広く産学官にわたってグローバルに活躍するために必要な「俯瞰力」を養成することを目指す。物質科学の各分野について最先端の知識を修得し、自分の専門分野と周辺分野がどのように関連するか、あるいはし得るか、について深く考察するために、第一線で活躍する講師の方々にその分野の最前線を概観していただく。さらに、それらの講義を通して異分野間のコミュニケーションを円滑に進めるための具体的方法論を学ぶ。 This survey course is designed to enable students to develop the broad perspective that is required of global leaders working in and across industry, academia, and government. Students will gain knowledge and insight on advancements in each field of materials science research, given by leading researchers working on the frontline in those fields. This will allow students to consider how peripheral fields are related to their own area of expertise, and to consider the potential for forging bridges between related fields in the future. In addition, students will learn specific methodologies designed to facilitate smooth communication among different disciplines.

地球内部のレオロジーは、マントル対流から地震波伝播に至るまで様々なタイムスケールの現象に大きな影響を与えている。この授業では、地球内部のレオロジーを支配しているミクロなメカニズムを学び、弾性・非弾性・粘性・電気伝導度などの物性がどのような物質科学的性質（温度・物質・流体相・岩石組織など）によって決まっているかを学ぶ。実際の岩石・鉱物組織を見ることも学ぶ。また、岩石のレオロジーが地球のダイナミクスに与えている影響について学ぶ。 Rheological properties of rocks play important roles at various time scales ranging from mantle convection to seismic wave propagation. We first learn the atomic-scale mechanism controlling rock rheology, which enables us to understand how temperature, rock microstructure, chemical composition, and/or presence of fluids affect the rheological properties. We learn methodology to observe mineral/rock microstructures. We also learn the relationship between rock rheology and geodynamics.

There is a growing demand for the effective use of plant resources such as agricultural and forestry residues as an alternative to fossil resources. Surprisingly, there are still many unknown components in these plant materials. For example, bark contains some major components whose chemical structures are unknown, having been given provisional component names in the 1950s and remaining largely untouched since then. Against this background, it is becoming increasingly important to elucidate the characteristics of underutilized plants as biomass feedstocks (raw material properties, chemical structure and reactivity) and to pave the way for the development of effective utilization methods for plant resources. This lecture introduces the principles of biosynthesis, chemical structure and analytical methods of lignin, a major component of plant cell walls. Lignin will be used as a representative example of a natural polymer with a complex chemical structure, which will be explained and discussed. The goal of the lecture is to understand the principles of analytical methods common to the study of the chemical structure of various natural polymers, and through this to develop a way of thinking to approach unsolved problems related to chemical structure. Students will be given time to read and study related papers and present the main points.

Statistics and biometrics have emerged as crucial disciplines not only in agricultural sciences but also in various other fields. This significance is primarily attributed to three factors: Firstly, advancements in data measurement techniques have facilitated the collection of extensive and diverse biological and agronomic data that were previously unattainable. Secondly, the evolution of data science methodologies has enabled the integration and modeling of such collected data. Thirdly, the enhancement of computational capabilities has empowered the utilization of these methodologies. These advancements have rendered statistical and biometric methods indispensable for extracting insights from the vast and varied biological and agronomic datasets. Throughout this lecture series, a diverse array of biological and agronomic datasets will serve as illustrative examples to demonstrate various analytical methods. Delivered in a hands-on format, utilizing R, Python, and Matlab, the aim is to equip students with practical analysis skills. The initial portion of the course, spanning the first one-third, will focus primarily on techniques for summarizing, visualizing, and modeling relationships within multivariate datasets. In the subsequent one-third, students will delve into linear models, linear mixed models, local regression, and nonlinear models. Finally, in the last segment, students will explore image analysis, machine learning, and deep learning methods. While the course will cover a broad spectrum of methods, ranging from introductory to advanced levels, the emphasis will be on developing the capability to independently conduct analyses rather than on elaborating on the theoretical underpinnings of the methods.

