SDM NEWS 2011

Recently, SDM has successfully applied this approach outside of the campus. For example, results of the project with Akita City were presented and well received at an academic conference. In January 2012, AGRI laboratory and Mogami-Machi officials conducted their unique "training tours for young people", a project that was first proposed during the Lab's study tour to Mogami-Machi. SDM also is collaborating with a shared office incubation center "Kannai Future Center mass x mass" in Yokohama. We continue to collaborate with local municipalities and are preparing for an event in Fukushima in December 2011. On the business side, venture companies that were nurtured through the Design Project ALPS are now in operation. Design thinking is playing an important role in various academic-industry joint research projects from technological development to social system development. Several companies have started utilizing design thinking proposed by SDM and various venture capital projects are in incubation. Watching design thinking bloom in both industry and academia is deeply gratifying for us and motivates us to further our efforts.

As I wrote in the September 2011 issue of SDM News, unlike pure scientific research, our stance is to thoroughly structure a value network around the objects, which are clients' and social needs as a system, and to bring out what is really required before conducting research. Likewise, unlike pure humanistic research, our research does not consist of just surveys or suggestions; we also propose a system, design it accurately from the general to specific, and even verify its validity and effectiveness from the general to the specific. The object of research can be anything as long as we follow the approach mentioned above. In my laboratory, for example, research topics include robots, computer input devices, human perception and cognition, regional revitalization, the optimal energy mix, teaming education and its application into company management and consulting, and research on "system", "laugh", "break out of one's shell", "concentration", "symbiosis", "happiness", and "sensation". All research follows the basic approach of SDM: respond to social needs, design as a system, and reliably validate it. We generate productive outcomes from various research approaches at SDM by focusing on what is really needed without getting mired in the details.

The three pillars are 1) sharing the vision and issues, 2) a clearer, more committed operation, and 3) reforming the design project. In 1), we invite all students, faculty and staff to share SDM's vision and concepts and to show more clearly the steps SDM should follow; attract excellent students and foster them to play important roles after they complete their education at SDM. In 2), we clarify the relationship between each professor's role in research, education, and operation as a system and visualize each professor's midterm goals to proceed together. In 3), we reorganize ALPS, our acknowledged design project, and expand it not only for student education purposes but also to help companies and municipalities solve problems in a place where open and real innovations occur. We are also conducting a full review of the curriculum, international relationship development, entrance examination, alumni involvement, personnel matters, and finance and then making structural changes where necessary. Through this midterm plan, we would like to further disseminate SDM's vision, which solves various problems from multiple perspectives of (system) x (design) x (management), and contribute to innovation and happiness in Japan and the world. We need and appreciate your continuous guidance and support.

" While I am pleased to see that our reputation in academia is growing, we still have applicants who ask "Is it possible to do scientific research?" or "Can a literature major follow the lectures?" Of course, my answer is yes to both questions. Students can conduct scientific research in the most advanced technology fields and they can also conduct very humanistic research in the social science fields. Our stance is that true scientific research should be based on the systems approach because it broadly considers various perspectives, such as those of the stakeholders in society who will benefit, environmental awareness, and safety concerns, for example. Likewise, very humanistic research should not consist of only survey studies but should include hypothesis verification research or system design and verification & validation research, which sort out problems from a systems-engineering-based systematic perspective. SDM would like to welcome new students who are inspired to learn this discipline that helps them to see a problem from various perspectives as a system and then to separate the problem into components to be solved one by one. Of course the scale varies depending on the problems. The real pleasure of SDM is studying various problems together with students and faculty who have a wide array of interests and sense of purpose. The research style varies from "very deep as well as broad" on the most advanced technology research to "very broad and deep" on changing systems in Japan and the world. We are encouraging ambitious people to apply for admission to SDM and become involved in viewing problems as systems, regardless of their field or size.

If a perception, an artificial neural network, has enough interlayer neurons and learning processes are executed adequately, it can express every nonlinear calculation. Abstractly speaking, it can solve any kind of problem, just as a team can. Theoretically, if a team of experts in every field can thoroughly discuss a problem, they will find the best solution for it. Of course, it is impossible to gather enough experts to cover all areas or to have discussions that are extensive enough to find the best solution.
In the real world, like at SDM, the best possible teams are formed and team members conduct efficient discussions by utilizing various perspectives. In other words, SDM's framework is already powerful enough to solve various problems. All we need to do is to share the framework among SDM and the stakeholders of the particular problems and cooperate to find solutions. We wish to apply SDM's framework and solve various problems of our time--from science and technological issues to political, economic, and foreign affairs. If you have such issues, SDM would like to hear from you.

