Life in the Laboratory

Guiding Principles

We believe that combining existing theories and methods with students' curiosity and flexible thinking can lead to unprecedented breakthroughs. When setting research themes, we provide a broad range of previous research efforts and current issues from the faculty, then decide based on students' preferences, interests, and ideas. Whether it is better to create something new or to work on practical themes like joint research with companies, or to focus on data analysis or proposing new methods, discussions can start from just broad directions. Research may also begin with a specific research theme brought by a student. We will discuss and refine the content with faculty, so feel free to consult us.

Daily Activities

We hold a lab-wide meeting once a week (10 minutes to an hour). In these meetings, we share news, problems, and announcements that should be communicated between faculty and students. We celebrate the completion of paper submissions, announce special lectures by overseas visitors, schedule practice sessions for conference presentations, and discuss various topics. Meetings are conducted in both Japanese and English. Since not everyone can always express what they want to say clearly, we use multiple people to rephrase in simple terms, and use chat tools for written explanations. We believe it is important to have a posture of conveying what needs to be communicated properly.
Regarding individual research themes, we hold research meetings with supervising faculty about once a week. The frequency varies depending on the person and the situation, usually once a week for policy discussions or experimental consultations, but during paper writing, especially just before deadlines, short frequent exchanges increase. Meeting times are set flexibly within the range of 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays, based on the schedules of the participants.

Lab Atmosphere

There is no core time set in the lab. Everyone comes and works at their preferred times. This allows for progressing work at one's own pace. Therefore, it is important to plan and act thoughtfully on what to do and what can be done by the next meeting. Research involves many unforeseen events, such as not understanding the content of a read paper, experiments not going as planned, or sudden illness, so discussing priorities and available time for research frankly is also important. When something needs to be addressed in the lab, it is basic to directly go to the other person's seat and talk. The professor's office, associate professor's office, and administrative office all have open doors unless there are special visitors, and there is frequent mutual movement with the students' room.
As a lab, we consider the experience of students presenting externally very important. Therefore, depending on their abilities, interests, and research progress, we encourage students to participate in conferences held domestically and internationally. We also respect students' desires to engage in long-term research abroad, participate in programming contests, or take long personal trips.

For Prospective Students

The Software Engineering Laboratory always accepts visits to the lab and research facilities, mainly for students and working professionals considering or planning to enter our university. It is a great opportunity to learn about the research content and lab atmosphere before enrollment, so if you have even a slight interest in our lab, please feel free to apply for the "Anytime Campus Tour" below. The faculty and students warmly welcome you.
In the entrance examination of our university, you will write an essay on the research content and plans you want to pursue, requiring reference materials for citation. If you find the field of software engineering interesting but have difficulty narrowing down a specific research theme or cannot visualize concrete sentences for a research plan, please use the opportunity to talk with the lab faculty. Even if a direct visit is difficult, it is possible to have a conversation via videoconference if you have a laptop or tablet with a camera and microphone. Please mention this when contacting us to apply for the "Anytime Campus Tour." If you feel hesitant to participate alone, you can request a group visit, or you can take advantage of open campus opportunities with multiple participants, although the dates are limited. It is also possible to communicate only by email (faculty email addresses are listed [here](http://isw3.naist.jp/Contents/Research/cs-05-ja.html)).
[Apply for the Anytime Campus Tour here](http://isw3.naist.jp/Contents/Admission/CampusTour-ja.html)