Moderator: Would you please talk about the successful human resource cultivation that will contribute to the development of science and technology and engineering in Japan?
Hanaki: As I've been teaching at university, I feel that teaching undergrad and graduate students the ability to synthesize various fields is a difficult task. The amount of knowledge they need to learn in one field has increased drastically compared to the past, so mastering one area is already a lot of work for the students. But I still expect them to learn more, especially the basic skills and the ability to synthesize in the future.
One thing I'm doing to address this issue is offering a program to cultivate future leaders in the environmental field. In the program, the students go somewhere in South East Asia where they face real problems there such as poverty, development issues, environmental problems and so on. They have the chance to discuss those issues with local students or stakeholders. When it comes time for them to propose solutions for those problems, they are likely not realistic because, after all, they're still students. But having the opportunity to listen, think, analyze and then come up with answers on their own is really important. It will help them to do this process at a much higher level and with more knowledge and experience after they graduate.