The aim of Hiroshima University’s “Taoyaka program for creating a flexible, enduring, peaceful society” is to train excellent students as leaders with broad perspectives and creativities, who are globally active beyond traditional areas of industry, academia, and government. Due to its cross-disciplinary concept, this doctoral program is completely different from the researcher training in conventional doctoral education programs, where students delve deeply into the inner mysteries of particular academic fields. Rather, the “Taoyaka Program” is attempting to achieve a broader human resource training that has not been achievable in today’s conventional doctoral education programs, by educating the students to gain a deep understanding of the social structures and diverse cultures unique to the region in which they are working. Consequently, the students are trained additionally by onsite projects in disadvantaged regions to identify crucial issues, apply science and technology to overcome these issues, and implement their solutions in the society of these disadvantaged regions.
　In the “Taoyaka Program” importance is placed on student-led educational development. Instead of specialist knowledge communicated by the teachers during the students’ onsite projects, the students themselves understand the issues in a disadvantaged region through their fieldwork, construct technological resolution methods, and explore ways to incorporate such methods into the regional society. For this purpose, “Taoyaka Program” students from different fields such as social sciences, engineering sciences, and international-relation science, form teams and work together in their onsite projects on the resolutions of important issues in disadvantaged regions. Throughout the education and project work of the “Taoyaka Program”, university teachers and professional mentors with abundant career-based experience support the students in their efforts to acquire professional knowledge and leadership capabilities.
　The ‘Taoyaka Program” was launched in April 2014 with the first group of students, who are currently enthusiastically proceeding with their studies. 3 courses called “Cultural Creation Course”, “Technical Creation Course” and “Social Implementation Course” are offered to support the cross-disciplinary education concept. The “Department of Semiconductor Electronics and Integration Science” is contributing to the “Technical Creation Course”. The application period for the April 2015 admission to the “Taoyaka Program” is open until November 21, 2014. Successful applicants receive substantial support, including financial support, to be able to fully concentrate on their studies. Detailed information about the “Taoyaka Program” is available in the internet at: http://taoyaka.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/index.html
How about challenging this exciting education and career opportunity of the “Taoyaka Program”?

(2014/10/08)