New Beginnings

It is with a heavy heart that I bade farewell to my fellow Australian counterparts amidst the bustling streets of Harajuku. As usual, all good things must come to an end, and alas, it was time for the curtains to close on the Nanotech study tour 2020.

Through the past week, I’ve had tons of fun exploring the multiple facets of nanotechnology, finding out new things about Japanese culture, and most importantly, meeting new friends along the way. As I packed my bags and headed to the airport, I was wrought with this lingering sense of regret of wanting to do more with my time here in Japan. The calming landscape of suburban Tokyo along the monorail to Haneda elicited bittersweet, melancholic emotions as I reflected upon my time spent here in this foreign land.

Looking back, I came into this study tour not knowing what to expect. Were the Australians going to be friendly? Or are they going to eat me alive? Will the Japanese people secretly hate me for unintentionally doing something rude? Can I keep up with the pace of the study tour? Strange questions like these perfused through my mind in the days and weeks leading up to the tour. Getting out of my comfort zone to explore is not exactly something new to me, but it is also not something I will ever get used to. The anxiousness that filled my heart, however, was mostly unfounded. In a blink of an eye, the tour has ended.

“What did I accomplish?” I constantly asked myself at the end of every single day. On the plane ride back to Singapore, I mentally collected my answers to this question. Classifying the frequency of and fondness I had toward each answer, I came to a satisfying conclusion that I have accomplished nothing. I have accomplished nothing precisely because it is not me and me alone who has constructed these beautiful memories I have of Japan. It is and always has been, more often than not, the collective effort of everyone around me which makes my experience enjoyable. The lab visits were interesting not because I found each project or each topic to be intriguing. Instead, it was the immense passion and drive each presenter had in their project that makes the sharing of their work an enthralling affair. Likewise, as an introvert in a group of relatively outgoing Australians, being roped into their escapades made for an exhilarating journey that I would otherwise never have experienced. With so many bright, talented, and fun people around me, I am truly fortunate to have been part of this study tour.

Thus concludes my retrospection of days past. Now that I’m back in Singapore (read: reality), the endless troughs of work beckon. With this, it is finally time to say farewell. Till we meet again, fellow reader!

Another Day, Another Exhibition

The advent of a new day brings about new possibilities. On this day, we seek to explore uncharted territories. On this day, we head beyond nanotech.

The day started off with a mad rush for work. Having interviewed UC Bacon and the Holland representatives on the previous day, we moved on to Musashi Engineering, a leader in the field of nanotech analysis equipment. Through our extensive interview with the representative, we were able to find out more about what they manufacture and the capabilities of their equipment. Musashi takes pride in the overwhelming speed and precision of its printing equipment. Coupled with high customisability for different materials and a competitive price point, Musashi is definitely a powerhouse in its craft.

After our meeting with Musashi and a couple of hours of filming, my group was essentially done with our work. We thus decided to head our separate ways to explore Tokyo Big Sight a little more. The entire venue was truly a hub for commerce and exchange. From convenient facilities to international signboards, Tokyo Big Site was truly a place for people from all over the world to gather and do business. There was even a viewing gallery overlooking the Ariake Pier and the Giant Sky Wheel in Palette Town.

A beautiful sunset marks the end of the Nanotech Exhibition 2020.

All in all, the exhibition was a remarkable experience for me. I am glad that I was given the opportunity to explore the various advancements in nanotechnology at this exhibition. It was a shame that most of the exhibition was in Japanese, but I would definitely come back in the near future to keep up with the field of nanotechnology.

Wake Me Up Before You Hon-Go

The University of Tokyo is full of surprises and wonder. Having been to the Komaba campus, we now set our sights towards the Hongo campus. With a rustic yet sophisticated architecture, the Hongo campus is home to a long history of excellence within Japan. One major attraction within the campus is the Yasuda Auditorium.

The Yasuda Auditorium in its full glory.

This building marks the turning point for UTokyo as a modern research university, contrary to its y=1/x² (a graph with no finite turning points) design. Its stoic, unpretentious demeanour exudes an air of majestic splendour amidst a backdrop of greenery. Standing before such architectural brilliance was as awe-inspiring as one would experience standing in front of Mount Fuji. It was truly a remarkable sight.

