Tsutomu ARAKI, Professor, Graduate School of Engineering

Nanotechnology is an important mainstay supporting manufacturing in Japan. In order to offer systematic education and practical training programs for those in the work force, researchers of nanotechnology and other related fields at Osaka University started the "Advanced Inter-/Multi-disciplinary Graduate-level Programs for Education, Research and Training in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology" in 2004. Professor Tsutomu ARAKI has been involved in this program since its early days, and he is currently active not only as a lecturer, but also as a coordinator, selecting individuals who will teach the courses in the program. In 2013, he won the Presidential Award for Achievement in the field of education for his efforts in adult education.

This is a year-long program and is currently the only adult education lecture conducted at night. This program consists of 4 courses and each class is conducted once a week at Nakanoshima Center. Classes are also broadcast to satellite classrooms in Tokyo and other places in real-time. He puffed up his chest with pride, saying "Students can interactively participate in class even from a distance. Persons with a drive to learn across organizations come together, so it's a kind of 'Modern Day Tekijuku.'"

920 working individuals have studied there in the 11 years since the program began. Most participants are in their 20s and 30s and the number of female participants has increased. He said "I hope they will improve their skills by learning from others."

Dr. Araki specializes in biomedical measurement. He liked making radios and amplifiers as a child, which led him into engineering. After working as a post-doctoral researcher, he was asked to work at an anatomy department. In order to respond to these expectations, he worked hard in biomedical engineering.

Although it is a machine engineering lab,  there are quite a few female students at the Araki Laboratory. His lab features a light and airy living room with a meeting and relaxing space in the center. He says to his students, "What these you are studying now may not become helpful until a couple of years after they go out into the world. In order to become real industry-ready engineers, you must never fail to see things for yourselves and cultivate your sensibility." Enthusiastically, he added, "Most of all, I want you to feel an attachment to Osaka University."

About Professor Araki

Born in Osaka in 1949, Professor Araki graduated from a doctoral course at the Department of Applied Physics,  Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University in 1977. After serving as a researcher at the Department of Chemistry, The University of Wisconsin, as an assistant at the Faculty of Medicine, Tokushima University, and as an assistant professor and professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Tokushima University, he began his current position as a professor at OU in 1997. He received his doctorate in engineering and medicine (doctor by dissertation.)

He researches detection of biological objects' aging by optical methods as well as measurement of cells and tissues by non-linear optical phenomena. His achievements have earned him the Dissertation Award and Sakamtoto Award from the Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2006, the Bioengieering Division Performance Award from The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2006, the Dissertation Award from the Laser Society of Japan in 2013, and the Bioengieering Division Achievement Award from The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2013.