Practical projects include 'Avert Blackout Project' with TOKYU CORPORATION, IBM, and Elephant Design as well as 'Fukushima Support Project' planning with IBM and Fukushima Prefecture. Among unique and playful projects, SDM has been encouraging "Waso style" (Japanese traditional clothing) on campus to emulate teacher Fukuzawa Yukichi's pioneering spirit. Fukuzawa, who advocated the equality of all social classes at the end of the Tokugawa feudal regime, is said to have preferred casual commoner's clothes rather than the formal hakama dress of the samurai.
This summer, SDM is promoting "Waso style" among faculty and students in emulation of Fukuzawa's spirit, which combines the pursuit for cutting-edge knowledge with respect for Japanese traditions. Not only is Japanese traditional clothing "cool" to the eye, being attired in extraordinary style gives us an opportunity to think innovatively about designing the future. We see this as an expression of SDM-ness. Together with this campaign, we have designed a Japanese folding fan emblazoned with the words; jiga sakko (a call to set new standards and create new traditions). We hope students and faculty will passionately engage in creating a new future while playfully engaging with the past.
SDM's trans-domain research collaboration will continue to lead in designing new technological systems and social systems.

Institutions around the world are developing courses to teach innovation through group projects; the d.school at Stanford University, which focuses on the innovation of design, and D-Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which focuses on utilizing technology to solve poverty issues, are especially well-known. How SDM differs is that our trans-domain teams design not only technological systems, but also social systems, by absorbing the advanced education available at Stanford University, MIT, and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and combining it with Japanese methods and ways of thinking. Moreover, our design thinking features more than creating ideas; it validates their feasibility from a systems engineering perspective. We offer Design Project ALPS to our students and, currently, are also earnestly promoting it for use at academic conferences and in social activities. For example, we have presented the effects of design project education and new methods derived from the initiative in international conferences and started regional development activities with public organizations and conducting joint research with consulting firms. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in our design thinking to design a new world. We would like to create a better world together.

Spring semester started on April 5, as scheduled, and the audiences at the first lectures and Q&A sessions were so dynamic that we almost forgot we were in Japan. Our new students want to study the earthquake disaster and nuclear problems in a realistic, practical, and systematic way. Thus, this year's commitment to "teach and learn more thoroughly than ever" has resonated with them and they are finding that keeping up with the discussions, assignments, and group work is both exhausting and exhilarating.
It has been a busy month. On April 16, SDM held its first "Poster Networking" event with students, faculty members and researchers in the SDM Research Institute. On April 23 and 24, we hosted the annual introductory camp at the Collaboration Complex. Temporary research supervisors were assigned to every new student. The doctoral students' research presentations were held on April 9 and the interim presentations by master's students who have completed over than six months of study were held on April 22 and 23. Several more research events are on the calendar this year.
Whatever may come, SDM will continue to lead, taking inspiration from the actions of Keio Gijuku in the chaotic period right after the Meiji Restoration. We appreciate your continuous support and assistance.

It has been over one month since the Great Tohoku-Kanto Earthquake on March 11. We mourn those who lost their lives and sincerely hope that the people affected by the earthquake can recover as early as possible.
We must now ask ourselves if SDM has played a role. SDM was established to solve various problems facing a stagnating Japan and the world by treating phenomena as systems. As individuals, we are weak; indeed, the force of Mother Nature makes us all feel incompetent. But together at this moment, should we return to the starting line and after an exchange of ideas, passion, and will, design the new era?
This national disaster is a result of problems with a nuclear system, which is a symbol of man-made large-scale complex systems, and the extremely long-term behavior of the natural system. This is similar to various global issues such as global warming, international safety assurance, and north-south problems.
These problems are complex and intertwined. In order to solve them, we must address different levels of abstraction, various system levels, and space and time scales. In other words, we need to address immediate issues we face now as well as more philosophical, ideological policy issues that require national and international collaboration simultaneously, consistently, and creatively without destroying the present structure. That is, we must see both the details and the big picture. Further discussion should draw on the wisdom of the international community. Since SDM has the methodologies to do so, we believe that SDM should stand up to solve issues facing the world.
In its first three years, SDM developed the education system, build a solid research base, and defined its basic structure. Now, SDM is delivering specialized research and providing an unparalleled education to its students. In 2011, SDM will further our efforts in all three roles; improve our education, expand our research, and contribute to society by helping to solve major issues facing our society. This includes not only academic research outcomes but also outcomes from collaboration and policy proposals. We will make such a leap this year. Students, faculty members, staff and researchers will work together in all three roles. We will report the outcomes in the SDM newsletter. We need and appreciate your continued guidance and support.

