2021年6月24日（木）、北海道大学物質科学フロンティアを開拓するAmbitiousリーダー育成プログラム（以下、ALP）3期生3名の修了式が、理学部大会議室にて執り行われました。ALPとは物質科学を中心に分野横断的に学び、社会人として高い能力を養い、学位取得後には学術・研究機関だけではなく民間企業など社会の広い分野で国際的に活躍する人材を育成するための教育プログラムで、特に、数理科学と科学技術コミュニケーション教育に力を入れています。2020年3月に文部科学省の補助金事業としての補助期間は終了しましたが、北大の事業として継続して活動しています。修了証書授与のあとプログラムコーディネーターの石森浩一郎理学研究院教授（北海道大学副学長）より祝辞があり、修了生が挨拶を述べました。
Greetings from ALP Coordinator Koichiro Ishimori
On behalf of ALP, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the graduates. In particular, this final year must have been difficult due to the influence of the corona misfortune. I think there were various inconveniences, and the future is still unclear, but I am very happy to be able to welcome the completion ceremony.
さて、コロナ禍の影響で最近よく目にするビジネス用語に「K字回復」があります。「K」の字のように業績などが上に行くパターンと下に行くパターン、上下に開いて二方向に進む状態です。何がその二極化の原因となっているのでしょうか。私は「物事の捉え方」だと思っています。何事にも多面性があって、ステイホームで家にこもっていても物事の多面性を捉えることができれば、「K」の右上の線のように新たなビジネスチャンスを見つけて業績などが伸びていくことが可能となります。
Another reason might be the ability to see things from a completely different perspective. Is it a so-called interdisciplinary fusion? Some of you may know this, but let me tell you an anecdote about Steve Jobs. In 1972, he enrolled at Reed College in Oregon, but dropped out quickly because the classes didn't interest him. However, there was one class that I continued to attend even after I dropped out. It's calligraphy. Calligraphy is a method of making Western characters look more beautiful. As an art system, it is similar to Japanese calligraphy. It seems that he attended the calligraphy class secretly, even though he was very enthusiastic.
Later, when he developed a computer, he was particular about beautiful typefaces (fonts). You probably take it for granted that you can use beautiful fonts on your computer, whether you use Macintosh or Windows. However, when I was a graduate student (in 1984), the Apple Macintosh was released, and it brought intuitive operation with a mouse, multi-windows, file management with icons, beautiful fonts that had never existed before, and the thickness of font lines. It also represented a change in the personal computer, revolutionizing the history of personal computers. Personal computers that began to spread in the mid-1970s used 8-dot alphanumeric characters with a small number of dots.
もちろん、ジョブズは、コンピューターを作りたくてカリグラフィを履修したわけではありません。時を経てテクノロジーとリベラルアーツが交差したのです。それはまさに異分野融合です。離れた点と点を繋ぐ能力があったのです。さらに、そういう「点」をたくさん作ることを彼は勧めています。「点」は2つ以上無ければ繋げません。皆さんはALPを修了することで、いくつか「点」を作ったと思います。これからも「点」を増やしてください。専門性だけではなくて、それ以外のところに「点」を作る……それがいずれ、どこかで繋がるはずです。
ジョブズは、カリグラフィを学んでからコンピューターを作るまで10年以上かかりました。皆さん、皆さんの人生は始まったばかりです。ALPで培った経験を10年後に思い出してみてください。そして俯瞰力をもって、遠くから、さらに別の角度から眺めてみてください。「点」と「点」があったとしても、遠くから眺めないと繋がるかどうか分からないものです。俯瞰力と異分野融合力はALPでしっかり学びましたよね。今日をスタートラインに、「点」と「点」をつないで世界を変えるような、新しいものづくりやサイエンスに挑戦してほしいと願っています。
A summary of greetings from graduates
Mr. Umi Otsuka: I would like to thank you for holding such a ceremony despite the extremely difficult conditions at the beginning. I have felt this many times during my ALP activities, but I am grateful for the attitude of supporting program students in nurturing them, and I am feeling it again today.
After completing the ALP, I will go to the United States as a postdoctoral fellow. I have never experienced this before, but the experience of ALP, such as overseas travel support and summer camps, was the catalyst for me to choose a career abroad. Due to the severe impact of the coronavirus, my postdoctoral employment period is only guaranteed for one year. In a sense, this is an adversity, but I am confident that my experience at ALP will help me overcome this adversity. As Professor Ishimori introduced, I think we should look at things from multiple perspectives. At the company seminar, I learned that research can be continued in companies, and through outreach activities, I think that activities that connect the public and science will also be part of the work I can do. I was able to realize my potential, so I will push forward with it.
Ayasuke Fukushima: Thank you very much for holding the completion ceremony today. No way... I thought it would definitely be online (laughs), so I was surprised at the same time.
I was enrolled in ALP for five years, but it went by in a blink of an eye. Through the activities of ALP, I personally have been influenced and changed greatly. It broadened my horizons a lot. Through interaction with people from different fields, companies, and various people, I have become able to see things from a broader perspective. Looking at my own life from a bird's-eye view, I thought, "I'm not just a postdoc," and now I'm looking for a job in the private sector. I haven't decided what the future holds, but I'm confident that I can do my best. Thank you very much.
Mr. Hikokaba Yu (Ph.D., Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering Technology) was absent.
