Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

"Do you have research funding?"

It is one of the most frequently asked questions by students when choosing a laboratory, and one of the top three "bad questions" that confuse science faculty. "Research funding? We have plenty!" Is it possible for a decent adult to say such a rude thing? But if I don't say it, rumors will spread that "that laboratory seems poor." I don't want grown adults to be put at such a crossroads (I'm prepared to take my answer to the grave).

Belonging to a well-funded research lab, studying under a great professor to gain prestige, and job hunting under favorable conditions is no longer aspiration. After persevering and maintaining your GPA, do you want the reward of "gaining more skills" and "being in a better place than your friends"? But think about this too. The reason why the world is not getting any better even though so many young people are studying academic subjects may be precisely because the "knowledge gap" gained there is being used only for the happiness of those who have learned.

Young people enter universities in order to enrich their lives through learning. A job that will allow them to make ends meet may be the "minimum wealth" they wish to attain. However, this is a university, and this is Waseda. The honor codes that the world expects from you include the education to love the world correctly, and the nourishment of ideas to improve the world. And laboratories are places to create science, not consume it. This world is full of difficult problems (challenges). To solve them, "heroic effort" is essential. I'll teach you the correct "pains of birth," so give up quickly and come over here (a self-black world line).

* A state in which one voluntarily chooses a harsh environment or working style and sees it through with intrinsic motivation.

(DU)

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