International Center of Excellence on Fiber Engineering

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Overview

What is a Global COE?

International Center of Excellence on Fiber Engineering

Following Our Success from the 21^st Century COE

Notable Achievements of our 21^st Century COE

Number of papers	880 (including 180 papers with Impact Factor of two or more)
Number of international conferences hosted	8
Number of presentations at international conferences	823 (including 103 invited talks)
Number of patent applications	221
Number of patents commercialized	26
Number of awards	54

In pursuit of comprehensive science and technology, which weaves atoms and molecules to human sensibility, our Center has investigated the ultimate molecular structures (nano fiber, nano space, and bio fiber research), created higher-order complex functionality (creation of higher-order complex functionality, optoelectronic fiber research, high-performance and hybrid fiber research), developed a human sensibility manufacturing system, and performed research in fiber manufacturing robotics and fiber sensibility systems.

Ranking in nano-fiber technology research:
No. 1 in Japan, No. 5 in the world

Internationalization of Education

We have been actively conducting student and researcher exchanges by signing exchange agreements with major fiber-related universities and research institutes around the world. Some of our activities in this area include an exchange program with l'_cole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Industries Textiles (ENSAIT) of France in which we exchanged two faculty members and two students in 2006 and one student in 2007, one graduate student was sent to North Carolina State University, one graduate student was sent to l'_cole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, and two of our students were sent abroad as part of the "Program for the Promotion of Internationalization in University Education (Long-Term International Study Program)", a strategic international cooperation support project of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. Furthermore, we are developing common curriculum with universities abroad. We have begun exchange lectures via the Internet as well as a double diploma program where multiple degrees may be obtained simultaneously through an agreement with the ENSAIT. Moreover, as part of our initiatives to improve undergraduate students' command of English, we are requiring first and second year students to take TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). TOEIC will also be used for all graduate students in the future.

International Collaboration

Our department is at the core of the Asian institutes for education and research in fiber engineering, and we are forming a network of 21 universities worldwide, including those in Europe and North America. In particular, three universities: North Carolina State University, the University of Manchester, and Shinshu University, have been holding tri-university conferences on education and research in the USA, Europe, and Asia for about the last ten years. We have hosted the Advanced Fiber International Conference (Ueda) in 2002 and 2005, which each had over 100 participants, including researchers and students from around the world. These conferences have been effective for discussing research projects, making presentations, and improving the ability of students to communicate. Furthermore, we are actively involved in collaborative research projects with our industry partners around the world.

Improvement in Our Educational Environment

We have implemented a new Department of Bioscience and Textile Technology as the main department for our 21st Century COE Program. To house our research activities, the General Research Building was built in 2005. Moreover, we have signed comprehensive agreements with the Tokyo University of Science and the Cultural Academy, whose strengths are nanotechnology and apparel and fashion, respectively. Furthermore, we are actively strengthening our practical training in order to produce advanced professionals by implementing initiatives such as VBL, Academia _ Industry Collaborative Lectures, and Textile Consultants Collaborative Lectures.

Publication of a Book, "Fiber Engineering"

To culminate the 21st Century COE activities, in 2005, we published a book entitled, "Fiber Engineering" from Maruzen Co., Ltd, which proposes fiber engineering as a new academic field. This book has already been translated into Korean.