SDM began with the idea of training talented leaders in the drastically changing society of the 21st century from Japan and other countries in a true fusion of the sciences and humanities, enhanced by interaction among generations. We achieved our goal of creating a revolutionary graduate school, where the faculty and students alike take on challenges in unexplored domains. Though "System design" is not a familiar academic endeavor to most, a large number of companies and organizations see its value. Our ideas have resonated with researchers, educators, technologists, and business people in Japan and many other countries. All of these organizations and individuals have provided unstinting support for our activities. We should also note that we received critical support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 21st-century COE Program in the planning stages and benefit from the Ministry's Global COE Program's support today. The generous support and subsidies we have received from numerous companies and the Japanese government have been instrumental in the SDM's development, and we wish to express our gratitude for these substantial contributions.

April 2011 marks the start of a new academic year as well as some significant changes for the SDM. The first thing you will notice is a substantial rejuvenation of the full-time faculty. We expect our new professors to take on even more ambitious challenges. We have identified the best directions for our educational and research activities, and have obtained a number of "best practices" and "lessons learned" over the last three years. Our new faculty has been instrumental in analyzing them to formulate a more systematic and unified curriculum, to upgrade our international project design subject, ALPS (Active Learning Project Sequence), to bring in more corporate participation, and to add greater depth and variety to our Master's studies. We are confident that our students, if they are willing to make use of this drive and power to tackle difficult problems, will emerge as the new concept leaders in the 21st century, not just in technology systems, but in social systems as well. We hope to see Japan become more comfortable with the concept of system design, and to combine our skills at precision design and manufacturing with the integrated concepts of system design and management.

As I step down from my position as Dean, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the many companies, organizations and individuals who have provided such generous support for the Graduate School of System Design and Management and our Research Institute, and I would like to ask for their continued support as they go forward.

This year's exchange program between Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) has ended successfully; five TU Delft students in Japan went home after their final presentation about their stay and five SDM students visiting TU Delft safely returned. Their reports show that they learned a lot from their stay. I enjoyed reading the students' reports on their various activities; some focused on attending lectures, some were engaged in research, and they all made a lot of friends and enjoyed student life. Moreover, all students participating in a short-term visit to INSA Toulouse in France and in the intensive lectures on medical and pharmaceutical systems in Washington D.C. reported that they were fully satisfied with the trips. All returned home with a renewed sense of purpose in their studies and research. By enhancing international collaboration with top-ranking universities, we continue to encourage short-term or mid-term study abroad programs and train those who will be active on the front lines in the world.

We have entered the second decade of the 21st century, carrying with us enormous issues to address: the economy, national finances, jobs, the environment, and security. There are many who bemoan a decline in the energy and enthusiasm of our youth and see dangers in Japan's future, but in strategic systems engineering, we see this as a time to put our best foot forward and tackle new challenges and capture possibilities.
At the end of last year, Keio University was honored with a visit from US Ambassador John V. Roos, who gave us an encouraging message that I would like to share with you. The ambassador said that Japan is a country that shares the democratic value of the free market economy, has an educated population, has a culture that values work, and has enormous amounts of capital. There is no need to be even the slightest bit pessimistic. (Mainichi Shimbun, January 9, 2011) He went on to talk about the many tangible and intangible assets that we have, from our natural environment to our high ethical standards, and he encouraged us to open the way to a new future by giving strong incentives to young people, entrepreneurs, and women and designing policies and programs to help them make a difference.
This is the direction that the Graduate School of System Design and Management wants to go, and I'm confident that our presence and role will only grow in the future. The faculty at the school is as committed as always to taking on this challenge, and we look forward to your guidance and support.