We asked the two students who were selected for the 2024 Integrated Research Project about various aspects of the project. Please take a look!
【Researcher Name】MYOUTOISHI Chihiro (Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Department of Systems Life Sciences)
SATO Tadamichi (Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Department of Agro-environmental Sciences)
【Integrated Research Title】Do tree diversity and slope failure interact: a watershed-scale examination using open data
(Left）Mr.SATO Tadamichi （Right）Ms.MYOUTOISHI Chihiro
Q1. What prompted you to start this joint research?
When we discussed our doctoral research in the Emergent Courses, we found that our research fields were different, whereas our research styles (i.e., analyzing open data) were similar. We therefore felt the possibility of cooperative research based on our respective expertise. We then met at a campus event for doctoral students and decided to start our collaborative project in earnest.
Q2. How did you feel about being selected for the Integrated Research Project?
We were happy because we had spent lots of time planning our cooperative research.
Q3. What is the current progress of your joint research?
The research progress may be approximately 40%. The research progress may be approximately 40%. We performed data collection and quality checks on the dataset. Simultaneously, we conducted an extensive literature review again to clarify our research strategies.
Q4. What new “insights” have you gained while conducting joint research?
Myotoishi: The benefits of interdisciplinary research. One of the questions we explored this time is, “Does tree diversity help with disaster prevention?” It’s something I’ve always been curious about but had put aside since disaster prevention isn’t my field of expertise. Through this experience, I believe interdisciplinary research allows me to tackle questions I couldn’t explore on my own and expand the scope of my work.
Sato: My partner and I deal with the same dataset, but the interpretation and policy for it sometimes differ from each other. I recognized that there are the ontology, epistemology, and methodology in the specific research field through discussions.
Q5. What are some of the difficulties of joint research that you did not think of when you were planning (applying for) this project?
We feel the difficulty in scheduling face-to-face meetings for collaborative research since we simultaneously engage in our own doctoral research
Q6. What is the reaction of your academic advisors and the members around you in the lab?
Both our supervisors congratulated us on the acceptance of our research project. The professor and colleagues in the lab who had checked our application were also pleased.
Ms.MYOUTOISHI and Mr. SATO giving their presentation
Q7. How do you actually conduct this joint research?
Individuals are now conducting their tasks following the research plan; however, we frequently share research progress, existing studies, and other information on Slack. In addition, a face-to-face meeting is held every month.
Q8. How did you spend your research budget of 500,000 yen? What could you do/what would you like to do if you had another 500,000 yen?
We are going to spend the funding on buying some hard disk drives to store the original and created data. If the research funding could have been used as travel expenses, we might have planned research, including fieldwork or presented at international or domestic conferences. Our cooperative research may not need more funding now because it mainly uses open data.
Q9. Do you think there is a good chance of presenting this joint research at a conference or writing a paper? What percentage do you think there is?
We cannot clearly answer this question based on specific percentage now, but both are highly motivated to publish a paper.
Q10. What are your future prospects and aspirations for this joint research?
We will advance the research to examine our hypotheses. We aim to publish our findings as presentations or papers. Besides, we would like to learn a lot from the process of joint research.
Q11. What are your dreams for the future and what kind of person do you both aspire to be?
Myotoishi: Whether I remain in academia or not, I plan to pursue a career related to biodiversity conservation. I think that the foundation of biodiversity conservation is local conservation efforts, so I’d like to support these efforts by applying my expertise.
Sato: I aim to work at the university. I want to become a researcher who can present scientific evidence for managing both landslide risk and forest resources and contribute to educating the younger generation.
Q12. Please leave a message for the program students who follow to take on the challenge of the Integrated Research Project and joint research.
We believe that we can learn a lot from every stage of a joint research project, such as the conception, writing an application, and performing research. Therefore, we first encourage you to find a discussion partner and explore the possibilities of joint research.
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【Added on February 17, 2025】
Click here to see the report of their research results
