» Shiori KAMIMOTO | Waseda University ICT and Robotics

Shiori KAMIMOTO

Visiting period: July 2018 to October 2018
Visiting university: University of California Davis
Visiting country and region: Davis, America

Content of the study program

Through the Top Global University Project (SGU), I had the opportunity to research abroad for a period of 95 days at the University of California Davis, in the state of California, America. I was accepted into the laboratory of Prof. Sato of the Department of Pharmacology, where I conducted research for three months, with the objective of producing results for one paper.

Study results

During my time abroad, I performed 2-dimensional myocardial tissue modeling, with the objective of understanding the dynamic mechanism behind the onset and development of arrhythmia. Normally, I study regenerative medicine, but the theme of the research I did abroad was to carry out simulations using programming, which I did for the first time, relating to myocardial cellular tissue, which I also usually never deal with. I was required to learn about two new fields simultaneously, and that was tough, but I tackled the research with the cooperation of Prof. Sato and the other members of the lab. As a result, we succeeded in developing a new computer model that would produce both a spiral wave and an alternans at the same time, which had previously not been measured. I also gave a presentation in English about my research topic in Japan and participated in an international conference for around two weeks, both of which were great experiences. At the same time, I got a sense of the difficulty of communicating in English in relation to subjects outside of my area of study.

My experience abroad

This was the first time I have travelled to the West. At first, I understood neither how to cross at traffic lights nor how to read price tags, which caused me trouble, but eventually, I became able to travel around on my own, crossing cities and states by train and airplane. The fact that I learned how to move around as I desired in unfamiliar land improved my own self-confidence greatly. In terms of culture, I feel that we Japanese know America very well, but I was surprised at the low level of awareness of Japan among foreign people. As such, I gained a strong desire to introduce Japanese culture and technologies more to the rest of the world. Therefore, I was very happy that while I learned about foreign culture for myself, I was able to get people of various origins and ages living in America to like Japan more, through my interactions with them. People who can speak two or more languages are not rare in America, and as such, I felt strongly, the necessity of improving my English level, not only in terms of reading and writing, but also in conversational ability.

Influence on my future career

I had the opportunity to meet and speak with several Japanese people who have been researching or working at, for example, Microsoft, MIT and Carnegie Mellon University, or studying abroad for a long period of time. They all are enthusiastic and address their work independently, and this incentivized me greatly. The attitude and culture in research and work in America differ in numerous ways from Japan, and this gave me (somebody who had almost never left Japan before) a new perspective. However, I also had many opportunities to realize anew, the good aspects of Japan. As a result, I felt a strong desire to find employment in the future, in a job where I can work together with foreign people, and also contribute to the improvement of Japan’s position in the world and its development. On this occasion, I did not take any university classes, due to the fact that my study abroad was for research, but I feel that I would like to study abroad again before I leave graduate school, and this time with the objective of improving my language ability.

Other comments

I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks once again to everyone involved in SGU and to the professors who encouraged me in this system. I thought it would be difficult to study abroad, without taking a second year in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, but the fact that I had this opportunity and managed to achieve my objectives, I feel, truly resulted in my growth. This was a very good opportunity for me to think again about my own future.

Student