Tokyo Tech Winter Program 2018

This (Australian) summer I was lucky enough to study at Tokyo Tech as part of the Institute's Winter Program. I conducted research in the laboratory of Professor Motomu Nakashima, where my project focused on designing a prosthetic paddle for use by forearm amputee swimmers doing breaststroke. For me, the program was a very positive first experience with research, both because of the fascinating research content, and because of the excellent support given to us by the program organizers.

Under the guidance of Nakashima I learned many useful skills, including both technical skills to do with fluid force analysis and design, as well as more general research and organization skills that I think will be widely applicable in any future projects I undertake. I had regular meetings with the professor where we discussed my ideas and progress, and this really helped me maintain momentum and direction during my project. I was studying alongside the students in Nakashima laboratory, and I found them all so friendly and helpful, both with supporting me in my research, and with adjusting to life in Japan. I felt so lucky to be included in student life in my laboratory, including attending weekly seminars and playing baseball together.

Under the supervision of Professor Mitsutoshi Ueda, my research project was aimed at understanding early formation of impenetrable chromium oxide layers in the high temperatures of 800℃ and steam oxidation conditions to provide stainless steels with higher resistance to oxidation for coal power plant applications.

I was warmly welcomed at the combined Ueda and Kawamura Laboratory, and I recommend any future student with a keen interest in metallurgy to seek Ueda's guidance. Though I could not understand Japanese very well, I found the laboratory's seminars and presentations insightful. I was happy to obtain the results I wanted in the end, which made the entire program worthwhile.

Outside the lab, I travelled to Kyoto, Osaka, and Sapporo, where I saw many different localities and learned how different the Japanese countryside is from Tokyo. The Winter Program enabled me not to only visit Japan, but to live in Japan ― a totally different and more meaningful experience. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to undertake research at a world-class institution.