by Hana Chrenka
This summer, I participated in UTSIP Kashiwa, a 7-week international research internship program at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. I worked in the Oshima-Akizuki lab in the Department of Environmental Systems, and worked under the supervision of Akizuki-sensei and Shotaro Seki, my tutor. During my time there, I worked on a project investigating the solvent effect on the reaction of 2-chloroadamantane in hot compressed water/methanol mixtures. This topic was related to my previous experience at my home university in my first year, where we used hot compressed water/methanol mixtures to convert algae into bio-oil. This project, however, used a more focused, chemistry-based approach, allowing me to use more information related to my studies. It is also related to my primary motivation for research, advancement of technological strategies to face global warming, as it investigated an alternative chemical process that can increase resource efficiency. Though my final results were a little bit unexpected, I learned a lot about the research process and found it interesting and fun! My tutor was incredibly helpful and wonderfully nice as he taught me the ropes and met with me throughout my research, along with my supervisor and other lab members who I got to interact with in the lab and in seminars.
In addition to research, the program included a field trip to see underground water management in Hadano city and the construction of the Shin-Tomei Highway along with several cultural experiences, including a trip to a local shrine and an educational viewing of kabuki theatre.
Outside of scheduled activities in the program, I had a really fun time getting to know the other students in the program! I loved being part of such an international group of peers, and I will for sure cherish all the friendships I made this summer :)
