Summary of 2022 Academic Year Internship Programs (Credit-Eligible Courses)

Two engineering students traveled to the United States for an in-person internship at Nidec Motor Corporation, a U.S. office of the Nidec Group that handles motors and control equipment for home appliances as well as industrial and consumer applications. The students participated in a specialized program for engineering students, being involved in various steps of the manufacturing process such as receiving orders for new products, planning, experimentation, design, analysis, assembly, performance evaluation, and durability testing. In addition, they participated in global conferences on management, toured distribution warehouses, visited local universities, interacted with local students, and were involved in marketing projects. The wealth and variety of experiences made this a valuable experience for the students.

I decided to enter this university because I wanted to challenge myself to become a global professional as a member of the inaugural class in the Faculty of Engineering. For my internship placement, I hoped for a place where I could work with the kinds of motors that I became interested in during my studies, and to be able to go overseas to develop my ability to succeed abroad. During my internship, I was very impressed to meet many talented engineers with broad knowledge and professional efficiency. When encountering a problem outside my area of expertise, I wanted to share it with the professional engineers as soon as possible and see them work on the problem. Going forward I want to make efforts to learn business management, English, and gain broad technical knowledge to get closer to the ideal version of myself.

In the future, I want to develop products that would help people around the world, so I entered this university to improve both my English proficiency and knowledge of engineering. For my internship, I wanted to work for a company in the United States, the center of global business, to become a future global professional. I participated in the internship while always thinking about the Nidec Group philosophy of "Do it now; do it without hesitation; do it until completed." However, I was also impressed by the kindness of the employees who are working passionately. Also, when I participated in the management meeting, I became keenly aware of my lack of knowledge, not knowing what the graphs and tables on the slides meant. Based on the guidance from all of the Nidec employees, I decided I want to spend the rest of my student life focused on the future and to be proactive in acquiring world-class knowledge in English, engineering and business management.

Hosokawa Micron is the world's largest manufacturer of powder equipment and strives to continuously improve powder technology with a focus on both the powder and plastic thin film business. Hosokawa Micron accepted students from the Department of Bioenvironmental Science. At the head office, students participated in lectures on the company’s business and conducted experiments on PLGA nanoparticles, the core technology of the company's materials business. During the factory tour, students learned in detail about technical development operations and equipment, channels related to cosmetics sales, and package design, among other topics.

My dream for the future is to develop cosmetics that create skin that doesn't change with age. On the day of the entrance ceremony, I worked up the courage to raise my hand during a question session with the university president and told him that I wanted to do an internship at a cosmetics company. During the internship, I partook in an experiment of blending PLGA nanoparticles into an existing lotion in the laboratory of core technology. I got to see PLGA nanoparticles in front of my own eyes for the first time and experience the difference in texture before and after blending, which were valuable experiences that can only be gained by doing it firsthand. I would like to make use the knowledge of cosmetics I have learned during my internship in the future, first to master the basics of cosmetics, and then someday to develop the anti-aging cosmetics of my dreams.