The Research Center for Global Agromedicine runs the Postgraduate Student Dispatch Program for the Promotion of International Joint Research Projects, under which two postgraduate students were dispatched to the College of Agricultural and Life Science, University of Wisconsin, for about a month in 2018.
Following an introduction of the project by Director Toshihisa Kanayama,
(Malawi), who was sent to the Department of Horticulture, reported about the experiment and data analysis methods he has learnt over there and described differences between teaching styles in the United States and Japan, using the examples of lectures by Professor Palta, his host supervisor. Mr. Gondwe also talked about his homestay experiences and interactions with external research collaborators.
Then, Mr. Bharat Mengi (India), who was sent to Department of Food Science, talked about laboratory activities and experiments using atomic force microscopes. The report also included an account of the communal life shared with students from across the US with diverse backgrounds and the luxurious thanksgiving dinner in November.
In the following question and answer session, participants threw questions about researches and life in the US, and active discussions ensued.
Finally, Director Inoue concluded the session with an advice, stressing the importance of “learning the grand designs and international researchers’ ideas instead of focusing on English skills,” which he realized through his own experiences.
