Message

Education of Physics in the COE for
"Exploring New Science by Bridging Particle-Matter Hierarchy"

Osamu Hashimoto, the leader of COE for
"Exploring New Science by Bridging Particle-Matter Hierarchy"
Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University

Dealing with elementary particles, nuclei, solid / liquid (condensed matter), and celestial bodies / the universe, which are successively formed under the creation and evolution process of the universe, as a particle-matter hierarchy, and developing the proper researches on each hierarchies, this COE aims at exploiting new research fields on quark matter, weak/strong correlated matter, stellar/interstellar matter and dark matter in the universe, which are transition forms of middle states or integrated forms formed by the links among the hierarchies. Following two points are the aims of this COE program

  1. On physics and mathematical sciences, making strong links and bridge among research fields which this graduate school has the features, for the next decade, we establish the research and educational systems which aims at to be the most extreme center of research and education in the world.
  2. Invitating able talents from all over the world, or positively dispatching them to foreign countories, leadinglly promoting collaborations in large scale research institutions in and outside the country, we expend the international research center for "New Science by Bridging Particle-Matter Hierarchy"

For a long time, it is said that quality dropping and hollowing out in graduate school education. In the 21st century COE program, with breaking such a situation, the most important assignment is training of high quality graduate students and young researchers. In this COE, we are tring to realize the trainning of the young researchers leading the 21st century by letting graduate students and young researchers participate in research programs of this COE as the collaborators Therefore, in the educational plans of this COE program, we attach importance to the repletion of basic education and the practical education making most of the interactive international collaborations which each departments has achievements on physics and mathematical sciences. Because this COE has been evolving international collaborations with the leadership, we think that this COE is blessed with the chances which we practically educate graduate students by letting them participate in high level extreme research activities as the collaborators. The researching place of the above mentioned interactive international collaborations are in Japan or outside, in compliance with each research programs. In any case, the researchers of this COE play leading parts. Under such research environment, having responsibilities, COE researchers let young researchers learn the severity of gloval academic competition, and practically train the young researchers leading the world in order to exploring new science by bridging particle-matter hierarchy in the 21th century. Therefore, we put impotances on following subjects.

  1. Academic curiosity and deep motivation based on basic scholarship and learning
  2. Faculty of idea, execution, analysis and insight for research theme
  3. Faculty of conception for new academic domains with keeping physical and mathematical scientific attainments and broad horizon

This COE program aims at the establishment of the center arena educational system which educates basic research faculty with trans-disciplinarity, trans-research fields. Especially, because this COE puts importance on trans-disciplinary research programs, in order to develop the broad horizon which is essential for the establishment of bridging sciences, we will establish the bridging education of physics and mathematical sciences which extends over physics, astronomy and mathematics. Further, making the most of the above mentioned international research environment which this COE has, positively treating the doctoral course students as the collaborators of this COE, we train the faculty which they can independently take research activities on themselves in international collaborations. And, utilizing the long or short stay foreign researchers, we promote "practical" education under the international environment not only regular classes. At present, this graduate school is planning and appling for the establishment of the international course of extreme sciences which is mainly composed of student from abroad. Organically linking between the 21st COE and the international cource of extreme sciences, we are planning to promote the new science education of the 21st century type.

Concretely, we are examining following educational programs.

  1. Opening COE common courses.
  2. Research assistants' and young researchers' participation in interdisciplinary COE seminars. (Trans-disciplinary program)
  3. Encouragement COE students to engage in research activities separately from belonging laboratories. (Short study abroad within the COE)
  4. Courses in English and practical education by foreign teachers. Link with the international course of extreme sciences.
  5. Recruitment of research projects by younger researchers, allotment of research grant under an examinations. (Initiative program)
  6. COE students' participation in interactive international collaborations, mixed education with students of international collaboration institutes. Long stay dispatch to overseas institutes, invitation of foreign students.

The doctoral course students of this COE are the collaborators of the COE bridging research. Only with the concentration of excellent doctoral course students and young researchers, the research activities in this COE are able to get achievements. Arrangement of food, clothing and shelter environments for research activities (research budget, technical or financial support, room for research), for example employment the doctoral course students as the research assistants, is one of the important issues of the educational program in this COE.

In order to lead the world in the future on the research fields of physics and mathematical sciences which extends over the hierarchies of particle - matter, this graduate school of science is planning to establish the research conter for basic fundamental science under the alliance with three departments which received recognition in this graduate school. Being based on this research center, effectivelly expanding the domestic or international collabolations which utilize large-scaled extreme research institutions, the aim of this COE is the development of here into a field of leap for graduate students and young researchers. We think that the maximum achievement of this COE program is the gowing up of many young researchers five years later under the research activities which lead the world in such COE.

© 2004 Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University