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2023/02/28

Outreach

Mr. Adrian Urban gives a lecture on science in English (February 10, 2023)

On February 10, 2023, at Aichi Prefectural Okazaki Kita Senior High School, Mr. Adrian Urban from SOKENDAI gave a lecture in English about his life as a researcher at IMS.

"I was really surprised by how large this school is. Much larger than my old school in Coesfeld in Germany. Seeing a Japanese high school from the inside was something I wanted to do for a long time and in a way, it was a small time machine for me -- only this time, I was standing in the front of the class room. The children and the teachers were all incredibly friendly. Introducing graduate-level physics to high school students is of course rather challenging -- especially with the language barrier! -- but I had the impression that a lot of students could grasp the basic concepts of my work. You could notice a point where it made 'click' in their minds and then the discussion really went off. It was a great experience!
Simplifying something complex until you can explain it with very simple words not only can make your work reach the general public better, but it can also help you truly understand what you are doing and get you out of the occasional tunnel vision. Facing the inevitable question of 'great, but what can you use this for in real life' also gives you a broader vision of your research beyond simple curiosity. After all, getting the MEXT scholarship from the Japanese taxpayer, they should know what they are paying me for. It really helps you to become more grounded. Scientists, in my opinion, don't do that nearly as often as they should, and I enjoy doing it a lot. I'm thankful that I was given the chance to do this at the Okazaki Kita High School and who knows, maybe in the future IMS will see some of their alumni again -- then, as graduate students, postdocs or even professors." (By Adrian Urban)
 

　　　　　　　

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