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About UEC

Comprehensive Communication Sciences

The University of Electro-Communications (UEC) has been advocating “Comprehensive Communication Sciences” as a core philosophy to promote academic activity for research and education.

Characteristic History of the UEC

In 1918, the Technical Institute for Wireless Communications was founded by the Wireless Association to foster telegraphers. In 1949, it was reorganized to become the University of Electro-Communications (UEC), a national university highly regarded for its activity and performance, and accordingly supported by the Ministry of Education. Thus far, UEC has been devoting itself to research and education associated with the development of communication devices/systems and to related material sciences. Recently, research conducted in UEC has covered topics from basic sciences to advanced technological engineering. Although its research targets appear to be diverse, we believe that every research target is related to communication not only between humans but also among humans, societies and the natural environment. Generally, the diversity of research fields is likely to end up in sectionalism, which makes it difficult for researchers working in different disciplines to share and understand research contents. UEC indeed found itself in such a situation, despite its relatively small size compared with other universities.

Scientific and Engineering Research in the 21st Century

Up to and including the 20th century, individual disciplines matured somewhat independently of other disciplines. Even isolated researchers might have been able to contribute to the progress of science and technology without any help from researchers in other fields. In the 21st century, however, it is difficult to make new discoveries and/or develop innovative technology without any collaboration with experts in other complementary fields, because prominent research achievements tend to occur as a result of integrating elemental technologies of high quality. In other words, every researcher needs to cooperate with other excellent researchers with specialist knowledge and/or technologies that he or she is unfamiliar with.
This implies that we should have the capability of sharing ideas with people who work outside our own expertise and that we should remain interested in what is happening in other fields. All innovations in the 21st century require interactions among researchers with different areas of expertise or working in different disciplines, including social studies and humanities. It is most important for us to emphasize the exchange of ideas and technologies between researchers, i.e., communication and interaction between different research fields. Overcoming sectionalism and facilitating collaborative research with researchers within and outside UEC will necessitate drastic changes in research styles in science and engineering.

Redefinition of “Communication”

Fig. 1. Scheme of tripartite communication among humans, societies and the natural environment

In the present world, it can be said that everything is based on the exchange of something. Electromagnetic interactions emerge from the exchange of virtual photons between charged particles. The cellular interactions in our body are carried out through the exchange of hormones, neurotransmitters and various functional proteins. Business is done through the exchange of products and money between companies and customers. Enterprise is based on the exchange of labor and remuneration between employees and employers. Thus, there are various kinds of exchanges of information, energy and materials between humans and societies, humans and the natural environment, and societies and the natural environment. A scheme of tripartite communication among humans, societies and the natural environment is shown in Figure 1. The word “communication” is generally used to represent the verbal or nonverbal exchange of ideas among humans. Here we expand the concept of “communication” and redefine it to mean all exchanges of information, energy and materials. In such a sense, we regard “communication” as more fundamental than “interaction”, and the use of the word “communication” in the phrase “Comprehensive Communication Sciences” refers to this redefined “communication”.

Philosophy of Comprehensive Communication Sciences

UEC has tried revitalizing mutual communication among apparently different research fields and utilizing synergistic effects in collaborations, which is expected to yield new values or true innovation. A basic philosophy of “Comprehensive Communication Sciences” is that there are two purposes of “communication”: (1) communication as a target of scientific and engineering research and (2) communication as a tool for promoting collaborative research.

(1) Communication as a research target

Fig. 2. Scatter plot of the 14 education programs based on tripartite communication.

Contemporary communications are often mediated by various manufactured artifacts such as smartphones and computer networks, in contrast to ancient communication via face-to-face dialogue between people. However, serious problems may arise in situations when such artifacts cannot function, such as in megadisasters. The development of novel communication devices/systems with higher performance and robustness against natural disasters is inevitable, and efforts to further improve the quality of communication have been along the same lines as those targeted by UEC. However, to create something highly innovative, we think that it is most important to combine and integrate apparently distinct pieces of knowledge and/or technologies. At present, individual researchers in UEC are working with others inside and outside UEC with the aim of creating revolutionary and epoch-making communication devices/systems. A scatter plot showing the 14 education programs currently running in UEC that are based on tripartite communication is shown in Figure 2.

(2) Communication as a tool for collaborative research

UEC encourages people to make best use of the opportunities to communicate in every aspect of research and education. It is taken for granted that each student should aim to be an expert in his or her major, because high specialization is required to create something innovative. On the other hand, he or she should also remain interested in other research fields and daily events happening in the world, while trying to improve communication skills to understand people working in different research areas and from different cultural backgrounds.
The idea of Comprehensive Communication Sciences emphasizes the importance of such collaboration and cooperation to create genuine innovations. A team composed of people without marked specialization will never create any innovations. It is important that individuals participating in a team should have prominent areas of expertise to make the team stronger synergistically. Furthermore, individuals should also have excellent communication skills and a wide range of interests. These faculties provide people with solid bases on which they can interact to achieve individual targets that are coherently directed towards the common objective of a team. Such concepts of education in UEC based on Comprehensive Communication Sciences are shown schematically in Figure 3. The 14 education programs (Figure 2) are designed and executed so that students and graduate students can become innovative people with deep expertise, a wide range of interests and strong communication skills. Thereby, the students will be able to play active roles in the world after graduation.
Thus, on the basis of the philosophy of Comprehensive Communication Sciences, UEC is promoting research and education to contribute to the realization of a more pleasant and sustainable societies.

Figure 3. UEC’s education style of fostering innovative human resources with deep expertise, a wide range of interests and strong communication skills.

Importance of “Pluralistic Diversity” in comprehensive communication sciences

The philosophy of comprehensive communication sciences indicates that we should overcome academic sectionalism as well as borders between intersecting factors such as age, gender, race, and nationality. It also emphasizes a wide spectrum of people working together in multidimensional axes of academic disciples and intersecting factors. We believe that innovation emerges from such a pluralistic (or multidimensional) diversity generated by interaction and networking among people, things, events, and concepts, which thus far were thought to be unrelated. UEC believes that realizing the philosophy of comprehensive communication sciences will contribute to the construction of sustainable societies composed of happy communities through collaboration and cooperation among individual researchers having not only prominent expertise but also respect for pluralistic diversity.

Find out “Comprehensive Communication Sciences”!

Concept of Comprehensive Communications Science

  • Forward
  • I. Basic Concept of Comprehensive Communications Science
  • II. Specialized Fields Related to Communications
    1. Information and Communication
    2. Computer Science
    3. Mechatronics/Robotics
    4. Electron/Photon Devices
    5. Society and Information Systems
  • III. Achievement of a Sustainable Society through Comprehensive Communications Science

More about UEC

Characteristics and Appeal

Fully equipped education and research environment and high employment rate for UEC graduates.

The Guiding Principles

The University of Electro-Communications (UEC), aiming for the creation and achievement of knowledge and skill to contribute to the sustainable development of humankind, has the following three mission policies.

For the realization

UEC Vision

The mission statement of the University of Electro-Communications (UEC) mentions that we will cultivate academic excellences that bring about bright future of the earth and humanity, as well as create knowledge and skills.

Comprehensive Communication Sciences

"Comprehensive Communication Sciences", which UEC advocates, promotes research and education in accordance with two purposes of "communication": (1) communication as a target of scientific and engineering research, and (2) communication as a tool for promoting collaborative research.

Gender Equality Program

Through the implementation of our Action Plan to promote the Gender Equality Program, we will create an environment where students and young researchers from around the world can gather to enthusiastically study and do research in a free and relaxed atmosphere and thereby give birth to new and unique ideas.

About UEC