School
By Kana Sugiyama (University of Tokyo, Senior, International Relations) In July, I was lucky to be able to travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts to join the 3-week Harvard Summer School program. In the classroom, I was able to learn intensively about many facets of globalization and exchanged views with brilliant minds from all over the world. At Currier House, which is the residential housing that I stayed at (and is also where Bill Gates starting his business!), I spent many late nights with my peers at the dining hall working on seemingly never-ending assignments, while also having fun sharing life stories and learning each other’s cultures. The three weeks at Harvard will be the time of my life that I will cherish forever. There are a few takeaways that I would like to share from my experience: Globalization can have a human face if we try. Although it may be true that globalization produced many losers as well as winners, the problem is not with globalization itself, but in the way in which globalization has been managed. Those who have benefitted from globalization, including myself, should acknowledge the reality of some negative impacts of globalization. However, this should not be a signal to turn our backs on globalization and walk away from it, but rather, should be a trigger for us to consider how we can better manage it. Humility is essential in learning. I was fortunate to cross paths with many individuals who have already built successful career but have joined the program simply because “they still have a lot to learn”. Despite having extensive experience and knowledge, they were willing to learn from others and were very eager to explore new concepts and ideas, rather than sticking to what they already know. They have inspired me to continue exploring my interests and continuously learn more about the world. Diversity is a wonderful thing. Students at Harvard Summer School came from all over the world, were different age, and had very different lives outside of Harvard setting. This enabled many meaningful discussions where I was able to learn not just about different views from my own, but also the importance of open-mindedness and the joy of finding common ground and creating a new solution together. Adventure builds confidence. This was my first time in the US, and I went there alone, not knowing anyone or about the place. By changing environment and venturing out from my comfort zone, I was able to self-reflect and better understand myself as well as the world around me, which I think was crucial in boosting my confidence level. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Friends of UTokyo, Inc. for supporting this journey. I would not have been able to learn about myself and the world if it was not for their generous support.
IRCN International Summer Internship Program
by Anna Blanchfield This summer, I spent 8 weeks at the University of Tokyo in the Takeuchi Lab conducting research on biohybrid devices. The focus of my project was developing a culture media perfusion device for the culturing of skin cells. Typically, culturing cells is done in a static environment such as a dish or well-plate. Therefore, creating a skin model can take weeks as skin is made up of many different types of cells that must be cultured together. To speed up this process, we can perfuse culture media through cell spheroids, as this method more closely mimics in vivo conditions. I spent the first 4 weeks learning to culture cells in a static environment and preparing the cells for imaging. To grow cell spheroids, I created a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) dish with 300 wells, each well having a diameter of about 500 um. The first cells I seeded were fibroblasts, as fibroblasts are very durable cells and grow quickly. Then I seeded fibroblasts with other types of skin cells, such as keratinocytes and vascular cells. A week after seeding the cells, I would fix them in paraformaldehyde so that they could be imaged. The purpose was to collect preliminary data so that we could compare cell growth in static conditions to the eventual cell growth in the device. During these 4 weeks, I was also reading papers on perfusion devices and drawing designs. For the final 4 weeks, I focused on 3D-printing and testing devices. I decided to use a gravity-based perfusion device, where the movement of culture media was due to a seesaw-motion. There were two parts of the device design: the two-well structure that the culture media would move between and the porous material in the middle that would hold the cell spheroids and allow for the media to pass through. Developing the two-well structure was simple as it only required 3D printing (Figure 1). Developing the porous material proved to be the difficult part. Based off previous papers, I had planned on mixing PDMS with sugar, curing it, and then washing away the sugar such that only a porous cube remained. However, the sugar always sunk to the bottom, so when cured, it was not distributed equally throughout the PDMS. Even increasing the ratio of sugar to PDMS did not help, as the bottom was always much denser than the top (Figure 2). A uniform distribution and size of pores was required to ensure that all cells would receive the same amount of culture media. Unfortunately, I was unable to develop a uniformly porous cube in my time at UTokyo, but the results of my work will be used to shape future steps in the project. This was my first time working with human cell lines and my first time 3D-printing a design of my own. I know that this experience will be helpful in future scientific endeavors. However, I