Strategic Professional Development Program for Young Researchers
Top Runner Development Program Engaging Universities,
National Labs, and Companies
Strategic Professional Development Program for Young Researchers
Top Runner Development Program Engaging Universities,
National Labs, and Companies
2024/10/11
A Transborder Science Camp for TRiSTAR fellows and pre-fellows was held on September 24-25, 2024.
This program aims to facilitate cross-organizational and cross-disciplinary interactions to broaden networks with researchers from various specialized fields and to inspire participants in their research by polishing their skills. A total of 35 participants joined, including fellows from the first to fourth phases and OB fellows and pre-fellows (21 members), one guest commentator, and 13 organizers. Additionally, we invited one guest speaker online.
At Shimadzu Tokyo Innovation Plaza with a great view.
This year’s theme was “Generative AI,” and through interactions across different industries and disciplines, participants explored the potential uses of generative AI, including progress in their own research and improvements in research environments by recognizing unconscious biases within themselves.
To help individuals recognize unconscious biases within themselves, participants engaged in two pre-assignments: Selective attention test, and Implicit Association Test.
To reflect on self expertise from a comprehensive perspective through mutual understanding with counterparts from different fields, 13 fellows, pre-fellows who were participating in the science camp for the first time, and guest commentators each introduced their research in a 3-minute speech at the beginning of the camp.
We invited Dr. Gakuto Kurata, a Technical Director from IBM Japan, Ltd.
Dr. Kurata spoke on the theme of “Promoting Open AI,” discussing the cutting-edge corporate initiatives related to generative AI and the global competitive landscape.
Keynote lecture by Dr. KURATA Gakuto
Participants toured the facility at the Shimadzu Tokyo Innovation Plaza, which generously provided the venue for the first day of the science camp.
We were shown around the “engaging” laboratory spaces equipped with state-of-the-art research equipment and devices. It seems that some fellows participated in the camp specifically for this tour, and through the observations, they were able to gather plenty of inspiration that may be applied to their own laboratory design and lab management.
Fascinating Labs at Shimadzu Tokyo Innovation Plaza
In a setting removed from daily routine, we provided a platform (a round-table discussion environment) to promote dialogue (conversation) among researchers. Not only the pre-determined themes presented by the Research Environment Improvement WG, but themes and questions proposed by researchers themselves generated a lot of dialogue and empathy on topics such as research time, balancing childcare and research, research and evaluation, lab operations, and well-being in researchers’ lives.
A lot of dialogue and empathy was generated.
To explore the potential for utilizing generative AI, including in research progress and improving research environments, participants first experienced a process of emptying their minds through individual work. As a result, 59 ideas were conceived. Participants then each voted with 5 points to select ideas for further development, narrowing down to 5 categories: Ethics Review AI, Secretary AI, Image AI, Interdisciplinary Fusion AI, and AI that Does Not Give Answers.
59 ideas were generated as a result of the search for room for the use of generative AI
Participants teamed up based on their own interests, motivations, and abilities, and engaged in brainstorming aimed at co-creation and fusion. Crossing their own specialized fields, they discovered insights from other disciplines to enable new developments in their research, widening their ideas through discussion, and thus, it became a place for generating diverse ideas, such as proposals for transboundary collaborative research and concepts for new academic fields of the new era. Throughout the entire session, participants were greatly inspired by the ideas and attitudes of other researchers, and many voices expressed that it was a beneficial learning place.
