A Message from Masashi Ishikawa to First-, Second-, and Third-Year Students
In 2012, thanks to your support, I received a Prize for Science and Technology (Research Category) in the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In addition, in 2009, our research was selected as one of 39 representative outcomes in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) survey of the outcomes of government investment. It was chosen from more than a thousand research projects across all scientific fields at universities and public research institutions as outstanding work with great potential for future development. Both recognitions are truly humbling. I owe them to our current students and alumni. Thank you! I am absolutely serious about our work. Many companies participate because they believe in us, and we are determined to repay that trust by developing technologies originating at Kansai University. Companies are not participating out of charity. Opportunities in both research and recruitment open up only when we give our very best. It is true that, in the world beyond university, results are what count. As students, however, while aiming for results, I want you to learn thoroughly from the process of achieving them. That is why what I dislike most is a careless attitude and half-hearted effort. Such attitudes and behavior have no place in the Electrochemistry Laboratory. Those who let down the many companies, the national government, Osaka Prefecture, and research institutions that place their trust in our laboratory cannot graduate, nor do they deserve to. Fortunately, a very high proportion of our students made this laboratory their first choice because they wanted to study electrochemistry. With electrochemistry as their foundation, each works toward their own goals in their own way. Many put their own ideas fully into practice while also drawing on my advice. What matters is how willing you are to take the initiative. As I often say, the name "electrochemistry" describes a field from a different perspective than classifications based on types of substances, such as "organic chemistry" and "inorganic chemistry." Choosing electrochemistry is not simply a way to avoid organic chemistry or polymers. In fact, we have projects on polymer materials, and organic materials involving fluorine chemistry are another important research theme. In other words, we work across material categories: if a material performs well for energy storage, we are willing to use it and study it. If electrochemistry sounds interesting to you, or if you do not yet fully understand it but feel that "the future lies here" and have the determination to pursue it, let us explore the frontiers of research together.