Education
A key goal of SKCM2 is to foster the development of the next generation of researchers and educators with deep expertise in the interdisciplinary field of knotted chiral meta matter. Over 50% of WPI grant funds are dedicated to supporting young scientists, including PhD students. Additionally, SKCM2 places significant emphasis on outreach, ensuring our research endeavors reach young students and the broader public.
Graduate Education
SKCM2 has a multifaceted approach to graduate education, aiming to nurture young researchers that thrive in international and interdisciplinary research settings. Students at SKCM2 are mentored by a trio of primary, secondary, and international experts, ensuring comprehensive guidance and fostering their research careers. Additionally, SKCM2 conducts weekly seminars featuring global leaders in the field and organizes conferences and schools to teach key concepts related to chiral knotted meta matter. PhD students also have the chance to further their studies by undertaking specialized coursework or engaging in research at other SKCM2 nodes, such as MIT, Cambridge, and CU-Boulder. Students play a crucial role in SKCM2 activities, including outreach and dissemination, both for their professional development and to cultivate them as socially-conscious researchers.
Seminars, Colloquia, and Schools
SKCM2 hosts a weekly hybrid seminar and colloquia series, inviting researchers from across the globe to present on a variety of topics related to the center’s focus. In addition, SKCM2 organizes an annual school, other symposia, and workshops to learn about the most recent scientific developments in the field. SKCM2 strives to make learning accessible for all through the SKCM2 lecture archive.
Outreach
SKCM2 strives to convey to both scientific communities and the general public how the fundamental research at the center helps address many knotty problems that the entire world faces, like the growing energy demand and its impact on climate change. SKCM2 has an outreach team, led by Dr. Yuka Kotorii, Deputy Director for Outreach and Dissemination. The outreach team visits schools in Hiroshima prefecture, organizes outreach demonstrations in conjunction with public events, and represents the center at outreach-related events in both Japan and overseas. A unique and exciting component of SKCM2 outreach events is the SKCM2 Virtual Reality (VR) toolkit that vividly presents the geometry and topology of knots in engaging ways, showcasing intricate scientific concepts our center explores. SKCM2 also aims to attract significant interest in outreach from the broader academic community. SKCM2‘s winter and summer schools not only offer public lectures but also serve as platforms to exchange best practices for conducting outreach activities in various countries worldwide. The goal of such collaboration is to enable researchers to conduct outreach more effectively.