Four Master's degree students from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT), one of the leading technical universities in Japan, have undertaken an internship at four laboratories of the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering (INPhE), MEPhI.
When asked, students told us that the initial information on the work of MEPhI laboratories they received from information booklets. Having found the research interesting, they sent their applications to project curators in Japan, naming the chosen place of internship. Subsequently, the competition experts at the TIT selected the best applicants. The principal objective of the program is to train young researchers and engineers who can contribute to the development of the nuclear industry.
During their stay at MEPhI, the Japanese students had a chance not only to participate in the research of the laboratories but also visited various departments of MEPhI and enjoyed sightseeing and excursions. Cultural program was an integral part of the internships. In the end of the internships students defended their projects.
Students from Japan shared their impressions:
I chose MEPhI because it has all the possibilities and good equipment for research in the field of nuclear technology. The internship helped me learn more about the difference in conducting experiments in Japan and Russia. It will help improve follow-up research through interaction with researchers in the same scientific field.
Tsubasa Watanabe
The internship is related to my research, which I conduct at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Here at MEPhI, I defended a project concerning the creation of a 3D model of particles measured by a detector. In Russia, I like people very much; they are very kind and polite.
Taro Fumimoto
The internship provided an opportunity to get acquainted with numerous equipment for power plants. I defended a project that aims to determine the circulation flow of a liquid conductor under natural convection. As for Moscow, it is very beautiful. I bought a lot of souvenirs for my friends from Japan.
Takahashi Naoki
The main reason why I chose this internship is because MEPhI is the largest University in Russia in the field of research of nuclear properties of matter. At the end of two weeks in Russia, I defended a project to calculate the uncertainty and reliability of nuclear power plants.
In addition to the University, I liked the Kolomenskoye Park, which is located nearby. It is very large, it is quiet and beautiful. We walked around Moscow a lot, I liked it very much, because you can not see the same things in Tokyo.
Takaaki Miyabe
Student exchange program is implemented within the framework of a five-year project "Training of Leading Scientists and Engineers in the Field of Health, Medicine, Nuclear Energy and Energy Industry between Japan and Russia". In very near future, this upcoming February, four students from MEPhI will travel to the Tokyo Institute of Technology for a two-week internship; another MEPhI team will spend three months in Japan from November till February. In addition, there are Japanese-Russian forums for students and staff interaction within the framework of the project.
The prospects for the development of bilateral relations between the Tokyo Institute of Technology and MEPhI include joint research in such areas as decommissioning of nuclear power plants, complex multiphysical modeling of nuclear power facilities, development of digital counterparts of nuclear research and power plants, as well as joint publications and applications for grants in joint research and joint academic programs.
It is worthwhile noting that such internships contribute to the development of future researchers, create incentives for more in-depth study and analysis, promote use and learning of foreign languages. In general, academic student mobility facilitates the development of cooperation and deepens mutual understanding between Russia and Japan.