think I may have learned the most being outside of the lab. This was my first time coming to Japan and my first time living abroad in another country for an extended period. Before coming, I didn’t speak any Japanese or really know very much about Japanese culture. When I first arrived, it was very difficult. Even just shopping at the grocery store was a major struggle, as I couldn’t read any of the labels or ask anyone for help. It felt very isolating, as it’s already uncommon for Japanese people to casually talk to foreigners, let alone during a global pandemic. Luckily, it didn’t take long before I started to appreciate the Japanese culture. Everyone I talked to was so polite and once they realized that I didn’t speak Japanese, they would go out of their way to communicate. One of my favorite interactions was at a curry restaurant near my apartment. The owner upon realizing my language barrier, revealed that he spoke fluent English personally explained to me all the menu items. He also gave me free vegetables and a free dessert. He was so excited to talk to a foreigner, since so few have been able to come to Japan these days. I’ve been so grateful for all the connections I’ve made, especially the one made with my mentor Dina Myasnikova. Dina took me out to lunch almost every day and helped introduce me to Japanese cuisine. As someone who is originally from another country but has lived in Japan for seven years, it was great to talk to her about the cultural differences. Dina also connected me to her friend Mack Hagiya, a retired Japanese man who took me on free tours of Kamakura and Hakone. I learned a lot about the history of Japan and temple and shrine etiquette from him. All these connections were extremely rewarding and made this an unforgettable experience. Overall, I had a great experience conducting research at the University of Tokyo. Not only did I learn hard skills that will help me in future research, but my time alone in Tokyo made me a more confident person. If I can move to another country by myself, I’m capable of anything I set my mind to.
Deep Imitation Learning: Teaching a Robot to Behave Like a Human
by Jonas Hansen Introduction Have you ever wondered how modern robots are able to perform complex tasks autonomously, tasks usually reserved for humans? From preparing salads to creatively painting canvases, how can a robot mimic human behavior? Well, I used to wonder the same thing. It turns out that there is a method of machine learning in the artificial intelligence world called deep imitation learning, whereby a robot can be trained to perform a task by mimicking the approach an external entity might use to perform the same task. Often, this external entity takes the form of a human. For example, if a person wanted to teach a robot to make a salad, the person could set up a system where they themselves would prepare the salad over and over again to develop a model for how to perform the salad-preparation task. This model would then be uploaded to the robot such that it could essentially copy the task the same way the person did it. Deep imitation learning was at the heart of the research I conducted this summer at the University of Tokyo’s Intelligent Systems and Informatics (ISI) Laboratory, led by Professor Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Over the course of two months, I worked with a PhD student, Kim-san, at the lab on a novel dual-arm teleoperated robot system to use deep imitation learning to train the robot to perform certain tasks. The majority of the research involved writing code and developing software for the robot system, although I also worked on hardware during the development process. The following sections describe the specific tasks I worked on, as well as the methodology and the many problems I encountered along the way. Setup The main space I was working in during my research was the robotics lab, which housed all kinds of gadgets and robot systems, such as a badminton-playing robot, a walking bipedal robot, and a robot arm with a fully-functioning five-fingered hand as its end effector. The robot system I worked on though was a dual-arm teleoperated robot, that had two UR5 robot arms with simple grasping grippers as end effectors and a 3D stereo camera on a dual-axis gimbal system for vision (see Figure 1). We’ll call this robot “Auto.” Next to this robot sat a very similar-looking robot (two arms, grippers, camera system), but this was a custom-built “skeleton” meant to be operated by a human. We’ll call this one “Skeleto.” To operate Auto, a person would sit in a chair in Skeleto, put on a VR headset, and grab Skeleto’s two arms. When the person moved their head, the camera system on the other robot, Auto, would move accordingly, so the person would see what Auto was seeing through the VR headset attached to Skeleto. Similarly, whatever motion the person would do with Skeleto’s arms, the arms of Auto would copy synchronously. By having this setup, the person could use Skeleto to make Auto perform certain tasks over and over again, and then use this data to train Auto to perform those tasks by itself (without any teleoperation from Skeleto). On top of the deep imitation learning aspect, the other novelty in this system lies in the fact that the VR headset is able to track the gaze of the person, so Auto is able to learn to “see” what objects to focus on based on the person’s gaze point. This of course adds an additional layer of complexity, however it also makes the system extremely versatile for learning to perform all sorts of tasks. Task 1 – Orientation and Operation As one might imagine, being able to confidently operate the robot