Courses in Cluster III (Fundamental Science and Engineering) all investigate the creation of substances and devices with functions that did not exist before, as well as the origins of their mechanisms. This field of study therefore contributes to manufacturing that can achieve harmony between humans and the environment. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this field supports the technologies underlying information and interdisciplinary fields, as well as the various foundational technologies that power innovations in these fields.
For instance, this is the area that produces new optical technologies to enable the fast and highly accurate communication of larger amounts of data, as well as designing new devices and new materials indispensable to the advancement of information science. In addition to electronic circuits and other types of electronics, accurate knowledge and skills related to design and production, material strength and thermal-fluidic phenomena are also in demand. So is a background in physics and a broad understanding of these subjects.
This area of study also includes examinations of the biofunctions of plants and animals—including humans—the creation of chemical substances with advanced functions, and the application and refinement of these functions in industry. This is essential for the future of humanity.
For this reason, starting in their third year, students in Cluster III study a diverse range of subjects in programs with a higher level of specialization, choosing one of the following five programs: Mechanical Systems, Electronic Engineering, or Applied Physics, which are groundwork courses and provide a general foundation in science and engineering; or Optical Science and Engineering or Chemistry and Biotechnology—both areas that have brought dramatic advancements in recent years.
Students in their third year and later are divided into five separate programs: Mechanical Systems Program, Electronic Engineering Program, Optical Science and Engineering Program, Applied Physics Program, and Chemistry and Biotechnology Program. In these programs, students receive practical education focused on the specific information-application technology covered by their program.
Students learn how to create cutting-edge fundamental technology for the design and development of mechanical systems. Topics include computer-assisted mechanical design, the development of creative processing methods, the physics of material strength and destruction, fluid mathematics and control, computational mechanics, and numerical simulation.
To train students to design and develop electronic and optical devices, the Electronic Engineering Program has prepared a curriculum that covers everything from the fundamentals of electronic devices to the design of integrated circuits. Students develop fundamental electronic engineering knowledge and practical skills that will produce results in research and development at companies and laboratories.
Students learn methods for using mathematical models to record, analyze, and predict a variety of different phenomena. Students learn about graph theory, algorithms, numerical analysis, and other fundamental elements of mathematical information theory and about evolving techniques such as simulation, high-performance computation, and optimization.
Students are able to gain a broad understanding of the optical functional materials and optical devices that are the foundation of optoelectronics and the optical communication and information processing systems that these materials and devices are applied to. The goal of the program is to train specialized engineers and researchers who have broad perspectives and knowledge that encompass everything from the fundamentals of optoelectronics to their application.
Students are able to gain a deep understanding of natural phenomena and materials through the study of fundamental physics. Students are trained to use their fundamental scientific knowledge to exhibit exceptional creativity and flexibility in the field of advanced material development and a variety of other research and development situations.
The goal of the program is to train students to become pioneers in the construction of a sustainable society and in futuristic manufacturing. To that end, students are taught to see organisms as refined material, energy, and information systems, and they learn about the hierarchies, material productivity, energy conversion mechanisms, functional expressions, and information transmission and processing mechanisms of those systems.
The instructors are the instructors in the School of Informatics and Engineering. Please refer to the list of instructors for the School of Informatics and Engineering.
