Nanotechnology researcher Istvan Varga is unique among the more than 6,400 participants in this year's JET program. While the majority work as assistant English teachers in Japanese public schools, the 34-year-old Hungarian-born electrical engineer spends his days exploring the secrets of magnetism.
In his state-of-the-art lab at the Akita Research Institute for Advanced Technology, for the past 2 1/2 years, Varga has been investigating the properties of high-density perpendicular magnetic recording technology. The results of his research will enable the computers of the future to run faster and more efficiently.
"The field of magnetism is a very specialized world," says Varga. "We're dealing with concepts that are very difficult for the lay person to grasp."