Voices

Since my undergraduate studies in industrial engineering, I have been interested in the convergence between theory and practice. That is especially in terms of the application of the powerful models developed in engineering into actual societies toward overall sustainability through multidisciplinary collaboration. Considering that, I found the STIG Program fully matching my interest because it provides students with leading-edge lectures, seminars, alumni & students annual reunions, and various other activities around the confluence of science and technology with the policymaking studies necessary for their real-world implementation. The program also promotes participation and exchange of ideas in an international environment that enforces multilateral collaboration, giving us valuable knowledge and expertise necessary for understanding the vital role of public policy in the effectiveness of technological solutions.

Moreover, through this program and thanks to the diverse background of STIG professors and students, I was able to enrich my research with several innovative ideas. This made my project more realistic and applicable in actual contexts considering the relevance of using it for guiding future policymaking. Particularly, my participation in the Science for RE-designing Science, Technology Innovation Policy (SciREX) summer camps allowed me to network and talk about my project not only with STIG members but also with actual Japanese policymakers as well as with students and professors from various universities. That, jointly with the valuable learning from lectures such as "Quantitative Methods for Management and Policy Analysis", and "Project-based Learning on the Technological Innovation and the Social Solutions", I acquired a more open perspective of the potential benefits that my originally theoretical-only engineering model had, making me explore them deeply. As a result, my research was improved with a model validation with actual stakeholders and policymakers.

Based on that, I strongly recommend the STIG Program to any student who wants to discover the importance that the synergy of science, technology, and policy has for our societies and to learn how we can lead actual technological and social transformations from our particular roles and areas of knowledge. All this in a motivating and always interesting transdisciplinary environment.