The T-GEx Exhibition of Research Achievements 2023 was held at Nagoya University Noyori Conference Hall on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. This lively event saw the participation of 11 T-GEx Fellows and 8 Associates and was attended by 73 onsite and 11 online visitors.
The exhibition served as a platform for T-GEx Fellows and Associates engaged in this project to present results and materials from their cutting-edge research works.
The primary objective was to help a wide range of participants, including researchers and non-researchers from a variety of disciplines, understand the importance of research, while at the same time seeking valuable insights and advice for future progress from the participants.
In deciding upon the current exhibition's theme of "Transgress the Disciplinary Boundaries," we were conscious of contemporary social and academic demands.
With modern society's increasing complexity and diversity, we are entering an era in which remaining confined to a single academic discipline makes it difficult to discover clues to solutions to global issues. To navigate this multifaceted puzzle, nurturing academic inquiry that crosses disciplinary lines is increasingly vital.
Against such a background, this second exhibition was designed to provide a venue for interdisciplinary exchanges and the creation of new joint research.
For the main lectures, we invited two professors, Dr. Uemura Sotaro (The University of Tokyo), a science researcher, and Dr. Oyama Yasuhiro (The Open University of Japan), a humanities researcher; a panel discussion was also held.
During the poster session and brief presentations describing research content, presenters were asked to communicate their work in ways that would be understandable to people outside of their area of expertise.
In the special lectures and panel discussion, the speakers addressed the question if the "walls" between disciplines truly exist, stating that while "boundaries" do exist (or more precisely, they may be constructed in mutual exchanges), the tacit assumption that "walls" are created by humans could be questioned.
Moreover, diverse viewpoints on the exhibition's theme were openly shared and discussed with open-mindedness.
The discussion also touched on a seemingly paradoxical form of interdisciplinary research achieved not by having the individual accumulate knowledge in all fields, but rather by first deepening insight into one's own specialized field.
Furthermore, drawing from interactions with my mentor and other individuals, I received invaluable guidance on navigating both my interdisciplinary pursuits and future professional endeavors. This included fostering the courage to embrace uncertainty and make bold decisions when faced with pivotal moments in my journey.
During the poster session and brief presentations, too, I was able to discover research findings that I hardly would have learned about through my own affiliated academic societies and to encounter opinions from perspectives I had never imagined. This allowed me to broaden my perspective and, on reflection, I was able to elucidate the premises and values of our group of experts.
In putting on this exhibition, I received support from Tokai Pathways to Global Excellence (T-GEx), a project that has been selected under the " Strategic Professional Development Program for Young Researchers " (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology).
Let me again express my sincere thanks.
Secretary General,
T-GEx Exhibition of Research Achievements 2023
MACHIDA Naoto, Nagoya University
AZUMA Naoki, Nagoya University
TSUJIKAWA Koyo, Nagoya University
TANAKA Hidenori, Chubu University
OGANE Yuta, Nanzan University
