{"id":12,"date":"2016-09-07T09:38:58","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T00:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fast.ssrd.jp\/en\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2026-05-26T09:56:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T00:56:42","slug":"message","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/outline\/message\/","title":{"rendered":"Message"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Head<\/div>\n

The Mission and Responsibilities of Graduate Education in an Era of Change<\/h4>\n
Toshihiro Ihara
\nDean, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology<\/div>\n

Modern society is entering an era characterized by unprecedented uncertainty and opportunity, driven by rapid advancements in AI and digital technology, the growing severity of global challenges, and the rapid transformation of industrial structures. In this context, the university’s responsibility to advance cutting-edge research in the natural sciences and to return its fruits to society has never been more critical. At the same time, it is certain that within these very changes lie opportunities to create new value.<\/p>\n

The Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology (FAST) at Kumamoto University was established in April 2016 as an organization in which all faculty members from the natural sciences and engineering disciplines work together to promote interdisciplinary research. Currently, diverse and advanced research is being conducted in the divisions of \u201cNatural Science,\u201d \u201cMaterials Science and Chemistry,\u201d \u201cIndustrial Fundamentals,\u201d \u201cInformatics and Energy,\u201d \u201cCivil Engineering and Architecture,\u201d and \u201cBiomedical Engineering\u201d (please refer to this website for details). Working in close collaboration with the affiliated Research and Education Center, the divisions cover a wide range of academic fields, from basic to applied research.<\/p>\n

The FAST works closely with the Graduate School of Science and Technology (GSST), a graduate-level educational organization, to achieve a high degree of integration between education and research. The structure, which clearly distinguishes the FAST\u2014the research organization to which faculty members belong\u2014from the GSST\u2014the educational organization to which students belong\u2014allows each to maximize its respective functions while enabling flexible curricular design and rapid revision in response to changing times. Building on this foundation, FAST and GSST are continuously pursuing reforms, including advancing educational content in light of developments in AI and data science, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, and organizational restructuring to create new academic fields. In this environment, graduate students participate in cutting-edge research and develop the ability to identify and solve problems independently. The process of trial and error and ongoing dialogue in the research setting not only fosters knowledge acquisition but also promotes personal growth\u2014a value our department holds dear.<\/p>\n

In particular, within the semiconductor and digital fields, the promotion of large-scale research and education projects has deepened industry-academia-government collaboration and increased the acquisition of external funding, significantly boosting the vitality of FAST’s research. Furthermore, the newly established Co-creation Research Institute (SEMIC, JEOL \u00d7 Kumamoto Semiconductor Electron Microscopy and Innovation Center) provides a framework for the integrated advancement of education and research through collaboration with companies and other entities, making it a symbolic initiative of industry-academia collaboration within the FAST. We are strengthening our organizational efforts to fulfill our role as a core hub supporting Japan\u2019s industrial competitiveness while making the most of the region\u2019s unique characteristics.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, promoting international collaboration is a key pillar of the FAST. Through partnerships with universities and research institutions overseas, we actively pursue joint research projects and student exchanges, aiming to create new value by integrating diverse knowledge. Encounters with researchers and students from different backgrounds not only spark new ideas but also provide valuable opportunities to foster mutual understanding and respect.<\/p>\n

The FAST will continue to be an organization that boldly anticipates change and constantly transforms itself. We will promote a holistic approach that spans from the exploration of basic science to its societal implementation, contributing to the realization of a sustainable society. As a hub for creating knowledge that pioneers a new era, we are committed to fulfilling our responsibilities. We hope to remain a place where the diverse talents gathered in this department can continue to take on new challenges, driven by their individual aspirations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Mission and Responsibilities of Graduate Education in an Era of Change Toshihiro Ihara Dean, Faculty of Ad… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":857,"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions\/857"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}