[:en]2019 Natsuki Minakawa[:]

[:en]Natsuki Minakawa
Hometown in Japan: Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture
University in Japan: Osaka University
Major & School Year: Robotics & Artificial Intelligence, B2: Sophomore
Host Advisor: Prof. Ashutosh Sabharwal, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering (for research overview click here)
Host Lab:  Scalable Health Labs: Mobile Bio-Behavioral Sensing 
Research Project: “Graphical User Interface for Non-Invasive Micro-Vasculature and Blood Perfusion Imaging”

Why TOMODACHI STEM @ Rice University?
I applied for this program because I want to make myself grow in America. I have heard that Houston is famous as a place where cutting-edge medical technology is gathered. Researchers at Rice University also frequently conduct cooperative research with institutions in the nearby Texas Medical Center. Moreover, I have also heard that at Rice University I can obtain the most valuable education in America. That’s why when I heard about this program, I was really sure that if I was accepted, I will be able to improve my knowledge and experience related to my major. It is also a precious chance for me to study and work with excellent students from all over the world. After I come back to Japan, I want to continue to keep good relations with them and I believe that their presence will motivate me to study even harder than before.

Goals

  • Exchange many ideas with students who are in Rice University and doing cutting-edge research.
  • Decide whether I want to go abroad as a graduate student in the future.
  • Enjoy the differences of cultures, values, and ways of thinking.

Excerpts from Natsuki’s Weekly Reports

Week 01: Arrival in the U.S.

Arriving at the Houston airport ~ Natsuki Minakawa

When I first arrived in Houston, I was a little surprised that there were no cowboys, no desert, and no cactus because I had not had any other idea about Texas before I arrived here. However, instead, there were really friendly people and they all welcomed us!

This week, I realized that I have more Japanese values than I had thought. We had cross-cultural class and talking about Japanese and American core values, I found that most of values which I regarded as important in society were Japanese ones. We also had a seminar about how to make good poster and this was really helpful for me to prepare for the final poster session. This will be my first time to make a poster and present about my research. I was really excited and at the same time worried about this new challenge. However, the seminar helped me feel less anxious because Dr. Moran told me how to make good, easy to read, and effective poster in detail.

I also went to the Rice University Farmer’s Market on Tuesday. Although it was rainy, there were many fresh and local vegetables and groceries. On Saturday, I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science with my friends. It was so large and had many precious things to see. One of my friends, Kyoko, knows a lot about dinosaurs and their fossils. We were all astonished and also enjoyed her “lectures.”

Initial Reflections on Intercultural Experiences in the U.S.
First, I would like to talk about my experiences in my laboratory. My laboratory does not have any fixed hours when everyone has to be there (core time in Japan) so I asked my mentor when should I go to the lab because the next day we needed to have meeting about my research theme. To my surprise, my mentor said “It’s up to you!!” In relation to typical U.S. values, this might be related to self-reliance. I have learned that U.S. people take responsibility for everything they do. When I was told “It’s up to you!!”, I was puzzled and tried to decide an exact arrival time. My mentor didn’t say anything about my decision. This experience showed me that people in the U.S. respect other’s idea. Moreover, I realized that I was more Japanese than I thought. Before I came to the U.S., I had thought that Japan is too strict about the time and I wanted to live freely. However, now I’m missing the set schedules a little.

Second, I will talk about the time I bumped up against my ‘Japaneseness’. It was actually during intercultural seminar. Every time when my teacher asked our opinions, I struggled with my Japanese value. It was “wa” and “situationism”. Actually I wanted to say my opinion but at the same time I was afraid my opinion would be different from the majority and felt that I shouldn’t do anything too conspicuous. I tried to join the class as much as possible, but it was far from what I wanted to. I learnt that these value are invisible and very vague but have a strong power and actually I am being affected even though I am in the US.

Question of the Week

Texas BBQ at Goode Co. BBQ ~ Natsuki Minakawa

Are there any traditional or original food other than Tex-Mex in Texas??

