Professor Chiharu Tokoro (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
On August 3, 2022, the “8th Rikoh Tea Time Symposium” was held in a hybrid format of partly face-to-face and partly online, inviting as a lecturer Ms. Emi Tamaki, an entrepreneur and researcher, professor at Ryukyu University and founder of H2L Inc. Sixty-seven participants, including undergraduate and graduate students, related faculty and staff, as well as students from attached and affiliated schools and nearby Toyama Metropolitan High School, attended the symposium.
At the beginning, Prof. Chiharu Tokoro (Faculty of Science and Engineering) stated the purpose of the symposium: “I hope that students and young researchers who are studying and doing research every day will listen to the lecturer’s talk to visualize their future and get hints to flexibly overcome various situations that may come their way in the future”. Then, Prof. Tamaki’s lecture started.
Ms. Emi Tamaki
Ms.Tamaki began her presentation by explaining in layman’s terms the field of HCI, her specialty, which is one of the information sciences that facilitate interaction between humans and computers. She explained how she came to be involved in research in this field, saying, “Ever since I was a high school student, I have had a strong desire to have many experiences outside the room without leaving it. In order to realize this desire—she continued—I developed an image of my ideal future being realized through science and technology, of the technology I had developed permeating the world, and of everyone sharing the experience. I believe that a desire that has become clear in this way can be realized”, she said powerfully.
At the end of the lecture, Ms. Tamaki explained the current situation from her perspective regarding university research and employment. “First, I want you to face your own desires and the desires of the people around you, while seeking ways to make each other happy. She concluded, “I hope that you will move forward while deeply considering and clarifying how to proceed with your future career and life planning”.
After the lecture, there was a Q&A session, during which Ms. Tamaki answered questions from both audience and online participants. In the second part, in addition to Ms. Tamaki and Professor Tokoro, faculty members of the university also served as advisors, and group sessions were held in small groups at the venue and online. During the session, Ms. Tamaki went around to each group and gave advice. The session was very lively, with high school, undergraduate, and graduate students exchanging opinions on everything from questions about the content of the lecture to career advice.
