We will introduce three videos and reports on what was said at the Ph.Discover kick-off event held on February 16, 2020 (Sunday). On the day of the event, approximately 50 people, including undergraduate and graduate students, university faculty and staff, and the general public, participated. A lively discussion lasted two and a half hours, centering on topics offered by a diverse range of 11 speakers, with questions and answers from the audience. The full-length video (3 parts: about 30 minutes x 3) has been released on YouTube, so please enjoy the live feeling.
We would appreciate it if you could tweet your impressions and opinions with the hashtag #ph_discover_kickoff used at the event. I will use it as a reference for future activities.
Speakers (random order/titles omitted)
- Takashi Hitomi (Director Oracle Corporation Japan)
- Chiharu Kura (Kobe Steel, Ltd. / Ph.D.)
- Riku Takahashi (NTT Basic Research Laboratories/Ph.D.)
- Mr. Kazuya Iseda (Asahi Kasei Corporation Human Resources Department / Ph.D.)
- Takuya Yoshihara (Specially Specially Appointed, Human Resources Development Division, Hokkaido University University)
- Toshiyuki Nakagaki (Professor, Hokkaido University University / Director, Research Institute for Electronic Science)
- Jun Masamune (Professor, Graduate Faculty of Science Hokkaido University University)
- Koichiro Ishimori (Professor, Graduate Faculty of Science Hokkaido University University/Representative of Ph.Discover Project)
progression
- Yukihiro Maru (Leave a Nest Group Co., Ltd. CEO/Ph.D.)
- Masaki Kato (Department URA/Ph.D., Hokkaido University)
- Tamako Otsu (Associate Professor Faculty of Science Hokkaido University University/Ph.Discover Project)
*History is as of February 16, 2020
来場者からの質問「企業へ就職する修士・博士が身につけておくべき能力やスキルとは?」
Hitomi: Ability to spot problems. Excavation ability. A lot of people can solve problems given to them. But I think it's quite difficult to find out where the problems and challenges are.
I also show the team keywords that appear in newspapers and magazines and ask them, "What do you think is the real issue?" As we dig deeper, we can say, "Then the essence of this issue is really here. Then what do you think we can do with the technology we have?" Where do you think it is?" By doing so, you can find problems that customers are not aware of. I think the ability to unearth problems will be very important.
博士課程で企業が求める力をどのように身につけるか
吉原: 2つあると思っています。例えばベンチャー教育って多くの大学でやっているんですけども、例えば丸さんに講演に来てもらいますよね。来てもらって「丸さんは大学の時にこういう講演聞きましたか?」って聞くと、「そんな暇あったら、やりたいことを実践してました」っていうんです。アントレプレナーシップとかベンチャー教育の矛盾で難しいところですが、じゃあやらなくていいのかっていうとそうではなく、やることによって支えるべき人が見つかるし、飛び抜けた力のある人が出てきた時に、その人を否定せずに伸ばす環境を用意できる意味で非常に大事だと思ってますね。
あと、研究にトラブって論文も書けず、就職が決まったのに博士の学位を取れない人もいます。そういうギリギリの人たちに「何で博士課程に来たの?」「何でその研究やってるの?」って聞くと、実は彼らはしっかりビジョンを持っています。けど、表に出せていないから、行動に表れないんです。だから我々みたいな人材育成担当が話を聞いてあげて、彼らの問題認識に共感できれば、その先に行けます。だから芽はあります。どうやって伸ばしてやるか。ただそれは1対1で時間をかけないと難しい印象も持っています。
最近の学生さんは正解を求めたがるんですよね。「僕は何をやれば良いんですか?」「何が正解かわかりません。」と訴える学生が多いです。でも、正解は無いという事を考えなきゃいけません。正解の無いことに挑むのが博士です。大学に入るときに、その切り替えをしなきゃならないんだけれど、そこができていないっていうところに問題があると思います。
海外を体験すること
Masamune: If you visit three or more places with completely different cultures, you'll be able to see things quite objectively. You can see the communication platform. And by abstracting those experiences, I think you can acquire the so-called communication skills, the ability to think from the other person's point of view.
Maru: In this extremely important topic, I am talking about 3D thinking. The ability to see things three-dimensionally by understanding three or more cultures and values. In the future, it is said that it will be very important as a human skill not only for Ph.D. but also for all human resources. Recently, I have been advocating 4D thinking by adding a time axis.
博士課程で身につけてほしい力
Maru: It's a team-up skill. There will be more opportunities for teams to discover and solve problems. On the other hand, I think it's a problem now that students do some projects together and stay in the circle.
中垣: 自分に合った仕事を探したいっていうその心構えではダメ。「自分から合わせていけ」と言いたいです。自分の能力を発揮させるために合わせていけるかっていう発想にチェンジしてほしい。
Maru: Recently, I have been telling various students to have at least three communities. In addition to the laboratory community, for example, try participating in the community of OB/OG members of society. The other one is from a completely different department, but I think it would be nice to have a friendly community. I think that even when you don't like it, you have to find a way out and get on with it.
リーディングでの学びは役に立っているか
Takahashi: They are very helpful. I wasn't the active type, but as soon as I entered the reading program, I was told to go abroad. It was my first experience, so the hurdles were high, but I gradually got used to it. At first, I thought that being a global human resource meant being able to speak English, but I came to think that people should be able to think for themselves and demonstrate their abilities no matter where they go. I was. Even if it was compulsory, if you go abroad once, you will gain more experience than you can imagine, and it will be easier to go next time.
Kura: I also participated in quite a few events. I often struggled with balancing my studies and research, but now I am glad that I participated. I think it's scary to be inexperienced. At first I don't know and I'm scared, but now I think that I can relax as I gain experience, or rather, I can feel safe.
来場者からの質問「研究が楽しすぎてスキルアップの時間を研究にあてたい。視野が狭いのか?」
Nakagaki: If it's fun and you can't help it, that's fine. I think it boils down to how much a person cares about their lives... I may not be able to earn money, but I think there is a way to do it. If you like it, no problem. I want to say good luck.
Yoshihara: I think it's a very good thing that you do what you love, but that love may not be the only one. not. If that is what the world wants, money will come in. If you have the ability to explain, you may be able to get research funding, or you may be able to hire a colleague to do research with you. You may be able to advance the research you love faster and further.
来場者からの質問「博士課程に進学するのに向いている人、向いていない人とは?」
Iseda: If you don't like research that much, I don't think you should go. There is no doubt about it. After all, if you are aware that you have a tendency to decide various things on a profit and loss account, you should stop doing it. To be honest, I don't think you should expect benefits such as the fact that if you get a doctorate in Japan, the salary is clearly higher than that of a master's degree, or that you are guaranteed to reach the top of research in your career.
Ph.D.を取得するメリット、デメリットとは
Hitomi: There may not be any obvious advantages or disadvantages. Employees have the right to openly answer questions such as "What kind of compensation do you want?" and "What kind of benefits do you want to receive?" It is I agree with Mr. Iseda, and it may be better for people who think about profit and loss accounting first to get into the rough seas of the world once.
博士課程に進まず、一度社会に出た理由
Nakagaki: I thought that going to a Ph.D. was to become a scientist, and it was expensive. I think it's better to take a look at society once if you're worried about it.
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博士人材の課題と未来【3】 Ph.Discoverキックオフイベントより
Issues and future of doctoral human resources [3] Go to article page
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Issues and future of doctoral human resources [1] Go to article page