Michiaki Matsumoto Seminar

Recruitment of seminar students

Many environmental problems are complex phenomena in which causes and effects interact with each other. This seminar aims to decipher complex environmental issues with a focus on global warming. Students will develop the ability to objectively and quantitatively analyze and consider these issues based on facts and data. Students will also gain a wide range of knowledge about the environment. In group and individual research, each seminar student sets his or her own research theme and conducts research using a variety of methods. Emphasis is also placed on presentations and writing.

• A wide range of themes centered on global warming
  The overall theme of the seminar is global warming. The goal is to study various matters with global warming as the keyword, and to be able to connect them three-dimensionally and think about things from multiple perspectives.
• Daily life of the seminar
  In our usual seminar, we have (1) environmental bulletins, (2) group work, and (3) progress reports on individual research.　
  The seminar's activities change with the assignment from year to year, but recently we have been working on the following
• Environmental Bulletin
  The seminar students introduce interesting environmental news items and read the background of the news. The purpose is to broaden the students' ear for environmental topics.
• Group Work
  Theme Research
  Students work in groups to research and study a particular theme. We may read and understand literature together.
  Investigation of companies at environmental exhibitions
  We will visit an environmental exhibition held at Tokyo Big Sight. Each group will visit the environmental exhibition booths to research and study the companies and their exhibits. They will evaluate the eco-friendly products on display and present their findings in a seminar.
  Campus Radiation Survey
  Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, changes in radiation levels in the Kanto region have been attracting attention. The seminar conducts a thorough survey of radiation levels on the Ichigaya campus once a year and submits a report on the results.

• Individual Research
  Each seminar student decides on an individual theme and reports on the progress of his/her research. They receive questions and advice on the direction of their research from faculty members and seminar students who listen to their reports.

• Seminar camp
  A seminar camp is held during the summer vacation. The location of the camp changes every year. Some years, it is held during the winter or spring vacation. In some years, students volunteer to go skiing during the winter or spring break.

• Joint seminar
  We sometimes hold joint seminars with other universities. Sometimes we visit the other university's seminar, and sometimes the other university's seminar students come to our seminar. It is a cross-cultural integration of seminars.

Themes covered in this research group are wide-ranging.