Material Science Special Seminar Ⅰ

Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Mr. Iimura

I went to Karlsruhe and Ulm, Germany for meetings for my doctoral research collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and to attend an international conference on magnesium storage batteries. The first week I stayed in Karlsruhe and mainly visited KIT's laboratory; KIT's campus is so large that it takes 30 minutes to walk from one end of the campus to the other. (Photo 1) shows a research presentation to the researchers and students of the laboratory where I made an appointment. We discussed each other's research in depth, and many questions and comments were exchanged, making it a very meaningful time. The meeting was also a good start for next year's joint research. On another day, we were given explanations of the equipment and facilities at the laboratory and were able to talk with local students about each other's countries and themselves, which was a very valuable experience in a situation where exchange of coronal disasters is difficult. When we left, we said, "Thank you for the week. I'll be waiting for you next year!" and warm words, which motivated me even more for my long-term overseas training in the doctoral program.

Photo 1: Research presentation to KIT researchers and students.

During my free time in Karlsruhe, I visited Karlsruhe Castle, located in the center of the city (Photo 2). Unfortunately, we could not go inside the castle on that day because it was closed, but we were able to fully enjoy the large castle garden with only one crow.

Photo 2: Karlsruhe Castle on a closed day

In the second half of my stay in Germany, I traveled to Ulm by train to attend a conference. Ulm is famous as the birthplace of Einstein, and there are the ruins of his birthplace, carved statues, and cafes with Einstein motifs in the city. Ulm had an interesting mix of historic old town streets and modern architecture of glass and concrete. One picture that can describe the cityscape of Ulm is (Photo 3). The cultural center built on the square in front of Ulm Cathedral, the tallest Gothic building in the world, was barely built after many people opposed it in a referendum over the urban landscape. I attended a conference on magnesium storage batteries held at the barely built cultural center.

Photo 3: Ulm Cathedral, the tallest cathedral in the world, and the cultural center where the conference was held

It was an unparalleled learning experience for me, where many researchers from all over the world gathered to listen to each other's presentations and discuss the highly specialized field of magnesium storage batteries. Furthermore, I gave a poster presentation, which was a valuable opportunity for me to make my research known to a very large number of people. (Photo 4) is a group photo of the participants brought from the conference website.

Photo 4: Group photo of the conference