 Preparing for Research in the U.S. & First Few Days in the Lab
Before I came to Houston, I did a few things to prepare for this research activity in Rice University. First, I sent an email to my host professor and asked about my research topics. Then, fortunately, he told me about my topic in detail and and also sent me some related papers. Therefore, I was able to study about my research topic by reviewing these papers. I also studied English and tried to learn anything related to America from culture, people, weather, and the way of thinking to popular homemade dishes by watching videos and websites.

If I could give advice to other Japanese students, I would strongly recommend they listen “various” types of English, which are spoken by various people before they come. English in different countries or regions sounds different. Moreover, people in America speak so fast that most of students can’t follow at first. People in Houston like to have small talk so being prepared for this will help them enjoy such a regional experience. In addition to this, I also recommend them to bring curry roux. They are able to cook curry but it requires them to buy so many kinds of spice. Using such seasoning is good way to make delicious dish easily in their room.

After the welcome party finished on Tuesday, I went to my lab with my mentor. My mentor showed me around the lab and she gave me a desk. The members sitting around my desk also welcomed me and we had short conversation. They were so kind. Speaking of my mentor, Amruta is a Ph.D student in my lab. She is doing many research projects concurrently and one of them is related to my research topic. She is also mentoring other undergraduate students so I hope I can see them.

My research topic is about a system which will be used in medical field. I learned that the system, pluscam, will be enable us to monitor our body conditions more easily, safely, and precisely. My research and work in Rice University will help this project become closer to practical use. Therefore I am really exited!!

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Week 02: First Week at Research Host Lab

Just one of many squirrels I get to see on my walk to campus ~ Natsuki Minakawa

Every morning I go to my lab around 9 a.m. and tackle my project until around 5 p.m. I don’t use shuttle bus so during my walk to campus I can watch many squirrels. I cannot help taking photos of them!!

My project is making a Graphical User Interface (GUI) using Matlab and collecting some data about blood perfusion with my mentor. This is my first time to make a GUI, so I spend most of my time studying Matlab and coding. There is a regular lab meeting every Tuesday afternoon, but this week I could not attend it because of session set by TOMODACHI STEM so next week I will join.

I have not met all of my lab members yet so almost every day I talk with new people and enjoy my conversations with them. On Monday, my lab members spoke to me and invited me to a seminar that introduced a study about photon reflection. The seminar was a little difficult for me because speaker used many technical terms, but it was precious experience because I was able to know more about a cutting-edge study related to my major.

Enjoying curry with my lab members ~ Natsuki Minakawa

I am not very good at speaking in English on short notice. When I need to talk with other people about something, I am able to do it because I have enough time to prepare for the conversation. However, when someone speaks to me suddenly, I get startled and I cannot speak well. This is the weakest point of my communication skills. In order to change this situation, I will not spend so much time preparing for conversations before I speak to others next week and try to talk with others positively.

On Saturday my mentor invited me to dinner and I had Indian curry. There were also other Ph.D. students so I was able to talk to them about many things related to their studies, life in America, their home country, and also Japan. Moreover, it was my first time to use my hands to eat. It was more difficult than I had thought, but my mentor and her friends showed me how to do it well. I was the only Japanese student at this dinner. It was like a small multicultural party so it was a really good experience for me. I really appreciated my mentor for inviting me and will thank her again for this.

Visiting NASA! ~ Natsuki Minakawa

On Sunday, I went to Space Center Houston with my friends. There were many interesting exhibits related to space and rockets. I was able to learn a lot more about rockets because my friend, Kyoko, taught me many things about NASA and the rockets there!! Thanks to this sightseeing and her lecture, I started to have more interest in space and rockets than before. There are ten special STEM students who have different majors and interests and, moreover, they like their majors. That’s why I am so inspired by them and their enthusiasm. I am really enjoying interacting with the other TOMODACHI STEM members and I hope I can encourage the other students too.

Research Project Update
My project has two parts. First, I have to make a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI will control data analysis and show the results. Second, I will collect some data with my mentor and analyze them by using my GUI. That’s why my goal is making a useful GUI, use it for data analysis, and summarize these results on my poster.

