On Tuesday, February 13th, the Diversity and Inclusion Promotion Headquarters, the Graduate School Education Promotion Organization, and the Joint Project Center co-hosted a career path event for female students titled "Woman's Career Canvas ~The Future Career Vision of Female Students~" at the Enreisou Hall at Hokkaido University.
This event was held as part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Diversity Research Environment Realization Initiative (Female Leader Development Type)" subsidy program for developing human resources in science and technology, with the aim of supporting female undergraduate and graduate students in pursuing doctoral degrees. Approximately 20 female undergraduate and graduate students participated.
First, doctoral students Mari Ikehata and Nana Shirai presented their research and shared their experiences leading up to pursuing doctoral studies. This was followed by a presentation by Ayako Fushiba, a graduate of the Graduate School of Science at Hokkaido University and currently a director at Savon de Siesta Co., Ltd., who spoke about her journey from a Master of Science to entrepreneurship. Professor Kaori Shigetomi (Kuribayashi) of the Graduate Education Promotion Organization spoke about Hokkaido University's initiatives for creating a research environment and promoting work-life balance. Afterwards, Professor Noriko Nagahori of the Diversity and Inclusion Promotion Headquarters joined the above speakers for a panel discussion on the theme of "The Future of Female Graduate Students."
The participants enjoyed lunch in a very relaxed atmosphere, attentively listening to the senior alumni share their own career paths and offer advice to the students.
The event featured role models such as Professor Ayumi Saruwatari from the Graduate School of Engineering, as well as researchers active in universities and companies. At the end of the event, there was time for speakers, role models, and participants to freely interact, allowing everyone to have an enjoyable and meaningful time and providing an opportunity to expand their networks.
