Student Life
Being a GPES Student
- Amelia (1st year Masters student, October 2013 entry):
Throughout my academic career, I have been blessed with the opportunity to learn in various settings and places around the world. From majoring in geology and geochemistry in the United States, to studying environmental engineering in Poland, the common goal was to delve into my passion for earth and environmental sciences.
For my Masters education, I was eager to continue my inclination towards environmental sciences. At the same time, having gained some knowledge on environmental science issues and solutions in the western countries prior, I was ready to change my perspective to learn from a country in the far east.
The University of Tokyo's GPES Masters program has provided me with a unique opportunity to explore my current research interests of Urban Hydrology and Environmental Sciences under the tutelage of world-class faculty in Asia's top educational institution.
The vibrant, urban environment of Tokyo, coupled with access to highly accomplished professors in various disciplines with no language barrier concern, has provided me with a platform and impetus to thinking in innovative ways about how both my current research interests of Urban Hydrology and Environmental Sciences can come together and be of use to society.
During my time here, I look forward to being inspired by and learning from my knowledgeable peers and distinguished professors alike. Upon graduation, I wish to pursue a career in Environmental research or consulting. No matter where I will be and what I career I pursue in the future, I believe that an education at the University of Tokyo's GPES Masters program will equip me with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in the working world.
- Kim (2nd year Ph.D. student, April 2013 entry):
"Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real." (Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days)
As a child I was an avid reader of the science fiction and adventure novels by the famous 19th century French author Jules Verne; they inspired me to leave my comfort zone behind and explore the unknown.
I may not yet have seen the depths of the ocean or flown to the moon, but my excitement to experience new countries, the people and their cultures is still just as much alive as my current dream to perform world-class research. As an undergraduate I studied law in France, Germany and England. I also obtained a Master's degree in Environmental and Energy Law from UC, Berkeley in California.
After graduating from law school, where the social science aspects of environmental research were paramount, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident made me want to gain a natural science perspective as well in order to acquire more knowledge about energy issues in Asia, more specifically Japan.
Having looked at several programs, the Graduate Program on Environmental Science (GPES) offered by the University of Tokyo turned to be the perfect choice. Being able to explore Japan and its rich culture constitutes a substantial asset on its own, yet in combination with the opportunity to study in English at the nation's top academic institution and having access to its vast research resources looked indeed very enticing to me.
I either want to go into academia or environmental consulting upon graduation, therefore the University of Tokyo GPES Ph.D. program was the right fit for me. The interdisciplinary environment, the possibility to choose from a wide array of courses and the campus' central location in Tokyo are some of the program's many qualities, just to name a few.
The GPES program provides students with the necessary resources to turn great research into reality and thus achieve more than Jules Verne could have ever imagined.