Indian participants of Sakura Science Exchange Program visited Research Institute for Electronic Science

Seven students and one faculty members from multiple universities in Kerala, India, visited Hokkaido University’s Research Institute for Electronic Science for a one-week Sakura Science Exchange Program. From September 9 to 14, 2024, the participants deepen their scientific knowledge by interacting with the lab members.

The Sakura Science Exchange Program participants observe Dr. P. K Hashim operating a rotary evaporator in the Laboratory of Smart Molecules.

Sakura Science Exchange Program (SSP) is one of educational exchange initiatives by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). The program promotes collaboration between personnels of Japanese educational and research institutions with talented human resources from abroad. Through this program, 8 personnels from India visited the Research Institute for Electronic Science (RIES).

An SSP participant operating a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) following Dr. Xu Shi’s guidance.

Promoting interdisciplinary research, RIES is comprised of multiple laboratories and supporting facilities. Each laboratory and facility are equipped with cutting-edge research tools managed by professional faculty and staff members. Over the course of 5 days, the SSP participants visited over 10 laboratories for seminars and experiments. Members of the laboratory, including the graduate students, warmly welcomed the participants and provided easy-to-understand instructions during the experiments.

Graduate students of the Laboratory of Molecular Devices assisted the SSP participants in a nanoparticle experiment.

Outside the laboratories, the participants also visited Hokkaido University Museum and a planetarium in Sapporo. Although brief they had the additional experience of seeing the heart Sapporo City which could motivate them to broaden their horizon further by getting involved in global science and technology network.

“The student’s involvement in the Sakura Science program exceeded my expectations; they actively participated in discussions, experiments, and even tried various Japanese cuisines outside the university. I am deeply grateful for the tremendous support from the professors in RIES, ICReDD, and life sciences department,” said Assistant Professor P. K. Hashim from RIES, the main organizer of this exchange.

Photos and text by Aprilia Agatha Gunawan