Making the GUI: I am using Matlab to make the GUI and this will also be used for data analysis. The development method of GUI is, first, deciding the icon’s layout, second, connecting the icons on the screen with functions which decide behaviors of GUI (which function will be activate is depend on the user’s action on the screen.), and third, getting some feedback from others and make my GUI better.

Data collection: We need two people to do the experiment and we have to collect two kinds of data. One is from a pulse oximeter and the other is from a video camera. So, when we collect data, one person sets the computer and light intensity and  takes video of the other person’s foot and at the same time monitors his/her electrical cardiogram. While being monitored, the other person should rest and must not move a lot.

Training: To learn how to do this project, I needed to study about Matlab and I needed to learn how to use Linux and a GUI for collecting data and how to analyze the data by using the plusCam program.

Timeline: The table below is actually what I have sent to my mentor and professor. Mainly and secondary shows the priority.

Question of the Week
About life in the U.S., I am surprised that people in America (I believe it might be only those around me) are not really punctual about time!!! Is it a common and not rude thing that people do not come at time of meeting??  I have heard that Japanese people tend to be  too strict with time so I try to have generous mind in order to adapt to this society but I am bumping with home culture values.

  • Well, yes it is true that Japan has a very strict time orientation but other countries may be more flexible.  In American culture, we tend to be very time orientated too but a little flexible in that if your are 5 – 10 (or maybe even 15) minutes late it is usually not a big deal and okay.  However, longer than that without any notice would make most people frustrated and that is probably more just who that individual person is rather than any ‘cultural’ trait.
  • Time orientation is a very culturally/socially influenced value and it does vary widely across the world.  Depending on the home countries/societies that the people you are working with come from the common/shared understanding of what is ‘on-time’ may vary. One tool you might use is the Hofstede Insights Country Comparisons website.  You can put in Japan and then the country/ies of the team members you are working with to learn a little bit more about how they compare in terms of time orientation.  For example, click here to see a comparison between Japan, India, and the U.S.
  • You might also be interested to read some of the articles under the Time Orientation section of our Intercultural Communication & Understanding Resources page.

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Week 03: Interview With a Researcher

I chose to interview Prof. Ashutosh Sabharwahl as he is my host professor and I wanted to know more about his background and ideas about research.

Ten years ago, he was in different field from the research he is doing now and then he changed his research topic. He said this is because his present research topic looked very interesting. He seems to be really curious about many things and actually has tried various research areas. After he entered the best university in India, he was introduced to research in his freshman year. When he became a sophomore, he started to do research and through this research activity, he decided to go on to pursue a Ph.D. course and then moved to America. It is important for him to be in America. He said that America is a really good country to do research because there are many institutions and great number of researchers in various field. There is also, typically,  a much bigger budget for research. Therefore, he has lived in America since he came here for his Ph.D. course.

Now he is doing a kind of big research, which includes various small projects and takes a long time before they get remarkable results. So far, he will continue to work on this topic and at the same time, he will mentor many students like me!!(smile)

When I asked about the nature of his work, he listed two things. One is researching new technology which is useful for the medical field. The other is translating new cutting-edge technology into something which is closer to a practical use. New technology, which can be found through basic research, sometimes might look so abstract or difficult that some people in industry have no idea about the application of the discovery. Therefore, it is important work to make some systems or devices which utilize high-tech innovations and to show an example of industry application and utilization. This was unexpected answer so it was really interesting for me to hear.

Through this interview, he gave me a lot of advice. First, I asked him what is important to know when living in a cross-cultural society. He answered that respect and not being judgmental. We shouldn’t decide whether one’s behavior or value is good or not from our own point of view. Sometimes, I cannot help judging other people who live in different cultures and societies from those in Japanese as being a little rude. However, I learned that before I do this, I must talk with the person about the difference and what I want him/her to do so that we can better understand each other. Second, he said that the women in STEM should be bold. He said that being a woman has many advantages so there is no need to feel inferior and we, female researchers, should be active in our field. He really evaluates his female students highly.

This was a really good experience for me because I was able to know how a male professor thinks about women in STEM fields.

