Another interesting subject in e3

Let’s welcome and celebrate it...

To be Editor-in-Chief is Challenging...
After we launched the brandnew E:Vision last summer, we
received a lot of positive
responses from the audiences.
We introduced better contents
and attractive layout to let all
the readers enjoy our in-housemagazine. In this issue, we
present in-depth information
on a new field in e3 program,
Mechanical Engineering.
Not only that, we will know
how a newcomer coped up
during her first week inchilly Sapporo city.
Sapporo is getting warmer
nowadays and the trees
are becoming green again.
It is the season for Cherry
Blossoms or Sakura. We
usually have them from late
April to early May or during theGolden Week. Many Japanese people
love and enjoy barbecue under the
Sakura trees. I highly recommend you
guys to do it while you are still inJapan. However, if you ask me what
am I looking forward to in Sapporo, I
may say the underground passage from
Sapporo Station to Susukino. But it isscheduled to open a couple of years
from now.

The e3 Magazine
E:Vision Spring 2008

Contents

Spring has come...

What’s in this issue?
3
Feature - What is ME?5
Feature - Myth & Ritual
7
Feature - Graduates
9
Article - First Time
11
Article - Travel: India
12
Article - Zimbabwe’s Food 13
ECO Constitution
14
Community Updates
15
Interview - New Student This issue is my last responsibility as
the Editor-in Chief of E:Vision. I think I
have done a great deal in opening a
new window for this magazine. E:Vision
is growing with us. I believe that thenext editor will bring interesting items
as we have done before. Lastly, I would
like to thank all the authors and ouractive editorial team for everything. I
am so glad to work with you guys. We
will always be a team.

Editor-in-chief: Thithiwat May
Editorial committee: Richard Diaz Alorro, Jaja Gaid, Werawan Manakul Ueda,
Vannie Joy Tumapon Resabal, Nikol Kochmanova and Jintana Wongta
Copyright@2008, English Engineering Education Program, All rights reserved.

Environmental Business...
The G8 Summit will be in Toyako in July and a lot of VIPs willvisit Hokkaido by jet airplanes, consuming enormous amounts offossil fuels. The most important theme seems to be Global
Warming. As you know, there is an organization called IPCC
(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). This organization
has groups which consists of the world's smartest researchers in theworld. They calculate how much the average temperature and the sea level willrise in the future by using super computers, which consume enormous electricity
generated mainly by burning by fossil fuels, in clean fully air-conditioned rooms.
According to their results (AR4, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report), in 100 years,
the average temperature will rise between 1.1 and 6.4 oC, and the sea level willrise between 0.18 and 0.59 m only by thermal expansion. In long-term (manycenturies) equilibrium, the average temperature will rise between 2.0 and 6.1
degree C. The sea level will rise between 0.4 and 3.7 m again only by thermal
expansion. It will never be the same world in many centuries. Global warming isa very serious issue for human being although I wonder if human beings cansurvive for centuries even without global warming.
To mitigate GHG (greenhouse gases), a lot of technologies are being developedand some of you are working with them. However, comparing the total process,some of the technologies need more petroleum and emit more CO2. I hope thate3 students carefully examine the whole process of your technology and do yourresearch not to help "pseudo-environmental businesses" but really to contributeto human happiness in the world.

Big Move for e3
It is my great pleasure to know that the e3 student organization is going to publish its
biannual publication “E:Vision for the spring issue”. Though the publication is acontinuous effort of our English Program students to ventilate their opinions andexperiences in an organized manner, it is the first of its kind after the English Graduate
Program on Socio-Environmental Engineering (EGPSEE) took a new shape and size by re-naming it as e3, which stands forEnglish Engineering Education. The commencement of e3 was officially launched last year in October. Though e3 has notgone far from its birth and is still on its on going journey, we have experienced a lot of positive changes in this new program. It
will take several pages to describe all of them. And it is not the right place to do that. I will just give you a brief overview of
those events.
In December 2007 we held an election of our new executive committee to run the student organization for the next academic
year. I congratulate everyone for choosing us and for showing your confidence in us. We took the office and held a stunning
New Year’s party. I hope everyone commits it to memory.
We also arranged a short trip to Asahikawa-a city with eye-catching landscape and natural beauty. Twenty-eight students frome3, including some Japanese students, went for the trip.
Excitement does not finish here! We have a lot more dazzling events for you throughout this year. Come, join and enjoy ourtime together.
Finally, I extend my sincere thanks to the Editor-in-Chief who worked really hard for the last few months just to bring the
E:Vision in its printed form and offered in front of us. I wish all the newcomers and those who are already with us a happy
and healthy life here in Japan with an excellent achievement in your studies.

