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Information for foreign students
Last update: 30 January 2002 and still under construction.
Introduction
Members of Kawazoe laboratory, both researchers and students, are from many countries. (As of 2010, these are Japan, China, India, Iran, Russia, USA, Korea, and Indonesia.)
Courses and Research
We only have postgraduate courses, a 2-year Master course and a 3-year Ph.D. course.
- 2-year Master course
- Requirement: university graduated and at least 16 years of formal education, or an equivalent working experience.
- Classes: students take classes in their first year, while also surveying the research topics and while doing some research.
- Research: in their second year, students focus on their research project and write up a thesis.
- Degree obtained: Master of Engineering.
- 3-year Ph.D. course
- Requirement: university graduated and at least 18 years of formal education, or an equivalent working experience.
- Classes: students are required to take 2 short classes, a semester of teaching assistant work and to participate in seminars.
- Research: throughout their 3 years, students conduct their research and must produce significant new results. At the end of the period they write up a thesis.
- Degree obtained: Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering.
Topics of our research are on the research page.
A student normally works under supervision of one of the researchers, but depending on his/her current work or interest s/he may consult and also work with other staff.
Research facilities
- Computing facilities are our main research tools. The computing facilities and networking system are provided and maintained by the Laboratory of General Computing Network Service.
- Libraries. The university has many libraries including one in IMR itself and a few in the nearby Katahira campus. The libraries in the faculty of engineering and in the faculty of science (both in Aobayama campus) have a large collection of books and journals. Many journals are accessible online on the university campuses. A student I.D. card can be used to borrow books from university libraries (when such service is available.) Like other laboratories, Kawazoe lab. also holds a collection of books.
Money
- How much is needed ?
- Tuition fees
- Living expenses: Most students receive about 100,000 yen/month. A single room apartment rent is about 30-60,000 yen/month. A meal in the cafeteria is 4-600 yen, and outside is 600-1000 yen. Electricity, gas and water supply cost about 4-5,000 yen/month. There are other expenses such as telephone, medical care and insurance fee etc.
- Local transportation costs: Many people use bicycles. Bus fair is 2-500 yen depending on the distance. Taxi fare starts at 600 yen and increases rapidly with time and distance. A car creates different expenses that cost on average 10-20,000 yen/month.
- Sources of financial support
- Monbusho scholarship (for foreing student): Information about the various kinds of Monbukagakusho Scholarships is also available from the Association for International Education in Japan in English or Japanese
- Research assistantship and Teaching assistantship (The number and the payable amount of these assistantships are quite limited. They are not meant to be the main support.)
- Other scholarships
Language requirement
The knowledge of Japanese is not essential, but it can be helpful. To enter the graduate courses good knowledge of English is required by the university.
- In the classroom
- Classes are conducting in Japanese. This is more important for Master students than Ph.D. students, who are only required to attend two classes. Most classes at the graduate level do not have exams, but you are required to write a report, which usually can be in English.
- In the research
- English can be used to communicate within the laboratory.
- Even though announcements from the university are normally in Japanese, within the laboratory it is usually made in both Japanese and English.
- Standard English text books and journals are available in the laboratory and in the libraries.
- Currently the main computing systems use the Unix operating system with both English and Japanese man pages. Some softwares have Japanese manuals only.
- Student seminars are given in either Japanese or English (depending on the student who is giving it.)
- Staff seminars are mostly given in English.
- Publications are normally made in English.
- Thesis can be written in English or Japanese.
- In your life,
- Simple Japanese may be necessary to access some of the university services such as at the cafeteria, the co-op stores and the departmental offices.
- Most shops will have more or less difficulty if you cannot understand Japanese at all.
- Japanese language school
- Monbusho students are required to take a 6-month Japanese class at a language school in Kawauchi campus. (In my opinion, the school staff is exceptionally helpful for foreign students.) After the course most students know enough basic Japanese to explore and to learn more from their friends.
- The university also provides Japanese classes for foreign students.
- There is a class conducted by fourth year students of the Japanese Teaching department. The class is conducted at IMR once a year in the second semester.
Life
January 5th, 2001: Sendai had heaviest snow fall in 60 years.
- Japan: If you have not known enough about it already, I recommend Japan Information Network as another good starting point to learn about Japan.
- Sendai city is a moderately large city in the Tohoku area of Japan. The main connection with Tokyo is by shinkansen (express train, 2 hours) Flights are available between Sendai and Sapporo, Osaka, Nagoya, and many other cities. Some international flights are also available.
- Katahira campus hosts the university's administrative units and research institutes, while the departments have been moved to other new campuses.
Katahira is in the Sendai city center, which is very convenient. The Sendai city railway station, which is the center of local transportation, is less than 20 minutes walking from the campus. The City offices, main postoffice, banks, restaurants shopping center, and many stores are all within walking distance.
- Sports:
- Facilities: IMR has tennis and volley ball courts. Katahira campus has a soft-ball ground, and a sport hall with volley ball and basket ball courts. There are a few indoor swimming pools, which charge about 500-1,000 yen, in Sendai city.
- Events: There is a football(soccer) team at IMR. A volley ball and a softball tournament are held once a year. A traditional marathon run "Eki-den" is held in November.
- Social events: welcome and farewell parties are held in April and in March, respectively. In April the well-known sherry blossom party is held for all members of IMR. In mid-summer, there is an IMR beer party at the parking lodge. Kawazoe lab organises its "out of campus" seminars twice a year in summer and in winter. Omatsuri. A few events are organised for foreign students by various groups in Sendai such as ski-trips, Japanese origami classes etc.
- TV: NHK--Japan's national broadcasting organisation has 5 TV channels (as of January 2001) including 2 normal channels and 3 satellite channels. (NHK charges some monthly fees for the normal and the satellite channels) Another 4 commercial TV channels can be viewed. Cable and satellite TV services are available.