system described above is no easy task. The first few days of the internship were solely dedicated to familiarizing myself with the robot system and related software. As Kim-san showed me how to set up and operate different systems, I took pictures and kept a step-by-step log of the instructions. I also operated the robot for hours on end, performing different tasks such as moving objects, stacking objects, tying knots, threading needles, unpeeling bananas, etc. By the end of these first few days, I put together an operation and debugging manual for the robot outlining these instructions in detail, as well as what to do if certain common errors would arise. This manual will now be used by interns/researchers hoping to use the same robot system in the future. Task 2 – Project Brainstorm and Outline Working with Kim-san, I brainstormed ideas for what my research should focus on. We discussed the current limitations of the robot, and one such limitation is that even though the camera system has the ability to rotate along two axes, the robot’s current framework is only able to use vision with a static camera system. This is extremely problematic because it limits the robot’s workspace to the static image dimensions of the camera. So for example, even if the task was something trivial like moving an apple, if the apple was placed outside the field of view of the camera, the robot would never be able to grab it because it would never be seen by the camera. We decided that this would be an excellent research area for me to explore, and hopefully be able to tackle this shortcoming by the end of the internship. As it turns out, this problem proved to be extremely challenging, and required a very unique approach that had not been done before. Task 3 – Research and Mathematical Theory Once the overall project goal was set, the research phase could commence. This involved an extensive deep dive into the online world of academia, reading countless research papers and past projects to see if similar deep imitation learning techniques had been used for other robotic systems. While deep imitation learning has certainly been applied in many other systems, the novelty of this robot system made it extremely difficult to find anything truly similar. So after spending nearly a week trying and
Research Internship at University of Pennsylvania
Fumika Moriya First of all, I would like to show my appreciation for all the people who supported me in achieving my research internship. I spent around nine months on my research internship at Song & Ming Lab, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. This report has two sections; the first is about my research and lab life, and the second is about my life outside the lab. Research and lab life Introduction I am in the field of neuroscience. My research interest is the relationship between information processing and the phenomenon called adult neurogenesis, where newborn neurons are generated throughout life. Adult neurogenesis occurs in two regions of the brain. One of them, the hippocampus, plays a crucial role in learning, memory, cognition, navigation, and so on. Many researchers suggest the correlation between adult neurogenesis and information processing in the hippocampus. However, the details of how newborn neurons affect the functions of the hippocampus are still unclear. To answer this big question, I focused on the micro-scale of the brain, e.g., the neuronal network level, which is a relatively simple experimental environment. This experimental setup has the advantage of making it easier to see the effect of newborn neurons on the information processing of the hippocampus. This strategy worked well, but as I continued my research, I realized the gap between the micro- scale and macro-scale of the brain, in other words, the neuronal network and the behavioral level. My motivation for this research internship came from this feeling, and I made up my mind to try the experiment on the behavioral level to fill in the gap, which led to the bottom-up approach to answer my research question. Purpose Song & Ming lab, where I did my research internship, is prominent in the field of hippocampal adult neurogenesis. I thought what makes the lab strong in this field is the diversity in approach to the topic; the lab has many projects on multi-scales from the molecular level to the behavioral level. Here, I set two goals for this internship. The first one is acquiring basic skills for behavioral experiments and revealing the correlation between hippocampal cell activity and spatial information processing. The second one is learning how lab members collaborate with each other to make significant achievements regardless of the different scales on which they are working. First Goal I would say I was very fortunate to be enrolled in several projects, which gave me many opportunities to master basic experimental skills. Sang Hoon, who is one of the postdocs and a specialist in behavioral experiments, taught me all kinds of fundamental skills and gave me advice over the internship. For the first three months, I learned the basics of conducting behavioral experiments and spent most of my time practicing. Honestly, this period was a rigorous time for me because I was required to perform such fine skills that I always got something wrong. Even though I knew how difficult it was to gain new skills from scratch, I had been upset and worried that I would not bring any results to Japan. But looking back at that time, l am confident that those three months were crucial because they changed my mindset and made me mentally tough. During this research internship, I was involved in three