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1. What prompted you decide to participate in the “JSPS Science Dialogue” program?
When I first heard about this program, I realized it would be a very good opportunity for me, one that would
allow me to discover what the youth of Japan are thinking about and help them to express themselves more
productively.
2. To what did you give greatest attention in preparing and giving the lecture?
For many reasons this part was not that easy to accomplish. I had to limit the English that I used in order to
be understood, but at the same time, I had to be able to explain a vast amount of information easily. The
presentation itself had to be short, but to the point.
3. Did you find it difficult to give a lecture in English to Japanese students? Could you give some advice to future lecturers on how to facilitate communication with Japanese students?
Not being a native speaker myself, is a problem in itself. More than that, it was not that easy to relay all the
information necessary for the presentation to be a success, and at the same time making sure that my style of
English would be understood. If I were to give the presentation again, I would use more concrete examples
and notions that the students could pick up more easily.
4. Could you give your impression with regard to participating in this program?
Yes, it was very important for me to give this presentation. By doing so, it enabled me to convey my research
to those who know very little about it. It also gave me the opportunity to show that my research holds the
same importance as research that is more widely known. Not only that, I also had the pleasure of meeting
many bright and young talented students in the world of research. The many discussions we had afterwards
were a real delight.
5. Was it meaningful in terms of your fellowship activities?
Of course yes. All the preparation I had to carry out in order to complete this presentation, in connection with
the research I am doing here in Japan has helped me to understand how important it is to be able to convey
just what you are doing, not just to those fellow researchers, but to every one.
6. In what ways do you think the students benefited from the program?
I hope by participating in the presentation the students have come to realize just how important research is
for our society today. Also, by using their English, the students are at an advantage of being able to, not only
discover, but come into contact with many researchers from around the globe and to hopefully learn from them.
7. Could you give some overall advice or comments to future participants in the program?
Sometimes communication between people of different nationalities can be a little difficult. Finding the
common ground needed in order to effectively convey what you wish to say needs time and a great deal of
consideration.
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