International Graduate Program on Environmental Science

Message from the Dean

When I look at the dramatic advances in science and technology that have taken place in recent years, and the impacts they have had (not all positive) after being adopted in society, I feel that we are in an age where we must reexamine the relationship that science and technology have with society and reconsider our view of what kind of scientists and engineers are needed in this new era. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is supporting society in various ways, such as unmanned autonomous vehicles, more efficient and less labor-intensive logistics, diagnostic imaging and remote surgery in medical settings, drug discovery, and maintenance and management of social infrastructure, but it is also being used to create fake news and fake videos, commit cyber crimes, and develop lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS). iPS cell research is contributing to the development of treatment methods and therapeutic drugs for serious illness that have thus far been difficult to treat, but it has also reached a level where it is possible to artificially create “embryo models” resembling human zygotes, bypassing the fertilization process. As Dr. Shinya Yamanaka stated, if we do not facilitate ethical discussion throughout society as quickly as possible, it will be outpaced by the science and technology themselves. It is not as simple as implementing scientific and technical findings in society. There are various processes that must happen at the same time: predicting and evaluating the social impact, increasing understanding and acceptance among the public, making laws, designing social systems, and facilitating ethical and orderly activities by parties such as national and local governments, companies, and the public. It is imperative that scientists and engineers actively participate in and support all of this work these days. In light of all of this, Saitama University’s Graduate School of Science and Engineering has restructured its master’s courses from the 2022 academic year. In addition to further strengthening our original education and research framework, which covers a variety of academic fields from basic research that explores the truths of the natural world to applied research that utilizes scientific and technical findings to solve social issues, we have established a new Interdisciplinary Education Program for Applied Science and Technology in Global Environment, which serves as a general education program for all courses, and introduced three sub-programs—Education Program for the Development of Innovative Human Resources, Education Program for the Development of Professional Scientists and Engineers with Data Science Skills, and Education Program for the Development of High-Grade Scientists—which span the entire six years from the undergraduate course to the master’s course and can be taken by any interested student, regardless of their specialization. Instructors who work at private companies in the field are invited to teach some of the classes to provide students with a real-time view of how the science and technology they are learning is being used in the world. Under our new education and research framework, we aim to develop scientists and engineers who are able to delve into their field of specialization while holding a strong sense of ethics, communicating about the significance and impact of their research findings in a way that can be easily understood by the public, and use the logical thinking, evidence-based thinking and critical thinking skills they have gained through their research to bring together and lead people in various positions in a wide range of fields. Takaomi Shigehara, Dean, Graduate School of Science and Engineering

Takaomi Shigehara

Dean,

Graduate School of Science and Engineering