International Project 　【USA】
Purdue University
Kazuki Sakaki　[D2]
(Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics)

　
　My field of study is aerospace engineering, particularly propulsion engineering. Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana, US), which kindly hosted me for my International Project, is one of the leading research centres in this area, endowed with numerous experimental facilities. If you would like to engage in experimental studies in propulsion engineering, Purdue is certainly the place to go!
　I started the preparation for the International Project approximately one year before the actual start. Firstly I started to look for research institutions and universities whose research interests overlap with mine, and I found several candidates. One of the alumni of our laboratory at UTokyo (who is now a professor at different university) kindly introduced me to Purdue university, and I was accepted.
　Since I had enough time for the preparation, I experienced no serious issue during my stay. I worked with several graduated students, PhD candidates, as well as faculty members, and I helped in the advancement of a research project which they had been conducting. I was in charge of a sub-project, where I had to design a new experimental setup, and conduct several experiments with the new test article. However, due to some problems with the existing experimental setup and the long lead-time for several components, I was not able to perform my own experiment. Therefore, I shared the information on the research project I was working on with several colleagues at the host institution before I left, and we agreed to share the experimental data afterwards.
One of the most important lessons I learned from the international project is that it takes at least six months for students who are working on the experiments to achieve significant results.
　Working with people coming from different backgrounds was an excellent experience to broaden my perspective and to acquire new knowledge. I also made numerous new friends from different countries but all studying the same research topic. There is a possibility of working with them again in near future, and I will make good use of the connections I gained.
　Indeed, one of the most valuable results of the International Project does not only reside in your research, but particularly in the experience of working with people from various backgrounds and of establishing numerous connections for the future of your professional career.