Disclaimer: machine translated by DeepL which may contain errors.
I have been involved in science communication activities as a member of a student organization since I was a Master's student at the University. I have participated in various projects such as science cafes, experimental lectures, and exhibitions in the city. As one of these projects, I renovated an empty apartment building with my friends as a DIY project and opened the "Handmade Science Museum Exedra" in the winter of 2018, during my first year as a doctoral student.
I continued my activities as a volunteer, but after completing my doctorate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at TUFS in 2020, I established a new general incorporated association in the same year. Currently, I work at the Handmade Science Museum as my job. In addition to guiding visitors through exhibits, experiments, and hands-on experiences, and lecturing at the museum, I am also creating an exploration curriculum and teaching children at the "Research Club," a classroom that will start in 2022 to foster junior researchers in elementary and junior high schools. We also have opportunities to work with business people.
Working with children in the research department.
I enjoy exploring with them while guiding them as a "senior researcher.
When I was a child, my parents took me to the fields, camping, and to a nearby park to look at the stars, which sparked my interest in natural science. When I was in elementary school, my family went to an observatory in the prefecture. As I listened to astronomers talk about the cutting edge of space, I began to yearn to become a researcher.
In graduate school, I worked on the theme of studying the effects of climate based on the analysis of chemical species of atmospheric fine particles (aerosols). It was a fulfilling time for me, as I learned and experienced a lot through field sampling, daily experiments and discussions, experiments at large experimental facilities outside the university, and presentations at academic conferences in Japan and abroad. While I loved research, through the aforementioned extracurricular activities, I came to feel that sharing the results of my research with others and creating opportunities for people to develop an interest in science might be a better fit for me. I thought that there were other ways to be involved in research and science besides being a researcher, and after much deliberation, I chose my current job.
One of the principles of our corporation is "to show the field of science. The word "show" has two meanings: to show and to attract. By holding events to introduce the research of active researchers and graduate students, by creating opportunities to chat directly with staff with research experience, and by supporting children's research in the "Research Club," we hope to increase opportunities for people to experience the fascination of real science and research by showing them as much as possible, thereby promoting understanding and support for basic research and cutting-edge science. We aim to create a society in which basic research and cutting-edge science are understood and supported.
The knowledge I acquired in graduate school, as well as the knowledge of how to conduct research, how to conduct experiments and observations, and the ability to think objectively and logically, have been very useful in my current work. I believe that the problem-solving skills of discovering issues, devising and verifying methods, and considering the results are useful in all types of jobs.
I believe that knowledge and experience are like weapons that can open up one's life. What you learn while you are a student will surely help you in some way, no matter what career path you choose in the future. I think it is important to think about how to make the most of the weapons you have at the destination of the path you have chosen.