A taste of Japanese tech
TWENTY-ONE physics undergraduates of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Faculty of Science recently joined a 14-day mobility programme in Japan, which aimed to expose them to the latest knowledge and applications in science and technology.
The International Physics Outreach Tour 1.0 (IPTO 1.0) took the students to four research universities — the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.
Accompanied by five lecturers, they also visited the Canon Medical Systems headquarters in Fujita, which is a leading diagnostic imaging equipment manufacturer.
At Tokyo Institute of Technology, the visitors were introduced to TSUBAME 3.0, which is Japan’s fastest artificial intelligence supercomputer that can calculate data at high speed and reduce the use of electricity.
Then, the lecturers and students proceeded to visit the institute’s Mechanical Engineering Materials Research Laboratory.
The UPM group was also fortunate to visit different laboratories at Nagoya Institute of Technology and learn about their research projects.
The visitors were amazed by the cataloging system at the sports technology library of the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology, where thousands of thesis could be retrieved by the main computer.
At Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, the group had the honour of visiting the Laboratory of Superconductivity to see simple experiments on magnetic levitation of trains using superconducting materials.
The study tour concluded at Canon Medical Systems, where the students visited the company’s medical system production department.
They saw how magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, angiography and ultrasound devices were produced and assembled.
UPM Department of Physics senior lecturer Dr Muhammad Khalis Abdul Karim, who is IPTO 1.0 adviser, said the programme encouraged university students to think globally.
“In the age of globalisation, visibility and communication skills are essential for students,” he said.
He hoped that through exchanges with Japanese universities and their industry, students can enhance these important components and gain knowledge to prepare for a competitive era.
Nurliana Jasni, a third-year instru- mentation science student, found the tour to be a great eye-opener.
“The Japanese method of learning is effective because they are focused on hands-on lessons. For example, a professor at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology said through practical methods, students can gain experience on what they should do in the industry.”
She hoped the mobility programme will be continued for others to gain knowledge and experience, besides learning about the culture of another country.