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G-RIPS Sendai 2024G-RIPS Sendai 2024

In 2018, the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) at Tohoku University launched the G-RIPS Sendai program in collaboration with IPAM (Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics), targeting graduate-level students in mathematical science and related disciplines. Participants from the U.S. and Japan work in cross-cultural teams on research projects designed by industrial partners. Scroll down to learn more about this year's program!

In 2018, the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) at Tohoku University launched the G-RIPS Sendai program in collaboration with IPAM (Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics), targeting graduate-level students in mathematical science and related disciplines. Participants from the U.S. and Japan work in cross-cultural teams on research projects designed by industrial partners. Scroll down to learn more about this year's program!

Outline

Period June 18th to August 8th, 2024 (7.5 weeks)
Venue Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity
Number of Participants 8 students from the US, one from Africa, and 11 from Japanese universities
Industrial Partners Fujitsu Limited, IHI Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Host Mathematical Science Center for Co-creative Society (MathCCS), Tohoku Forum for Creativity (TFC), Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR)
Co-host RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics (IPAM)

Information related to programs offered by IPAM can be found at “Student Research Programs.”

Projects

PROJECT01

Fujitsu Limited

Enhancing explainability of causal discovery AI

PROJECT02

IHI Corporation

Resilient water management modeling against global warming and for sustainable food supply

PROJECT03

Advanced Technology R&D Center,
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Exploration of useful geometric structures for object recognition using point clouds

PROJECT04

Information Technology R&D Center,
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Achievable precision with heuristic solvers: quantum algorithms and quantum supremacy

Program Schedule

  • Opening Day

    Representatives from each partner company pose an interesting problem related to their industry, as well as the motivation to seek a solution. After the explanation, each team meets with the industry experts to discuss different ideas of how to tackle the problem.

  • Work Statement

    Ideas discussed with both industry and academic mentors, the available and necessary resources for prospect solutions, and consideration of each team member's skills, are compiled into a plan of action called the Work Statement.

  • Starting the Research

    Once our industry partners approve the Work Statement, students get started on a journey to achieve their proposed solutions. Students work intensively 5 days a week, but they are not alone! Dedicated industry mentors from our partner's companies, as well as young Tohoku faculty and researchers, are available to provide resources and guidance when needed.

  • Japanese Language / Culture Classes

    Japanese Language and Culture Classes are held during the program, each week offering a different learning experience. Students participate in introductory Japanese language and culture classes, learning useful conversational skills and facts about Sendai. Activities such as tea ceremony, calligraphy, and making Tanabata decorations further enhance students introduction to Japan.

  • Midterm Presentations

    Each team member gives a presentation on their research progress in English. After the presentations, team mentors and team members meet to discuss and refine their current progress towards the proposed solutions.

  • Site Visits

    Team members visit our partner's companies to gain new insight on the motivations for their project. Students learn about our partner's resources and facilities, broadening their understanding of the problem's importance. Active discussion of the project's direction takes place.

  • Final Stages of Research

    Research is deepened in preparation for Project's Day (final presentation). With the available resources, motivation, plan of action and progress made, this week is when results take shape. Students are working hard toward their final report.

  • Final Reports

    The results of the research are summarized in the form of a final report shared with our industry partners for final approval.

  • Project’s Day

    Each team presents the results and conclusion of their research in English, introducing novel ideas and posing questions for discussion and future work.

Photo Album

(1) WPI-AIMR (G-RIPS Sendai 2024 venue)
(2) Research discussion
(3) Research discussion
(4) A moment of conversation
(5) Midterm presentations
(6) Midterm presentations
(7) Midterm presentations
(8) Midterm presentations
(9) Japanese language/culture classes
(10) Japanese language/culture classes
(11) Japanese language/culture classes (Tea ceremony)
(12) AIMR’s Friday Tea Time
(13) Japanese language/culture classes (Calligraphy)
(14) Japanese language/culture classes (Calligraphy)
(15) Hand-rolled sushi party
(16) Site visits
(17) Sakura Kitchen (Student cafeteria)
(18) Weekend (Armor experience of Lord Masamune Date at Sendai Castle)
(19) Weekend (Watching soccer games)
(20) Weekend (Nikka Whisky Distillery)
(21) Weekend (With kokeshi, traditional wooden doll)
(22) Weekend (Aomori Ekimae Beach)
(23) Weekend (Oirase Gorge)
(24) Weekend (Sannai-Maruyama historical site)
(25) Weekend (Sannai-Maruyama historical site)
(26) Weekend (Asakusa)
(27) Exhibition by Fujitsu
(28) Exhibition by Fujitsu
(29) Research discussion
(30) Research discussion
(31) Japanese language/culture classes (Tanabata ornament)
(32) Project’s Day
(33) Project’s Day
(34) Project’s Day
(35) Project’s Day
(36) Project’s Day: Final
(37) Team FUJITSU
(38) Team IHI
(39) Team MITSUBISHI-A
(40) Team MITSUBISHI-B
(41) Farewell party
(42) Sendai Tanabata Festival
(43) TFC Building (Project’s Day venue)

