104th Chair: Dr. Yasuhiro Yamazaki
(Chiba University)
It is my great honor to serve as the 104th Chair of the Materials and Processing (M&P) Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME). With the support of Prof. Jumpei Sakurai of Sojo University, Vice-Chair, Prof. Ryosuke Matsuzaki of Tokyo University of Science, Secretary, the members of the Division Steering Committee, the Public Relations Committee, and the JSME office, as well as the guidance of former division chairs, I will do my utmost to further strengthen the division and enhance the services we provide to our members. I sincerely ask for your continued guidance and support.
Academic societies, including our division, are facing a number of common challenges. Along with the decline in membership associated with demographic change, many senior members who have long supported the academic and technological foundations of our field are now retiring. I also feel that the relationship between industry and academic societies has changed over time. In the past, conferences and division activities offered valuable opportunities for young researchers and engineers to grow, while also strengthening ties between academia and industry. Recently, however, such opportunities seem to have become more limited, and I am concerned that the connection between the two sectors may gradually weaken. To address this, we have invited several young faculty members and colleagues from industry to join the Division Steering Committee this year. I hope this will help us reflect a wider range of perspectives and further strengthen the role of the M&P Division as a bridge between academia and industry.
The M&P Division covers a broad range of fields related to material properties and their processing. Our activities are therefore closely connected to industry, while also overlapping with those of other divisions. Building on this strength, we will continue to promote collaboration with related divisions through conferences, seminars, and other activities. The division organizes several seminars and M&P salons each year, and we will continue these activities this year, including joint seminars with related divisions, while also exploring new topics that will further improve services for our members. The M&P Salon, where speakers from industry introduce the latest topics, has also been made more accessible to students by waiving the participation fee. I hope this will provide students with valuable opportunities to connect with industry.
Interdivisional collaboration is also being promoted through the Materials and Processing Division Conference. Following the collocated meeting with the Materials and Mechanics Division in Tsukuba in 2023, we are planning another collocated meeting this September at Osaka University, and we are also discussing a similar plan for 2027 in Niigata. Since many members of the M&P Division are also affiliated with the Materials and Mechanics Division, such collaboration is expected to create significant synergy.
International exchange is another important part of our activities. In 2025, we successfully held the 2nd JSME International Conference on Mechanical Materials and Materials Processing (ICM&P2025) in Guam, which attracted many participants, especially students. This was particularly meaningful in encouraging younger researchers. At the same time, increasing participation by researchers from outside Japan remains an important challenge, and we are continuing discussions on how best to develop our future international activities.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, seminars and M&P salons have often been organized in a hybrid format. While hybrid events improve accessibility and encourage wider participation, they can make it more difficult to build personal networks than face-to-face meetings. For this reason, the Division Conference has returned to an in-person format. At the same time, I believe we should continue improving hybrid events so that they can combine accessibility with meaningful interaction.
Some thirty years ago, I joined a society research group at the strong encouragement of my mentor. Looking back, I can say that my current career has been greatly supported by those activities and by the generous guidance I received from colleagues in both academia and industry. For me, participation in academic society activities remains an essential part of research life. Within our division as well, research committees and study groups play an important role in connecting academia and industry. Several groups are currently active, and new initiatives are also emerging. I hope to further encourage such activities in the years ahead. If you have ideas for a study group or research committee that you would like to see, I would be very happy to hear from you.
In closing, I will devote myself to contributing, even in a small way, to the continued growth and development of the M&P Division. I sincerely ask for the continued support and encouragement of all division members.