Special

Interview:

Getting to know a new e3 family member
By Richard Diaz Alorro

As I am writing this article, I can’t
help recalling a song by Jose Mari
Chan, a Filipino artist, the lyrics ofwhich goes this way,

“We’re on the road, we move fromplace to place, and often times when
I’m about to call it home, we’d haveto move along, life is a constantchange;the friends we know, we meet along
the way, too soon the times weshared, form parts of yesterday, ‘coz
life’s a constant change, and nothing
stays the same…”“Yes”, life really is a constantchange. Just a couple of days ago,
we waved goodbye to some of ourmost active Japanese friends in e3.
After finishing their graduate
studies in our program, they
moved on to another chapter of
their lives and embarked on theadventures and challenges ofbeing salary men and women. For
us who are left behind, we
continue our everyday battles withhopes and expectations of still
many great things yet to come.
They say, when a door closes, awindow opens. We bid adieu tos o m e o f e 3 ’s M a r c h 2 0 0 8
g r a d u a t e s, b u t t h i s s p r i n gsemester, we will welcome 6 newstudents coming from different
parts of the globe. Among these 6
students, only 1 Japanese student
braved to join us in our journey

and be part of our family. In thisarticle, I will introduce him to you.
Let us all welcome him to ourhumble abode.
The Japanese guy I am referring to
is no other than KANGO ITO.
This free-spirited, funny, cool, andvery tall (184 cm) lad was born in
Gifu prefecture on September 4,
1 9 8 4 . K a n g o, w h o s e n a m e,
according to him, is synonymous
to the word relax or sit back, is a
1st year master course student andbelongs to the Laboratory ofEngineering for Sustainable
Sanitation of the Division of Built
Environment.
We welcome you Kango to our e3family! We hope you will havewonderful and memorable timewith us (photos courtesy of
Aileen).

Note: Starting this April 2008,
Kango will be our Public Relation
officer (formerly held by Kyung Mi)
Why Hokkaido University?
 Actually, at first I did notwant to go to Hokudai(Hokkaido University). I justcame here to take theuniversity examination, butwhen I saw Susukino, I got
fascinated and so I said, “thisis it!” I was born and raised
in a very rural and very quiet
area so I thought that
Sapporo would be a very
interesting place (soon he will
get a drinking degree from
Susukino Daigaku!...hehehe).
Why did you choose Laboratory ofEngineering for Sustainable
Sanitation?
 I like Aileen so I chose thislaboratory (winks…Kango
and Aileen are in the samelaboratory). Kidding aside,
actually I’m interested inwater problems. I am doing
now a research on treatmentof household wastewater.
Why did you decide to join e3?
 My former laboratory mates,
Shiro Amano and Hiroyuki
Nagata, influenced me (Shiro
and Nagata, if you can readthis, you did a very goodbusiness deal. Thanks for thesales talk!). I heard a lot ofgood things from them about
e3. They said to be with e3 isfun. Personally, I would liketo make friends with foreign
students and improve myEnglish because in the future
I want to work abroad. I
think e3 will be a good venue
for me to speak English.
What is your hobby? During yourfree time what do you usually do?
 I love travelling (if possible
outside Japan). Sometimes I

Richard is now doing his Ph.D. in the Laboratory of Mineral
Processing and Resources Recycling, Graduate School ofEngineering.

do 1 day travel, i.e., go to
Asahikawa mountainsides(Kurodake or Asahidake). I
love mountains. During myfree time, sometimes I watch
movies; listen to music, readbooks (novels by Japanese
authors).
Are you into sports? What is yourfavorite sports?
 Yes! I like volleyball. I playedvolleyball for 4-5 years since
my high school days until justrecently. I was a member of
Hokudai volleyball circle
when I was in 2nd grade and I
used to play 1-2 times a week.
What’s your favorite food?
 Squid. It’s my ultimate
favorite, in any cooking style.
In Gifu, we have this quite
exotic food – bee (we call ithachi in Japanese) andgrasshopper. It’s a sweet andsour delicacy (cooked in soy
sauce and sugar). Hachi isvery good but expensive(around 2000-3000 yen/serving), maybe because it’srare and difficult to catch.
What countries have you visited so
far? Which one do you like most andwhy?
 L a s t m o n t h , I we n t t oZimbabwe in Africa. In 2004,
I got a one year holiday, so I
traveled around the world.
Fo r a b o u t 6 - 7 m o n t h s(August-March), I went to
the USA (from Los Angeles
to New York by bus in 2
weeks), France, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Sudan,
Ethiopia, India, Thailand,
China, and then back toJapan via ferryboat to Osaka(Wow! What a holiday!).
Among these places, I like

