Education Program
[1] Student Education Program
We will start special courses on topological science and technology to provide postgraduates with cross-sectional education covering the postgraduate courses and laboratories that constitute this COE. These courses provide an overview of a wide range of subjects including science and technology, medicine, and economics from a topological perspective. We will also establish a new cross-sectional research center to foster young researchers; this center will encompass the Graduate Schools of Engineering, Science, Medicine, Economics and Business Administration, and the Research Institute for Electronic Science.
[2] Postgraduate Support Programs
Financial difficulty experienced during postgraduate programs is one of the reasons that postgraduates do not pursue doctoral programs. Our COE employs many students in the doctoral program as Research Assistants (RA) to provide financial support. We also select excellent doctoral theses and give the authors COE Awards. Furthermore, we offer grant-in-aid to original projects. We have other programs to support the participation of postgraduate students in international conferences and study at foreign research institutions. Through these programs, we provide financial support to highly motivated postgraduates and provide a good environment for these students to carry out high quality research.
[3] International Promotion Program
We invite eminent foreign researchers, and hold international conferences and workshops about twice a year. It is especially important to motivate postgraduate students by providing opportunities to attend presentations of cutting edge research results and to meet the leading researchers in their respective fields. We also organize small study meetings on advanced studies several times a year, and encourage young researchers and postgraduates to participate. Personnel exchange is the starting point for research exchange with overseas research institutes. We further promote activities performed under the international intercollegiate exchange agreement, and provide assistance to exchange students in cooperation with our foreign counterparts. To facilitate these activities, we have lectures and seminars on "Technical English Debate Techniques" and "Presentation Techniques" in English.
[4] Research Leadership Training Program
We organize summer and winter programs for young researchers and postgraduates, making the best of the abundant natural environment in Hokkaido. Young people are primarily involved in organization, preparation of programs, and negotiation with lecturers so that they can acquire the know-how required to organize workshops and international conferences as the leaders of the future. These activities are important not only to broaden personal connections with researchers and postgraduates from other institutions and universities, but also to nurture the leadership qualities required to open a new field of science, e.g., the ability to set up one's own research theme or to launch and manage a research organization.
[5] Research Promotion Program
The COE employs many Post Doctoral Researchers (PD) who carry out collaborative research with project investigators. Young researchers who have just completed doctoral programs play an important role in promoting this project; they will not only serve as a driving force but also will influence the postgraduate students in a constructive manner. We also invite applications from young researchers (PD's, assistants, lecturers, assistant professors, etc.) for original research projects that will further advance the concepts of this program, thus encouraging their participation in this program. In addition to grants-in-aid, this program also provides support in securing research space and improving the research environment. We have a policy of objectively evaluating not only the content of the proposal but also the achievements made as a result of the research, and we provide more substantial assistance to PD's and projects with excellent achievement.