Research Project Update
This week I made my draft poster and continued writing code. I actually wanted to make more progress with my GUI but I encountered some difficulties, so I couldn’t make as much progress as I had hoped. I had to get a set of data which will actually be used for data analysis part in my GUI but the data I got was broken so I could not debug my GUI. I tried to tell my mentor about the problem but this took a long time and was really hard for me because my mentor was so busy that I could not see her so could only send emails. Moreover, she didn’t design software that I will add to my GUI for data analysis,  so it also took time for her to understand that the data she gave me was not correct. I wish I could finish developing my GUI this weekend so that I can add information about GUI on my poster and make my draft poster closer to the final one. Anyway, next week I will finish making my GUI and complete my poster.

We got to try Samba this week at the OISS Ladies Network Luncheon ~ Natsuki Minakawa

Enjoying the Houston Rodeo ~ Natsuki Minakawa

One of the undergraduate student colleges (dormitories) at Rice University ~ Natsuki Minakawa

Question of the Week
There are many squirrels on campus at Rice University and many people don’t seem to be surprised. Are there any problems (environmental or social) caused by squirrel??

  • The biggest problem is that often the squirrels will dig in the trash cans for food and make a big mess. But, in general, no there are not any major environmental problems.  Sometimes, if the squirrel population gets too big or starts to get sick then the university will consult with the necessary experts to decide what to do.
  • Since people food is bad for squirrels (or any animals) they can sometimes get very fat too and this can also cause some illnesses due to being overweight.  So, you actually should not feed the squirrels though you will often find people doing this on campus.
  • The other big concern is that squirrels can (and do) bite people.  This is actually one of the top reasons for Emergency Medical Assistance (EMS) calls on campus. So, it is best not to get too close or try to pet the squirrels. This is why in both the OISS Orientation to Rice and in the TOMODACHI STEM Orientation to Rice we talk about the squirrels and how, while cute, you should not get too close.
  • If you are bitten by any wild animal (including squirrels) or a stray dog/cat in the U.S. it is also very important that you seek medical attention for the bite – even if it does not seem that bad.  While squirrels do not (usually) carry rabies, the U.S. does have rabies. So, if you are bitten by an wild animal in the U.S. a doctor must see the would to determine if you need further treatment or a series of rabies shots to prevent you become ill.  Japan is actually one of only a handful of places in the entire world (typically islands) that does not have rabies. Most domestic pets are safe as they will have had rabies vaccinations so they cannot catch rabies or spread it to other people or animals.

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Week 04: Research in the U.S. vs. Research in Japan

Through this research in my lab, I was able to learn what one type of lab is like. I found that the presence of core time has both a good and bad effect on lab. In my lab, there is no core time so students can come to and leave the lab when ever they want. Therefore, there is not a time when all members of the lab are all there together. Sometimes, this causes a few problems. When I need to have conversation with someone I always have to send an email and ask him/her whether they will come to the lab today and when they are available. This procedure is sometimes troublesome for me. If we had a set core time, we would be able to have more interaction with each member more easily and I think this would have a good effect on our research. However, on the other hand, thanks to not having a set core time, we can do research and study freely. For example, we don’t have any restrictions on when we want to attend a seminar or other event on campus.

I don’t know much about how laboratories and research in Japan work yet as  I have never belonged to a lab in Japan, but I think that everyone spending more time together in the laboratory would be given a higher value. In Japan, we must show the amount of effort we are making on our research by being present. On the other hand, in terms of academic research in the U.S., I found our that what is most valued is the results we achieve rather than the effort/time it took.  Indeed, I have never been asked by my professor how long I am spending doing research. I was just asked about what I learned and the results I achieved this week. I think I can behave more freely in America than in Japan,  but at the same time I need to take more responsibility for my own research and time management in the U.S.

Other Activities at Rice University 
A member of my laboratory  invited me to a lecture about machine learning. It was really difficult for me because the lecture is for graduate students, but I was able to learn about cutting-edge machine learning research this was a precious experience for me. I strongly wish that I could have had more knowledge about machine learning and stronger English skills so I could have joined in the discussion after the lecture. I will continue studying, not only about my major, but also to improve my English.

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Final Research Project Overview

Natsuki Minakawa presenting her final poster at Rice University.

