TAIST-Tokyo Tech Student Exchange Program in Japan 2022

From September 12 to November 29, 2022, Tokyo Tech welcomed 6 students from Thailand Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (TAIST)-Tokyo Tech, a graduate education program jointly organized by the Institute in collaboration with Thailand's National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and leading Thai universities.

Tokyo Tech faculty members are heavily involved in the program, serving as lecturers and, in cooperation with faculty members of the Thai partner universities and researchers from NSTDA, as academic co-supervisors of TAIST students. To encourage greater interaction between students from TAIST and Tokyo Tech, the Institute launched the TAIST-Tokyo Tech Student Exchange Program in 2015 and has continued the program since then. In addition to an outbound program for Tokyo Tech students to conduct research internships and take courses in Thailand, the inbound program provides opportunities for TAIST students to take advantage of the Institutes excellent research environment by conducting master's thesis research in Tokyo Tech laboratories. Because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this program could not take place in 2020 or 2021. However, the situation has been improved enough to resume it this year.

The 2022 inbound program enabled TAIST students to spend two and a half months at Tokyo Tech, where they conducted research and joined seminars and events at their host laboratories. They also enjoyed campus tours, including of Tokyo Tech faculty labs, and a visit to a Japanese company. Some of the participants also enrolled in courses at Tokyo Tech.

In visits to Tokyo Tech faculty members labs, program participants eagerly asked questions as they received briefings on each lab's research activities and experimental equipment. Through the lab visits, program participants gained exposure to Tokyo Tech research in various fields and deepened their understanding of the research underway at particular laboratories involved with the TAIST program.

Off campus, the TAIST students visited the Fujisawa Technology Center of NSK LTD., a TAIST supporter. They walked around the exhibited products, some of which can be tried by their hands, and learned the history of NSK's product development. After that, they visited many technicians working at the center to learn about their work from them directly.

At the program's conclusion, participants made final presentations on their research to an audience comprising their academic supervisors, fellow lab members, and faculty members, as well as guests from companies supporting TAIST. After their presentations, the students responded to questions in English. The chair of the Steering Committee for TAIST of the School of Engineering Professor Katsunori Hanamura, awarded a certificate of program completion to each student, and Executive Vice President Jun-ichi Imura toasted the participants at a reception that followed. Program participants reflected together on their 79-day stay in Japan, and Tokyo Tech faculty members encouraged them to continue with their research.

Program participants made the most of their short stay and have now returned to Thailand to complete their master's theses. After graduation, some will advance to doctoral programs at universities in Thailand or abroad, including Tokyo Tech, while others will pursue careers with Thai and foreign companies. Participants are expected to utilize the knowledge and experience they have gained at Tokyo Tech to work actively around the world.