In this meeting, we have been inviting well-informed persons from ministries, industries and universities every few months. They give us lectures on the present condition of the graduate school education and what it should be. They are of particularly high interest to Ph.D. students, and vigorous discussions are conducted after the lectures. Till now, we have invited three persons from ministry, industry and university, respectively. The followings are their brief reports.

1st Industry-Government-Academia Interaction Meeting for Human Resource Development

When we reach the age of puberty in Japan, there is a strong requirement that we develop our personalities and create knowledge-based values in preparation for the coming small-population society. In this lecture, the activities of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) concerning human resource development were introduced. In addition, the need to diversify the career paths of young researchers and to introduce internship programs coordinated by the academic-industrial alliance were pointed out. In a Q&A session, there was an earnest demand from a student to reinforce the financial support given by government to young researchers.

2nd Industry-Government-Academia Interaction Meeting for Human Resource Development

Presentation by Dr. Mitsuhiro Arinobu

More of an ability to unify multidiscipline expertise and people is required in industry, while sticking to your own way is valued in academia. In this lecture, the differences between postdoctoral career paths in Japan and those in the U. S. and Europe were shown. It was also pointed out that an education program that cultivates management ability and applied skills is needed in order to increase the number of Ph.D.s who participate actively in industry.

In a Q&A session, one student asked the lecturer: "After entering a company, how has graduate school education been useful in your career ?". The lecturer answered that "The experiences of establishing problems on my own and collaborating with neighboring people are significant".

3rd Industry-Government-Academia Interaction Meeting for Human Resource Development

Question to Dr. Hideo Ohashi

By tracing the etymology of "Engineering", the lecturer discussed a Japanese conceptual problem: much has been made of the aspect of "study" alone, while the original meaning of the word "profession" has been lost. Construction of a system that prevents technical abuses and that allows for participation in technical choices with society is required for future engineers.

In a Q&A session, there was active discussion on establishing universal qualifications for engineers and the positioning of scientists and engineers.