After our (somewhat short) tour around the campus and some lunch, we headed to the Faculty of Science. There, we were greeted by the Head of the Physics Department, Prof Satoshi Yamamoto, who described in great lengths the successes of UTokyo in academics and research. We were advised to take up a summer internship programme known as UTRIP if we are interested in working with any of the UTokyo labs during our summer break.

Following this, we split into our groups and headed to 3 different laboratories. At the first laboratory, we were introduced to the notion of a topological insulator. By careful manipulation of the band structures within these materials, it is possible to split the bands such that 4 different currents, characterised by their charge and spin, can exist within the same material. This allows for an increase in the amount of information relayed, thereby disrupting a possible end to Moore’s Law. To these materials, further characterisation of their physical properties was carried out. Of particular interest is the determination of the crystal structure and/or the lattice orientation of the material. Using electron diffraction, the reciprocal space of the lattice is projected onto a screen which shows pretty little patterns.

If you look carefully, you might be able to see The Matrix…

The next laboratory that we went to featured a femtosecond laser, which is capable of producing plasma when focused onto a spot of air using a convergent lens. How does that work? Well, the device shoots packets of laser light at 1 kHz (which is 1000 times every second) focused onto a tiny spot in the air using a convergent lens. Each packet forces the electron clouds within the air molecules to oscillate. The resulting effect is a spectacular light show with kilohertz chill beats as background music!

The umbrellas are enjoying the light show too!

Lastly, the final laboratory concerns itself with the use of thin films to increase the efficiency of solar cells. By roughening up the adhesive surface of the film, light coming from the sun is essentially trapped within the multilayered complex of the solar cell. This increases the chance of incoming photons to be absorbed, thereby generating more electricity for households to watch American Idol on their widescreen television at home. To find out if the material is truly anti-reflective, it is subjected to various tests including X-ray diffraction and spectrum analysis of the infrared-visible regime. Through these tests, the material does indeed display a strong tendency to trap incoming photons at the right wavelengths.

A peculiar lab book…

After the lab visits, we had a networking session with some students from UTokyo. I personally spoke to two Chinese students who worked at the last laboratory we visited. We discussed the various pros and cons of working at an elite institution such as UTokyo and how it’s like coping in a foreign environment with an entirely different language system. We also talked about the meme culture in Japan, China, and the rest of the world. It was an eye-opening experience indeed.

Through my time at the Hongo campus, I’ve learnt bouts about the working culture, the education system, the cutting-edge research, and the various opportunities available at UTokyo. In Singaporean terms, the place is “very happening” (meaning “really lively”) and I’m glad I will be coming over again in September to do my exchange. Perhaps, I will share my experiences as an official student at UTokyo then. But, for now, we still have a couple of days to go in our Nano adventure!

Nah, No Way Man!

Is what you might hear at the newest tech conventions around the world. But, make no mistake! They might be referring to something smaller than you think.

Dealing with bulk materials has been the zeitgeist since time immemorial. Recently, many smart people have come together to disrupt this way of thinking. Particularly, they’ve successfully unlocked the secrets lying within these really small substances we call nano-materials. This winter, we spoke to a couple of organisations and corporations dealing with these materials at nano tech 2020 held at Tokyo Big Site.

As excellent speakers of not-Japanese, we first approached a French organisation, Institut Carnot PolyNat, whose representative spoke extensively about the ongoing works into eco-friendly nano-infused products within the great nation of France. Maccas might make french fries, but PolyNat would certainly not make the French fry as they combat global warming starting small. With its innovations in the eco-design of high added value bio-based materials, the organisation strives to integrate its products into a diverse number of industries including chemical, energy and transport, health and cosmetics, packaging and prints, as well as wood building and furniture.

With a better idea of the different applications for nanotechnology, we move on to a more research-based organisation in NIMS. Specifically, we talked to members of MANA who were working on the use of Atomic Probe Tomography (APT) to produce 3D images of the interior of materials. The researchers had worked closely with CAMECA to promote the use of APT to other researchers in the field. Sounds lucrative!

