The Institute for Planetary Materials (IPM) aims to develop research methods based on experiments and analyses at the highest international level, and to foster the next generation of research elites who will support the “continuation” and “development” of research in an international environment by making full use of these methods in their research activities. The “Earth and Planetary Science Course,” which is based on the Institute, has been established in the Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, and two courses, the “Master’s Course” and the “Doctoral Course,” have been established for the education of doctoral students. We also offer a “Blue Planets Special Course” program that integrates the two courses of study.
The distinctive feature of the Institute’s graduate education is a system in which not only the Institute’s staff but also world-class visiting foreign researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and domestic and international collaborating researchers work together to provide education, enabling students to learn knowledge and philosophy through their own research activities in an extremely high quality research environment. This system allows students affiliated with the institute or visiting students from other research institutions to be exposed to a wide range of cutting-edge knowledge systems that they would otherwise be unable to experience, and to naturally acquire skills as researchers. This is a very important experience for the next generation of researchers, and when they go on to conduct independent research and education activities at other institutions in the future, they will be able to create new research areas and train future generations of researchers based on the international perspective, experience, and philosophy of scientific research that they have cultivated at this institute.
We provide generous financial support to our doctoral students to recruit talent from all over the world. In addition to tuition waiver for all students, we provide financial support sufficient for living by utilizing the TA/RA system. It is also our responsibility to raise the awareness of students through these measures and to provide them with an environment in which they can devote themselves to education and research. As a result, our institute is attracting students not only from Japan but also from all over the world. We provide Japanese language education for these international students, and actively encourage them to improve their daily communication skills and understanding of Japanese culture. In addition, classes and seminars are conducted entirely in English, and special intensive lectures by world-class researchers are held to enhance the international educational environment. In addition, we are making a unique attempt to introduce our research and educational activities to young talented students through our international internship program. All seminars and classes are given in English. As a bonus, international students are offered Japanese language classes so they may gain insight into Japanese culture and integrate more smoothly into life in Japan.
It is the basic mission of a university to produce excellent research elites and to supply human resources worldwide. We continue to make efforts to achieve this goal and to improve graduate school education through trial and error.
