December 26, 2023 | News & Notices
Strengthening Human Resource Training through a Fusion of Humanities and Natural Sciences
Signing of a Joint Program Agreement with Kobe University
Shimadzu Corporation has signed a joint program agreement with Kobe University for the purpose of developing the field of atmospheric studies, which originated at Kobe University, and training human resources for leadership within global society. To date, both parties have implemented a number of collaborative research projects, and in the future, we will engage in human resource training so as to solve the challenges facing society, through collaboration not just with regards to the development of products and technology but also in the humanities.
Atmospheric studies, which is advocated by Associate Professor HISAYAMA Yuho at the Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University, is the study of the “atmosphere” epitomizing everyday life. This includes, for example in the Japanese language, the “air (kūki)” of the times, the “mood” of society, the “prevailing winds (kazamuki)” in politics, and the “conditions (keiki)” in economics. This new academic discipline intersects with philosophy, history, literature, psychology etc. Research is being conducted mainly at the Kobe Institute for Atmospheric Studies (KOIAS), which was established in 2022. Shimadzu will pursue collaboration with the institute through a periodic Shimadzu-KOIAS atmospheric studies course. Additionally, employees from Shimadzu will proactively participate in workshops in the Kobe-Oxford Japanese Studies Programme (KOJSP), which was started in 2011 by Kobe University.
For the purpose of innovation, Shimadzu is establishing policies to assess the challenges facing society from a comprehensive perspective integrating humanities and natural sciences, not just through technological development. This agreement will develop personnel who can take a multifaceted approach to analyzing the needs of society, by cultivating a broad field of view through an educational program in the humanities. To date at Shimadzu, together with Kobe University we have challenged ourselves to develop a prototype of “Autonomous Lab,” an autonomous experimentation system utilizing robots and AI. Through co-creation and cooperation with Kobe University, we are taking measures to create new science and technology and resolve the challenges facing society.