AY2025 Spring Semester Diploma Presentation of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies

On Monday, March 24, the AY2025 Spring Semester Diploma Presentation of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies was held. As each graduate’s name was called, Professor Hirochika Sumino, Director of the Managing Committee (Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry), presented the diploma.

Professor Sumino first extended heartfelt congratulations to the graduates who had earned their doctoral degrees in the Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies. He also expressed deep respect for the perseverance and dedication of the graduates, who had reached this day through diverse academic and professional paths, including those who had advanced from other universities or other departments of the University of Tokyo, those who had pursued their studies while balancing professional responsibilities, and those who had completed their doctoral dissertations on the basis of practical experience.

He described the earning of a doctoral degree as both proof of advanced research ability and the beginning of a new stage. He emphasized that the complex challenges facing the world today and in the years to come cannot be met within the boundaries of a single discipline, but require an interdisciplinary perspective and collaboration with a wide range of people.

Drawing on his recent participation in a European research consortium meeting, he introduced international efforts to share observational data on disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions across national borders and to integrate diverse observation methods and research infrastructures for disaster prevention. He noted that such challenges cannot be addressed by a single country or discipline alone, and that truly global and interdisciplinary collaboration is indispensable.

He also encouraged the graduates, as they embark on the next stage of their careers, to fully apply the expertise and research capabilities they cultivated in the Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies in international and interdisciplinary settings. He expressed the hope that contributing not only to Japan but also to people around the world would, in turn, help open up the future of each graduate.

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• Prof. Hirochika SUMINO, Director of Managing Committee, Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies,
  Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Professor Masakazu Sugiyama, Director of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo (Energy System), also conveyed his congratulations and expectations to the graduates. Referring to an impressive conversation he had recently had with a prefectural governor who spoke of science as indispensable for making the world brighter and the future more delightful, Professor Sugiyama noted that while he strongly agreed, he also felt keenly aware of the anxiety surrounding the role of science and technology today. He pointed out that science and technology have both brighter and darker sides: while they enrich society, they can also be used to create weapons and other destructive outcomes.

He then compared the PhD degree to a driver’s license, describing it as a qualification that enables its holder to help lead society in a brighter and better direction. In this analogy, he said, science serves as a kind of headlight, illuminating the path ahead. At the same time, he emphasized that there is no single way forward: just as an object can only be fully understood when light is cast on it from multiple directions, science and technology also require diverse approaches. He noted that this diversity is one of the strengths of the department.

Professor Sugiyama also encouraged the graduates to cultivate both imagination and creation in shaping the future. While the future is undeniably uncertain, he said, it is not something to despair over, because it can be imagined and created. Referring as well to the importance of being “good ancestors” in the eyes of future generations, he concluded by expressing his hope that the graduates would work together to build a richer and brighter future.

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• Prof. Masakazu SUGIYAMA, Director of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology

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