Testimonial: Mr. Shuma Oya

Mr. Shuma Oya shares her experience as a research intern at Experimental Quantum Information Physics Unit led by Dr. Hiroki Takahashi.

１．How and why did you decide to apply for this program?

I first heard about OIST when I attended a presentation by Professor Takahashi at an online school for quantum information during the first year of my master's degree program. At that time, although I was interested in the doctoral program at OIST, I wasabout to give up on a long-term internship at OIST due to the progress of my research and the pandemic. However, when the ppandemic had subsided a bit, I sent an email to Professor Takahashi asking if I was able to visit his lab. He kindly accepted the request, and I could visit OIST for the very first time. Around that time, I also heardthat a research internship program between OIST and Keio University was about to start, and I decided to apply for it.

２．Please tell us what you expected from the program before participating in it and how you feel about your experience. (Please also include what you like about the program and areas for improvement if any.)

While the Japanese universities I had seen seemed inorganic and somewhat closed to me, when I visited OIST for a tour, I found it to be a very comfortable and stress-free place with itsdesign, choice of color, and the view from the windows. When I actually participated in the internship, I found that I could naturally concentrate on my research from morning to night, and even when I got stuck, there were lounge-like areas here and there where I could comfortably work on materials or read papers while looking out at the ocean for a change of pace. I think it is a very good environment for research and study. I had the impression that OIST was more like a research institute than a university, and I was a bit worried that the atmosphere among students and researchers would be stiff, but on the contrary, everyone in the unit was very open and relaxed. The unit and the graduate school also hosted many BBQs at the beach, making it an environment where it was easy to get to know each other. As for the location, it is the best environment for me because I like to look at the sea and the sky, but when I actually spent time there, I realized how important it is to have a car. Thanks to the shuttle bus and the convenience store in OIST, there were no major inconveniences in terms of daily life, but when I thought about going out on weekends and holidays, my activities were greatly limited by bus stop times, and as someone who likes to go away for a change, I felt that a car was essential.

３．What was your typical day like as an OIST research intern? 

I woke up around 7:00 a.m. every morning, prepared breakfast, and arrived at my desk around 8:00-9:00 a.m. I then checked my e-mail to make sure I had not missed anything, looked at the daily schedule sent by the graduate school to see what seminars would be held that day, and then started my research. Around 12:00, I stopped working and went to a restaurant or café at OIST to have lunch while enjoying the view of the ocean, and then I continued my experiments until around 6:00 pm. This was basically the cycle of how I spent my time in the lab, occasionally adjusting my schedule to attend seminars and other events that interested me. After returning to the house I was staying in I would basically spend my free time in my room every day and try to go to bed before midnight.

４．How did  you spend your weekends?

On weekends, I used the shuttle bus to buy food, when necessary, took walks, or took the bus for long trips. The bus took me to places in Naha city or large malls, where I watched movies, took walks, and read books and papers at coffee shops. In addition, breakfast and dinner on weekdays were monotonous and unsatisfying, as most of them were pre-packed or frozen foods purchased in bulk, so I would go out every week to look for a new restaurant to eat a hearty meal on the weekends. The only transportation available was the bus, which cost me about 2,000 to 3,000 yen round trip each time I went out, but it was a nice change of pace since I was always in OIST on weekdays.

５．Other (Free comments)

One of the things that left an impression on me during my internship was that I was able to freely go and listen to talks in a variety of fields because there were frequent seminars such as TSVP TALKs and they were clearly and widely announced. I would like to see Keio University actively organize such seminars, as it is a good opportunity to not only concentrate on one's own research, but also to listen to talks on research in other fields, which not only broadens one's perspective, but also provides an opportunity to obtain new ideas.