OQEANOUS Plus ProgramOversea Quality-assured Education in Asian Nations
for Ocean University Students Plus

STP Report (SHOU Jul - Aug 2024)

2025.03.06

Course of Marine System Engineering, Graduate School of TUMSAT
2nd year of Master's Program
A.H.

Reason for applying to STP

In graduate school, I have been engaged in research that contributes to the construction of a sustainable society from an engineering perspective, and have been particularly interested in fields such as renewable energy and environmental engineering. In the midst of this, I decided to apply to this program because I wanted to deepen my understanding of sustainability in the vast resource space that is the ocean from an interdisciplinary and international perspective. I also hoped that through specialized lectures in English and intercultural exchange, it would be an opportunity to reexamine my perspective on international issues.

Online lectures

In the 7-day online lectures on the theme of "Use of the oceans and marine resources for sustainable development," faculty members from each of the consortium's participating universities gave lectures in English on various academic fields related to the ocean, such as food and nutrition, marine and atmospheric environments, fisheries resource management, aquaculture, and marine resource development. From an interdisciplinary perspective, I was able to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and possibilities surrounding the ocean, and I was particularly interested in the sustainable use of fishery resources and international technical measures against marine environmental pollution, even though they are different from my own specialty.

Face-to-face program (field trip) at Shanghai Ocean University

In the on-site program, in addition to lectures by faculty members of the food science and marine science departments at Shanghai Ocean University, I was able to deepen my academic interest through visits to each laboratory and simple experiments. In addition, by visiting a water purification facility in Shanghai and a food processing factory such as Kōmyō Dairy, I had the opportunity to directly observe the current state of hygiene management and capital investment in China's urban infrastructure and food industry. In addition, I was able to experience the multi-layered culture and development of the city of Shanghai through visits to museums, crayfish fishing at a botanical garden, peach picking at an orchard, traditional cultural experiences (Chinese knotting and qigong), and tours of historical and modern spots in the city.

Interaction with students from other universities

This program was attended not only by students from Japan and China, but also from Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia. The experience of working with undergraduate and graduate students from each country using English as a common language greatly stimulated my international sensibility. In particular, during the group presentations in English on the final day, even though the students were taking the same lectures and field activities, the content
of their presentations varied depending on the differences in their countries and interests, and I strongly felt the significance of this program as a crossroads between interdisciplinarity and internationality.

Changes in attitude after participating

Through this program, my perception of short-term study abroad and intercultural exchange has changed significantly. Until now, I had mainly viewed studying abroad as a means to improve my language skills and deepen my specialized knowledge, but by directly coming into contact with the local society and values of the people, as in this case, I realized the importance of relativizing stereotypes and prejudices and broadening my own perspective.
Also worth noting is the huge gap between the image of China circulating in the media and as a general image, and the Chinese society I actually saw and experienced on the ground. Through my direct experience of the sincere attitude of the students and teachers I met there, the state of industrial and urban infrastructure development, and the richness of the culture, I was reminded of the importance of "seeing with my own eyes and making my own judgments." I would like to continue to use this experience to further my studies so that I can contribute to solving international issues in my field of expertise.