UTokyo Kashiwa 100-Person Essays

Socio-Technological, Imaginaries, Science, and Ethics Workshop Program

Communication with People from Different Fields in a Casual Meeting on Campus

In the 2023 academic year, a new event was launched as part of the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (GSFS) Socio-Technological Imaginaries, Science, and Ethics Workshop Program. The event—called the Utokyo Kashiwanoha 100-Person Essays Meeting—focuses on research ethics, providing a platform for students to discuss crucial ethics for scientific work.

One of the members who planned the event, Takagi, thought that it would be meaningful if they had opportunities to discuss casually rather than just receiving lectures in class. Therefore, she organized the first meeting in August 2023, in which approximately 20 students participated. The discussion began with introductions of their research topics, followed by an exchange of opinions.

Hashimasa, who attended the meeting, said, “In my field, life science, you always need to be sensitive about ethics. I participated in this meeting because I thought I should sit and think about the ethics of experiments that I take for granted. Thanks to the GSFS’s variety of academic fields and many international students, I could experience fascinating exchanges in this meeting, which I cannot experience if I just stay in my field.”

The event was held again as a part of the Kashiwa Campus Open Days in October 2023. Visitors of all ages, ranging from children to seniors, were invited to write their questions or opinions on tags and post them on students’ presentation posters. Okabe attended the meeting for the first time and said, “Research ethics is highly related to society. Researchers often remain in their own world and do not ponder research ethics. The meeting was a great success because the venue was the campus, which allowed us to communicate effectively.”

Takagi shared her vision with us after facilitating two meetings. “If you take one step forward, an interesting world is there. The meeting can be a good opportunity to practice explaining your point and answering questions accurately. You can learn important skills for your life. I want to make this event a casual place for young researchers from different fields to communicate.”

(Original Japanese text by Mayuko Araragi)

The first meeting in August 2023 (Above and below)
Japanese and international students from various academic backgrounds exchanged opinions.

The event organizers (from left): Ms. Sakie Takagi, Mr. Ryuhei Hashimasa, Ms. Maya Agana (all second-year Master’s students), and Mr. Yoji Okabe (first-year Ph.D. student)