2024 MNS Program Report: Boot Camp2024

November 2024

On September 25 and 26, a one-night, two-day Boot Camp was held as part of the MNS Project, a student support initiative for doctoral students. This event brought together approximately 150 students, primarily first-year doctoral students (RESEARDENT D1), selected for the program from Nagoya University and Gifu University, along with 15 faculty and staff members. The goal of the Boot Camp was to encourage students from various fields to engage in active discussions about their research while sharing meals and accommodations. The event aimed to foster lasting connections among participants, which could potentially lead to interdisciplinary or collaborative research in the future.

 

Amidst a lush, green environment, participants were grouped with members from different research fields to take on the challenging theme of “Idea generation for interdisciplinary research that leverages each individual’s expertise”. Rather than focusing on a final output, this session emphasized the discussion process. Although students initially seemed hesitant, they ultimately delivered well-thought-out presentations. To respect student autonomy, 14 senior doctoral students joined the planning stage and also accompanied the groups on the day of the event as mentors, assisting with overall operations and supporting the group discussions.

In the post-event survey, 82% of the students reported being “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the overall Boot Camp experience. Additionally, 96% of the students responded that they “learned a lot” or “gained insights” through interactions with students from different research fields.

In 2025, we plan to hold Boot Camp twice – June and November.

Written by Masumi Terasawa, Senior Academic Specialist