Osaka University International Certificate Program S (OUICP-S)

Student's Voice - Frontier Engineering (OUICP-S)

TRAN CONG HUAN (4th year Undergraduate Student from Vietnam, OUICP Participant in Spring 2024)

School of Chemical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology

During his internship

3 credits earned in [Course] SDGs and Asia-Pacific Region Ⅱ (Required) and [Study Abroad Practicum] Laboratory Study at Uyama Laboratory, Polymer materials Chemistry Course of Materials Chemistry, Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, and Internship at a major Japanese gas and chemical products company that operates in Vietnam as well

Q1. What is your motivation to attend OUICP-S?

My supervisor at my home university told me about this program. As I originally wanted to work in Japan, I thought it was a valuable opportunity to learn about Japanese culture as well as research and technology.

While studying in Japan, I learned biomass plastics technology at Uyama Laboratory and had the opportunity to intern at a company for 10 days.

Q2. What was the most enjoyable experience you had while studying in Japan?

It was a lot of fun meeting, learning with, and spending time with international students across the world at Prof. Uyama’s laboratory.

Q3. What challenges did you face while studying in Japan?

Initially, there was a language barrier as I couldn’t speak any Japanese, but my lab mates were all very friendly and had fun conversations with me using English, which got me over that barrier.

Q4. How does the research environment at OU compare to your home university?

The methods for gathering knowledge and information don’t differ much from Vietnam, but the experimental equipment I used in Japan were state-of-the-art instruments I had never used in my country. Also, the level of knowledge on experimental procedures and safety awareness among teachers and older lab members was very high.

Q5. How do you think your experiences in OUICP-S contribute to your future academic and/or career goals?

My goal is to work in Japan, so the knowledge about related technology I gained at the laboratory and the work experience during my internship were helpful in thinking about my future career. Interacting with teachers and students also served as a valuable opportunity for me to understand Japanese culture.

In the future, after working at a company for a few years, I would like to think of studying at a master’s course at OU in order to acquire more technical knowledge.

Q6. Looking back on your study abroad experience, what advice would you give to students considering study abroad?

Understanding and using basic greetings in Japanese will enhance your interactions with Japanese speakers and lead to more opportunities to learn about technology and culture. Anyway, all of the experiences at OU were wonderful, so I hope that many students will experience it for themselves.