Preface

The growth and maintenance of internationally competitive industries are indispensable for the invigoration and sustainable development of the Japanese economy in the knowledge-based society of the 21st century, as technology rapidly progresses along with globalization. At this time graduate school education is expected to develop human resources that can lead innovation in a wide range of engineering fields.

Therefore, in this COE program "Mechanical Systems Innovation," we are aiming to form an internationally-attractive educational base by sharing our vision, which is to develop leaders who possess "creativity, a pioneering ability for untrodden fields, an international perspective, an ability in project planning and management associated with a sense of responsibility --all of these qualities built on a firm basic education and highly-specialized intellect".

As for the needed educational reform, which has in the past been a matter of internal discussions among faculty members, we have been providing the opportunity for open debates that involve not only industry and relevant ministries but also the students who are receiving the education. We are organizing various requirements for graduate school education that come from industry and seek to extract the universal elements.

Through these activities, some new educational programs have already been suggested and carried out. This newsletter introduces those new trial programs for human resource development.