projects. One of them is my own small project, “spatial information in the ventral hippocampus,” and I did every procedure myself. The other two projects are “remapping” and “adult newborn neurons,” driven by Sang Hoon. I did some parts of the experiments and analysis. He has spent lots of time on both projects, such as 8-9 years! For the “remapping” projects, the journal article is under review. For the “adult newborn neurons” project, the paper will be presented at the largest international neuroscience conference (Society for Neuroscience) this November. In addition, the research article will be submitted to the journal in a short time. I am a co-author of all papers above. I will focus more on my small project. The hippocampus is composed of two parts; the dorsal and the ventral. The former is investigated well, and the relationship between spatial information and the activity of dorsal hippocampal cells has been understood. But we do not know much about the latter. Another problem is that separating the electrical activity from each type of cell in the hippocampus is challenging. However, Song & Ming lab has improved their own technique to enable the separation. By using this technique, I aim to understand the properties of each type of cell in the ventral hippocampus with regard to spatial information processing. I made a recording device with tetrode channels and put it into a mouse’s brain above the hippocampus. Lowering the tetrodes’ location little by little while looking at the recorded electrical signal enabled me to get the signal from the target spot, the hippocampus. Once tetrodes reached the designated spot, I performed the freely behaving experiments. I recorded hippocampal electrical activity as a mouse was put in different environments to forage. By clustering cells, followed by separating them into each type of cell, I can analyze their characteristics in spatial information. I finished collecting data in the US, and I am continuing to analyze the data in Japan. I still keep in touch with Sang Hoon and Hongjun to complete my small project! Second Goal I was amazed by the quality of the lab meeting every time. In the lab, there are three types of meetings; individual, small group, and lab meetings. Here I would like to point out the last one. Once a week, one of the lab members presents their research in front of all the lab members. I was surprised that the meeting was very interactive and full of discussion, lasting nearly 2 hours! There are more than 20 postdocs, so each person presents their research every 4-5 months, which makes their presentation as high level as the one at conferences. As I mentioned before, lab members
Landscape Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design
One year ago, I started my graduate program to earn a master of landscape architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). Studying here at the GSD is extraordinary. I’ve been very much enjoying many aspects of my life here: thinking, designing, reading, writing, and just feeling. At the core of the GSD’s curriculum are studios. In a studio, each student is assigned to and works closely with an instructor. There are overall themes and structures across the studio, but a specific theme to be pursued depends on the interests of both student and the instructor. In both of the semesters I have completed so far, I have had the fortune to have inspiring and thoughtful instructors. We worked on three different projects during the first semester and a single project during the second semester. In the first semester, thus, we were more focused on learning basic techniques and thinking processes required to design a landscape, while in the second semester we were more asked to create a proposition or argument through design. Among many things that I explored this past year, three concepts not only shaped my projects but also influenced the ways I look at landscape, design, and even my everyday life. The theme of the very first project of the first semester was “materialities.” Each student was assigned to a single material through a lottery, and designed a courtyard by questioning and defining the logic of its “materialities.” My material was an oak tree, and I designed an acorn pond that invites people to engage with the trees through the underfoot experience of acorns. The site was non-site and enclosed. To me, who have a background in urban planning and thought that design needs to start by understanding surrounding contexts, this self-referential approach was new and inspiring. Through the project, I gradually understood the importance of expressive landscape as a means to create identities for places, while at the same time, I realized my lack of knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of/toward materials that designers need to manipulate. The second project in the first semester was about redesigning Boston City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA. The plaza sits in front of Boston City Hall, Brutalist architecture. Prompted by one of the lectures by a faculty, I started thinking about “monumentality”. This led me to define “monumentality” in the absence of volume, rather than its muscular, static, and powerful presence, by the subtle, simple, and elegant gesture of the negative landform. For someone long intrigued by land arts, this was a great opportunity to confront those works. As I was critiqued on the suburbian aspect of my design, how to think and approach “monumentality” in cities will continue to be my theme of exploration. In the second semester, I started to understand and embrace different kinds of aesthetics that I did not have before, which