Characteristics of Graduate School of Science

Inheriting the spirit and tradition of the School of Science at Osaka University, the Graduate School of Science continues its research policies, which focus on a liberal, lively spirit and creativity unencumbered by old conventions. It is very important for the progress of science to have the opportunity to focus on basic studies, which are apparently thought of as an unimportant issue. For instance, nobody pointed out the importance of the structures of genes when they were revealed in 1955. However, with the progress of other fields of science, the structures of genes have been applied to many different technologies. There are so many examples similar to this case. That is, the progress of technologies is based on cultures created by scientific studies. When a specific country produces a unique, revolutionary technology, it should have a well-established, domestic-scientific culture.

Experiment in physics	View of physics laboratory

Current scientific technologies are on their way to being highly advanced, specialized, and covering a wide range. However, the original missions of science studies have not changed, which include creating new cultures based on a tradition of basic science, as well as educating researchers in order to create new cultures. However, it is important to fully understand how societies and scientific technologies are related to such issues as energy and environmental problems. And it is also important to have an international, broad view, as well as an attitude of dedication to the betterment of human beings. From a universal point of view, people involved in research need to produce more creative, revolutionary results to contribute to the development as well as the happiness of humans. Under these circumstances, graduate education should not only educate students through studies focusing on normal, basic studies, but should also aim to educate specialists, who can provide answers to meet industrial needs. In order to achieve that, a graduate school has to play the following two important roles: one is education through studies in each individual field of study, and the other is synthetically balanced education which integrates and organizes various fields of study.

Lecture in mathematics course	Experiment in macromolecular science

The Graduate School of Science has been working on studies, aiming to achieve the following two purposes: (1) The Graduate School of Science should inherit the academic tradition of the School of Science, focusing on a liberal, creative research-based policy, and should also educate researchers who are independent in their own fields of study and also have excellent abilities. (2) By providing instruction on scientific research, which is basic to all scientific skills and technologies, the Graduate School of Science should plan to educate and develop students to be highly specialized educate and develop students to be highly specialized professionals who have knowledge in a broad range of natural science disciplines. In order to achieve these two purposes, while employing a significant number of professors and instructors from outside of the university, the Graduate School of Science has aimed to make educational studies advanced, interdisciplinary and internationalized through new scientific studies. As cooperative lecturers and professors inside the university, a great number of instructors from the Research Institute for Microbial Disease, the Institute of Laser Engineering, the Institute for Protein Research, the Research Center for Nuclear Physics, the Low Temperature Center, the Radioisotope Research Center and the Genome Information Research Center have joined the Graduate School of Science to teach courses related to their fields of study. Moreover, as additional posts open for professionals from cooperative institutes outside the university, a great number of researchers have participated in research studies at the Graduate School of Science. These institutions include The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN); the Tsukuba Center and Kansai Center of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST); the Kansai Advanced Research Center (KARC) of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT); the Peptide Institute INC.; JT Biohistory Research Hall, Inc. As mentioned above, the Graduate School of Science has a great number of excellent instructors to provide a wide range of instruction by focusing attention on various areas from basic science to the development of applied science.

Library of the department of Mathematics	Seminar

Science technology has made remarkable progress in the 20th century. This progress will obviously accelerate in this century. Scientific technology has enabled humans to achieve an enriched, comfortable life as well as increased longevity, both of which no previous generation has ever experienced. On the other hand, the continuous search for comfort has resulted in serious environmental problems such as the shortage of energy sources and the destruction of the earth's environment. These problems have surfaced within a fairly short period of time, relative to the long human history, since the ancestors of modern humans first appeared on earth ten thousands years ago. Humans in the twenty-first century are therefore required to use sagacity and intelligence to understand all the scientific technologies created during the course of human history. We cannot prevent the deterioration of the quality of human life on earth unless we can create revolutionary scientific technologies that can provide radical solutions to various problems related to energy, the environment, food supply, and overpopulation. Therefore, our generation has an obligation to pass on basic science to the next generation, which can produce the scientific technologies necessary for coping with the problems mentioned above.

Experiment in biology

In the Graduate School of Science, researchers eager to contribute to this mission have been making great efforts in educational studies, surrounded by liberal and active study environments, in order to achieve aims in accord with the overall mission of the School.