Lastly, we talked to UC Bacon, a firm specialising in the production and sale of commercial graphene. Its founder, Dr Danny Wu, elaborated about the processes and concerns within the graphene industry, and how his firm manages to circumvent these difficulties through steadfast preparations and smart planning. He even had an end-user product on display, featuring a graphene-laced blazer which specialises in thermal insulation. According to Dr Wu, his company has clients from many industries including textiles and electronics. Evidently, graphene is weaving its way into our everyday lives and I’m excited to see the possibilities made available by such a versatile material.

Many booths at the exhibition showed astounding willingness to share their products, even with us non-Japanese speakers. I am extremely humbled by their sheer enthusiasm and avant-garde ideas. With two days more to go, who knows what will be in store for us!

The Price of Progress

I suspect many people in this blog would be writing about their extensive experiences at The University of Tokyo, so I will write about my (dare I say) even more extensive experiences at Odaiba and Miraikan. Without further ado, let us begin!

A common theme across anthropological history is the everlasting yearn for improvement, advancement, and even abandonment of our natural habitat. We, as humans, are always striving for the betterment of our species, but at what cost? Today, it is even more pertinent to ask ourselves these questions. Questions which probe the true nature of our reality; questions which illuminate the cruel reality of a finite Earth we seek asylum in. The scarcity of our natural resources is becoming more apparent than before, and the lesson to be learnt from today comes from an introspection which stems from the very mechanism fueling our human greed — curiosity.

The calm before the storm was symbolic, to say the least. We were met with a Unicorn Gundam the size of… well other Gundams I guess. Gundams are, traditionally speaking, a symbol of freedom in the mecha anime subculture. They represent escapism from our earthly issues through their ability to traverse outer space with ridiculous ease, in the process throwing all our knowledge about rocket science out the window. Being a Unicorn Gundam, well, underscores the fact that the escapist mentality that we so often adopt concerning the unseen problems around us is imaginary at best. Its spectacular scale draws our attention, yet no one questions its existence in this random plaza, much like how no one is addressing the elephant in the room. In retrospect, it is easy to dish out the many inferences that I have outlined in this paragraph. However, to be able to critically question and acknowledge these attributes of the Gundam, of our society, is a vital skill that we must acquire.

Get in the robot, Shinji! (Wrong reference, I know)

Following this, we were met with the extraordinary exhibits at the Miraikan. As an exhibition with a futuristic theme, Miraikan isn’t shy to address both the goods and the bads of technology and human impact on the world around us in the near future. The exhibition opens up with a wall of Nobel Laureates telling us to continually question and sate our curiosity. Why? To seek and inquire is to do science. And, grandiose as this might sound, science has been and will be the key to unlocking the secrets of the Universe around us.  However, to stop at this answer would be foolish, as the order of the exhibits seems to suggest. The first floor of exhibits was filled with hopeful creations and useful technologies for the future, a very kid-friendly place. However, ascending up and around this magnificent globe, we find a world of pain (well at least in my eyes, the kids were still running about screaming their heads off in joy and laughter… ah youth).

Not gonna lie, this was a little creepy…

A timorous attempt at striking an Atlas pose.

In the upper level, we were first met with displays which showed different maps of the world, each detailing a statistic about the environment which worsens over time. Then, we were introduced to pharmaceutics and our over-reliance on drugs to keep us alive. If this was not traumatising enough for the little kids playing with the surgeon simulator, the next exhibit was all about our excessive carbon production and the tremendous stress we place on the ecosphere of the planet. Surrounding this exhibit were screens describing the many ways you could meet your maker courtesy of nature’s wrath. These ranged from cyclones to earthquakes to pandemics (bless you, Wuhan). Finally, we end it off with a book which forces you to question the slim chance of your entire existence.

The exhibit on the effects of carbon emission. They even have a little volcano at the back.

Existential crisis, the picture book.

So with this lovely little article, hopefully, we are now a little more mindful of our surroundings. That we are able to be existent, to live and breathe the cold winter air here in Tokyo, is nothing short of a miracle that everyone should sustain and perpetuate for generations to come. For the readers out there who are unable to come and see Miraikan, just think to yourself Mira-I can do my part to make this world a better place for me and my children. With this, I rest my case, good night!