Voices from Participants

A truly valuable and transformative experience

Participating in this collaborative research project was an enriching experience on multiple levels. First, the unique opportunity to bring together students from diverse backgrounds—including local Japanese students, American students, and students from Africa—created a vibrant and dynamic environment in Sendai, Japan, over the course of 8 weeks. This multicultural setting fostered cross-cultural understanding and collaboration, enhancing the research process and broadening our perspectives. Secondly, although all participants shared a common foundation in mathematics, they brought with them a wide array of specialized expertise, ranging from applied mathematics to computer science, statistics, and biostatistics. This diversity in academic focus allowed each participant to contribute their unique strengths to the project, making the research outcomes richer and more comprehensive. The ability to apply one’s academic background in a collaborative setting was not only rewarding but also crucial in driving the success of the projects. Finally, the fact that all the research projects were sponsored by companies provided an invaluable opportunity to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Working on industry-sponsored projects allowed us to see firsthand how theoretical knowledge can be applied to solve real-world problems. This experience was instrumental in helping us develop a deeper understanding of how our academic skills can be utilized in the corporate world, making this project a truly valuable and transformative experience.

Industrial experience and future career

In this program, we got a chance to work on an academic industrial project. Though I did several implementations of mathematics during my academic study, this was my first time to get hands on a real-world industrial project. Our team was working on point clouds, which has applications in self-driving. Without any knowledge about point clouds, we managed to figure out its mathematics background and eventually created something new through python implementation. In this project, I gained new mathematical knowledge and polished my programming skills.
Besides normal working hours, there are events such as industrial site visiting, Japanese classes and social parties. Through industrial site visiting, I got a chance to learn what a research group of a technology company is like, and how people work in the company. By talking with them, I learn that they were also once facing the choice of industry or academia in the past, and they shared their experiences about making the choice. Japanese classes and social parties were also well organized. I got to learn more both Japanese and foreign cultures, and met people from both academic and industrial fields. People I met in this program were overall very friendly.
Overall, through this experience, I saw by practice how mathematics can be applied in the real world, met both Japanese and international friends, gained industrial experience and directions for future career.

Interacting with outstanding peers

Participating in the G-RIPS Sendai program provided me with valuable insights from an industrial perspective that I would not have encountered in my regular research. Working on industrial challenges with mentorship clarified my understanding of practical research and helped me see its application more vividly.
During my time in Sendai, I had the opportunity to leverage the extensive resources of Tohoku University, which allowed me to engage in research freely. Initially, I was apprehensive about being assigned to a project outside my field of expertise. However, with guidance and advice from academic mentors and teammates, I gradually took initiative and became more engaged. I gained a wealth of knowledge beyond my specialization and identified connections to my own field.
Moreover, interacting with outstanding peers, particularly Ph.D. students from the U.S. who were involved in teaching assistantships and research assistantships, was incredibly inspiring. Their professional approach to research provided me with valuable insights and motivated me to refine my own research activities while building a strong network of researchers.
Additionally, my international communication skills improved significantly. I gained a better understanding of diverse cultures and had enriching interactions with perspectives on Japanese culture from other countries. My English skills, originally at a conversational level, advanced as I learned both specialized terminology and colloquial expressions.
The expertise, the attitudes towards research, international communication skills, and researcher networks I developed at G-RIPS Sendai will be instrumental as I continue to pursue global opportunities in my career.

Developing leadership skills and work-life balance

G-RIPS 2024 is a brilliant program that allowed me to gain industrial research experience and develop valuable leadership skills, all while having an extremely fun time exploring Japan. As project manager of Mitsubishi Electric's Quantum Computing Project, I learned how to coordinate and manage the members of my team, while also performing novel research in quantum computing. Our team even plans to continue our research beyond the end of the internship and publish our results later this year. This was also a good opportunity to make valuable connections in industry. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of consideration towards work-life balance in this program. Outside of normal working hours, we had plenty of free time to explore Sendai, go out to dinner with other members of G-RIPS, and take weekend day trips Matsushima, Zao Onsen, Yamadera Temple, Akiu Craft Village, and lots of other wonderful attractions the Tohoku region has to offer!

Past G-RIPS Sendai
Program

Recent Outcomes
and Activities