I was a member of the Scalable Health Labs: Mobile Bio-Behavioral Sensing group under the advisement of Prof. Ashutosh Sabharwal in the Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering. I joined an existing research project that my mentor, Amruta, had been working on. My research focused on developing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for non-invasive micro-vasculature and blood perfusion imaging. My research goal was to design and develop a GUI in order to make a system called the Pulsecam more user-friendly.

This Pulsecam system is really useful for diagnosing Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) and has many merits for patients compared with other non-invasive ways. Therefore, making GUI improved not only efficiency of the Pulsecam system itself but also it’s speed; making the system better. In other words, the faster the system is to start practically,the  more number of people we can help. From this point, I believe that my research contributes to advancements in the medical field.

The Pulsecam system is run in Matlab so by using this same software, I designed and development a GUI so that everyone can use the system more easily and without needing to start and control Matlab. By the end of this research activity, I finished making the GUI and improved it’s efficiency in three key ways. First, when we use the Pulsecam system, we have to give the data to the system. In the previous way, we had to change the code every time and this took a long time. In comparison, my GUI can give the data in a similar manner to how you use Microsoft Word. By clicking on data file, you can automatically see the patient’s data in the system. Second, we had to control the system in Matlab but this required users to have knowledge of how to use MatLab; which would be uncommon for medical professionals in a clinical setting.  On the other hands, my GUI can control the system by a push of the button instead of the user needing to know MatLab or see any figures in MatLab. Third, the prior system didn’t show the results so we had to enter some commands for each data in order to check them. However, by using my GUI, it will show the results automatically after you push the button. Through these changes my achievements make the system more visually attractive, user-friendly, practical, and efficient.

The next step of my research should be further improvement of my GUI by getting user feedback from people who are not used to using Matlab. From this feedback, we can continue to improve the GUI and make the Pulsecam system itself better.

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Week 05: Science & Technology Policy Study Tour

2019 TOMODACHI STEM students visiting JSPS in Washington, D.C.

This week, I have learned many things other than research. On Wednesday, we visited the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Washington, D.C. office. We learned a lot about the various JSPS funding and support systems for Japanese researchers. It was so helpful to learn about this as a young researchers. But also, I was able to learn more about the meaning things. I asked, “Are there any better or stronger points in a Japanese doctoral course than that in the U.S.??” And the question seemed to be hard for the director to answer. Until then, I had thought that I hadn’t found any good points about doctoral courses in Japan just because I didn’t know much about them yet. However, even though a person who is really familiar with the world also couldn’t easily answer this question; or perhaps the strengths compared to the U.S. are more difficult to quickly identify. I applies for this program because I wanted to know about graduate school in the U.S. and by comparing with them, I also wanted to know about graduate school in Japan. In this point of view, I wasn’t able to achieve my goal in this program since I still don’t know much about the Japanese system of graduate education. After I go back to Japan, I will look into more about the good points of Japanese graduate school. After I know more about both good and bad points of graduate school in both countries, I want to think more about whether I should go to the U.S. and whether pursuing a graduate degree is the right path for me.

In Japan, most graduate students cannot live independently from their parents because they don’t receive an income while in school and have to pay for their education and living costs. That’s why many people in Japan, including my parents, think that graduate students should only marry after they become financially independent. I also thought this was what I should do before I came to the U.S. and I was bumping up against a dilemma; I want to work as a highly educated engineer and contribute to developing medical devices but I also want to get married and have children. Both of my dreams require dedicate in my later twenties. I had thought that before I became senior undergraduate, I would have to decide which dream I would choose. However, the ideas which I saw or and people I met in the U.S that I talked with about this gave me completely different answers. I have met many female STEM students and they told me that I can get married and give birth during my Ph.D. course as this isn’t uncommon in the U.S. It made me really surprised and really delighted. In the U.S. there are options that don’t require me to give up both dream. Even though it is a hard road for me, I am really excited and I am fascinated by the unlimited possibilities in the U.S.

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Final Report

 

  • Coming this spring!

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Tips for Future Participants

 

  • Coming this spring!

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