Earth & Space Sciences

This course provides individual research training for students in the Junior Year Engineering Program through the experience of belonging to a specific laboratory at Tohoku University. Students are assigned to a laboratory with the consent of the faculty member in charge. They participate in various group activities, including seminars, for the purposes of training in research methods and developing teamwork skills. The specific topic studied depends on the instructor in charge of the laboratory to which each student is assigned. The methods of assessment vary with the student's project and laboratory instructor. Students submit an abstract concerning the results of their individual research each semester and present the results near the end of the program.

This course  leads students through the scientific quest for the origin of life on Earth and the prospect for finding life on other planets, both in our solar system and on habitable worlds elsewhere in the Galaxy. The course covers diverse topics in biology, geology, astronomy and chemistry, which together comprise the field of astrobiology. The course studies the origins and evolution of planets and life on Earth, and uses this as a framework for how to search for life in our Solar System and beyond, including exploring how science interfaces with society. Due to the wide range of science topics covered, the course is applicable to any Science faculty student. A key component of the course is to examine the scientific method, how scientific theories are developed and refuted, and discuss the burden of proof for extraordinary claims.

This special lab course nurtures international students' creative competency by offering them opportunities for learning in communities of research practice. The student's supervisor arranges the research topic. Students give three oral presentations during the study period. In the presentations, students integrate ideas and analyses on laboratory results into creative and academically coherent work. FrontierLab program coordinators and supervisors attend and evaluate the final oral presentation.

This course deals with processes of glacial erosion, glacial sedimentation, and glacial morphology. Lectures concern glacial systems, glacier movements, hydrology, erosion, sediment transport and deposition, glaciotectonic deformations and glacial landforms. The course ends with a 5-day field trip to present glaciers in southern Iceland and formerly glaciated areas in western Iceland, where students get to observe glacial processes and products. Participation in fieldtrip is required for getting course credits.

This course emphasizes hands-on laboratory experience and teaches students research background, relevant theories, and basic laboratory techniques relevant to their field of study. Students formulate a research plan, implement it by conducting experiment-based research, and convey the results in scholarly presentations. Students submit a written research report at the end of the course.

This course provides research training for students through the experience of belonging to a specific laboratory at the University of Tokyo. Students carry out an original research project under the guidance of assigned faculty members. Through a full-time commitment, students will be able to improve their research skills by applying the basic principles and knowledge from the literature related to the research questions, and by developing the skills to collect, interpret, and critique data in order to resolve a research question or evaluate a design for a research project. At the conclusion of the program, students submit their final work (paper, presentation, report etc.) as instructed by their lab supervisors

In this course students acquire a broad knowledge base and develop analytical and critical thinking skills. Students actively participate in seminars, read assigned texts and research papers, and analyze research data. Students also discuss results obtained in their own experiments with peers and senior laboratory members.

In this course the principles of geochemistry are introduced, including the distribution of the elements on Earth, various phase diagrams, thermodynamics and water solutions. Also covered is nuclear fusion, the origin of the solar system, distribution of trace elements, stable and radiogenic isotopes, and how these are used in geoscience research.

Glaciers in the world are responding fast to climate change, they are therefore important indicators for assessing changes, but have also impact on the climate system through for example albedo feedback and sea level rise. In this course glaciers are studied, their distribution in the world, how glacier ice is formed from snow, how they move and respond to climate change. Focus is on Icelandic glaciers, their energy and mass balance, interaction of geothermal activity and glaciers in Iceland and reoccurring floods, jökulhlaups, from the main ice cap. During the course students learn terminology and concepts that equip them to understand and contribute to discussions of climate change and the role of glaciers in the climate system.  Background in high school physics and math is useful, as numerical  problems concerning temperature, energy budget, mass balance and flow of glaciers are solved in groups. Glacier measurement techniques are introduced, and at the end of the course ablation stakes are installed in Sólheimajökull on the south coast of Iceland in a two-day field excursion. Participation in the field trip is mandatory.

This course emphasizes hands-on laboratory experience and teaches students research background, relevant theories, and basic laboratory techniques relevant to their field of study. Students formulate a research plan, implement it by conducting experiment-based research, and convey the results in scholarly presentations. Students submit a written research report at the end of the course.