is “repetition”. The theme of the second semester was “landscape of remembrance,” and we were asked to design a cemetery in the southern part of Franklin Park, Boston, MA. We started from site analysis and case studies. Through close examination of cemeteries across the world, in terms of not only their design but also cultural, social, and environmental aspects, we started brainstorming how time, memories, and death/life can be embedded and should be embedded in the landscape. In the design phases, huge thanks to a push by my instructor, I started to think about a landscape defined by a repetition of graves stone and rectilinear flat paths, which had not been my formal language before the semester. Other than finding and incorporating a new vocabulary of forms and composition in design, I started thinking about mass death caused by Covid-19 and how landscape can respond to this worldwide tragedy. This led me to design a place of burial for Covid-19 victims as well as a place for the living and future generations to spatially experience and remember the tragedy of Covid-19. Outside of the program, I’ve been enjoying jogging, reading, and hanging out with friends. I love jogging along the Charles River while observing diverse vegetation, wildlife, and phenomenon. My weekend morning starts at nearby cafes. I like indulging myself with books at their outside terraces. I also like keeping companies with my diverse, intellectual, and inspiring friends through hiking, biking, movie nights, and chatting over drinks. To conclude, I would like to express enormous gratitude to ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A. and Friends of UTokyo, Inc. I sincerely acknowledge my privilege of being able to pursue further education in the field that I am passionate about. Without your support, all this valuable experience would not have been possible.
Master of Laws – LLM at Stanford Law School
Kohei Wachi I have successfully graduated from Stanford Law School with a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in Law, Science and Technology (LST). It’s been an incredible year, and words are inadequate to describe all the joys I’ve experienced, the opportunities I’ve had, and the lifelong companionships I’ve formed. I want to thank everyone who made all of this possible, especially the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A. and Friends of UTokyo, Inc. for their great financial support. This past year has been life-changing for me—I have made amazing friends who have made this journey even richer and more enjoyable. My cohorts are seasoned professionals from 32 different countries with diverse backgrounds who excel in their respective fields and passionately use law as a tool to change the world, each in their own unique way. It was challenging at times for me to discuss controversial issues and interact with friends from different races, religions, and sexualities, and with different languages, values, and means of communication, but they have given me new and different perspectives that have helped me to learn more about myself. From conversations with my peers, I was able to look inside of myself and ask myself questions I had never asked before and to make new discoveries that I may not have otherwise made. Even more importantly, I learned a lot about the cutting-edge LST issues currently being debated in the United States and around the world—such as speech on the Internet, privacy regulations, and blockchains. I learned firsthand about the potential of new technologies to enable free speech, innovation, diversity, and equality for the public good—as well as the dangers they pose to the international community. In particular, the LST program has provided me with many opportunities to learn about practical issues from practitioners who have years of experience working at law firms and corporations. For example, in the “Reforming the Profession” class taught by the former general counsel of LinkedIn, I learned about how the legal industry needs to change in a very fast-paced business environment and the various technological tools we as lawyers have at our disposal to bring about significant change. Through my time at Stanford and in the Bay Area, I have become more proud, confident, and happy with who I am as a gay man. I have been fortunate to meet many people from the LGBTQ+ community who are proud of who they are and express themselves as they are without fear. Seeing them happy in their own way has given me hope and courage, especially since I had never been exposed to any other society or culture outside of Japan before. In the United States, now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, we fear its impact on LGBTQ+ and other rights, but I strongly believe that the rights that our community has fought for and won for decades and centuries will continue to be upheld through our unrelenting efforts. I will continue to do my part, even if it is only a small part, to help Japan move forward to become a society where diversity is more accepted, even as the rest of the world seems to be moving in the opposite direction. I couldn’t be happier or more grateful for this amazing experience. For my next step, with my education in technology law at Stanford, I plan to first work as a lawyer in data protection and tech transactions at a firm in Europe for the next year. Then, as a more experienced tech lawyer and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I would like to apply what I have learned and experienced to contributing to the development of a diverse, tech-savvy Japanese society as it leads a renewed inclusive partnership with the rest of the world.