In production and consumption of materials, structural materials are dominant. Technological development in materials industry affects significant positive impacts in broad end uses. A newly developed high-performance materials fulfill higher design requirement, which makes more advanced product design possible. The first half of this class introduces production process of major materials and life cycle perspective on materials, especially structural materials. We discuss interactions amongst materials, finished products, economy, and environment in order to understand roles of materials in industrial metabolism. Global material flows and resource strategy are also introduced to give you a global vision on resources and materials. The latter half of this class introduces high-temperature materials for jet engine or gas turbine in the power plant. The processing and the necessary properties of high-temperature materials will be introduced to understand how they are designed.

This course aims to introduce graduate students to some classic and recent sociological studies relevant to ethnicity, nationalism, and education, and to critically discuss their contribution and limitations. The topics we’ll cover are - theories of ethnicity and nationalism, - identity, culture and sense of belonging of the migrants’ youth, - migrants’ trajectories and social integration, - critical race theory, - intersectionality and - whiteness in education. In Week 1, the course structure and our goals will be explained online. The reading list and the schedule will also be shared and the presenters will be decided. From Week 2, students are expected to read the assignments before each class and are prepared for discussion. For each week, we’ll have one or two presenters. They are expected to present - summary of the articles (research question, method & data, findings and conclusion) - evaluation of the articles (strength, limitations, implications to academic field and society etc.), and - discussion questions and ideas At the end of the course, a student will be required to pick up one question from a list of questions and write an essay of approx. 2,000 words. Students will be able to - discuss the significance, contributions, and limitations of each paper, and - discuss the essay question, based on the assigned literature.

This course aims to introduce graduate students to some classic and recent sociological studies relevant to ethnicity, nationalism, and education, and to critically discuss their contribution and limitations. The topics we’ll cover are - theories of ethnicity and nationalism, - identity, culture and sense of belonging of the migrants’ youth, - migrants’ trajectories and social integration, - critical race theory, - intersectionality and - whiteness in education. In Week 1, the course structure and our goals will be explained online. The reading list and the schedule will also be shared and the presenters will be decided. From Week 2, students are expected to read the assignments before each class and are prepared for discussion. For each week, we’ll have one or two presenters. They are expected to present - summary of the articles (research question, method & data, findings and conclusion) - evaluation of the articles (strength, limitations, implications to academic field and society etc.), and - discussion questions and ideas At the end of the course, a student will be required to pick up one question from a list of questions and write an essay of approx. 2,000 words. Students will be able to - discuss the significance, contributions, and limitations of each paper, and - discuss the essay question, based on the assigned literature.

化石資源の代替として農作物・林業残渣等の植物資源の有効利用が求められている。意外かもしれないが、それら植物体の構成成分は不明な点がまだ多く残されており、例えば、樹皮には、仮の成分名が1950年代につけられ、その後、ほぼ手つかずのまま化学構造が不明とされる主要成分も含まれている。この背景の下、未利用植物が有するバイオマス原料としての素性（原料特性、化学構造、反応性）を明らかにし、植物資源の有効利用法の開発に道筋をつけることが重要視されつつある。 本講義は、植物細胞壁の主要構成成分であるリグニンの生合成、化学構造、および解析法の原理を紹介する。化学構造が難解な天然高分子の代表的な例としてリグニンをとりあげて解説・議論するが、講義の目標は、様々な天然高分子の化学構造研究に共通する解析法の原理を理解し、これを通して、化学構造に関する未解決な問題にアプローチする考え方を養うことにある。また、関連する論文等を受講者が読み調べ、要点を発表する時間を設ける。

The knowledge of biomaterials is critical for the creation of novel medical devices. The purpose of the course is to systematically study the properties and characterization of basic materials used in the conventional medical devices, including metals, ceramics and polymers. In addition, the design principles of biomaterials for applications in various advanced medical devices (artificial organ, medical diagnosis devices, drug delivery system (DDS)) will be examined.