Sudan the most. It is not arich country, mostly desert,
almost nothing to see, almost
nothing to eat (1 kind ofbread, cigar, and drink), but
the people are so kind. I felt
very happy when I was in
Sudan; a simple place butwith great people. I think
Japanese people are kind, but
the Sudanese are kinder.
A r e yo u a m e m b e r o f o t h e rorganizations in Hokudai?
 Yes! I am a student memberof WACCA which is anorganizationforenvironmental problems suchas water issues. I am also amember of Communicationfor Science and Technology
Education Program(COSTEP) which engages inpublic information about the
impact of science andtechnolog y in our lives
through conferences, video,
radio, and paper media.
Recently, I just joined amuscle training circle. I wantto enhance my muscles. But
as of now, we only have 2
members (kawaiso), so weare inviting others to join.
Please join us!
Ten years from now (or in the
future), what do you imagine
yourself to be?
 Have a very good job and agood family. I want to have 5children but I think I need towork hard to provide theirbasic needs (yeah, I agree!…
hehe). I just have very simple
dream - to spend good, happyand exciting times with myfamily (Very well said Kango!
After all, our ultimate goal inlife is to be happy with our
loved ones).

FEATURE:

What is MechanicalEngineering?
By Hamidreza Jamshidnia“Mechanics is the paradise of the mathematicalsciences because by means of it one comes to the fruitsof mathematics. (Leonardo da Vinci, 1452±1519)”
Mechanical Engineering (ME) is an exciting
subject. It is an engineering discipline thatinvolves the application of principles of physics
for analysis, design, manufacturing, andmaintenance of mechanical systems. In theimportance of mechanics, it is good to consider
the following statement: Mechanics is theparadise of the mathematical sciences because
by means of it one comes to the fruits ofmathematics. (Leonardo da Vinci, 1452±1519)
In fact, Mechanical Engineering is a creative
profession, the broadest and most versatile ofthe engineering professions. As a mechanicalengineer one can help solve some of the world's
most challenging and pressing issues - energy
and transportation on the ground, in the air andin outer space - just to name a few from a long
list. Mechanical engineers typically work insuch areas as energy conversion, energy
m a n a g e m e n t , f l u i d d y n a m i c s, p o w e r
p r o d u c t i o n , r o b o t i c s, b i o - e n g i n e e r i n g,
microprocessor control, manufacturing,
computer-aided design, machine design, andmaterial science.

In general, mechanical engineering can bedivided into the following branches:
1-Solid Mechanics is the branch of mechanics,
physics, and mathematics that concerns the
behavior of solid matter under external actions(e.g., external forces, temperature changes,
applied displacements, etc.). It is part of abroader study known as continum mechanics.
2-Fluid Mechanics is a physical science dealing
with the action of fluids at rest (fluid statics) orin motion (fluid dynamics), and theirinteraction with flow devices and applications
in engineering. Fluids are not necessarilyliquids, but can be made up of gases, such as
air. Also some materials can be regarded as
fluids such as glass. It must be noted that
although the christening of the discipline is arelatively recent undertaking, fluid mechanics
goes back to the time of archaic Homo sapiens.
The art of fluids in motion was born when,quite empirically and without a hint of what
either a fluid or mechanics is, the resourcefulinhabitants of the planet Earth discovered that a
streamlined object travels farther as compared
to a blunt one.

My laboratory is called LFC, which
stands for Laboratory for Flow
Control. In my laboratory, we areinvestigating the str ucturalcharacteristic of the flow. The
knowledge of which can induce andmake our life more comfortable, moreconvenient and much safer. Also it isbelieved that if we know how a fluid
moves we will be able to predict flows
which is of great importance inindustrial applications.
Flow fields have a spatio-temporalnature. Conventionally, spatial
structure is investigated using time
average quantities and time structure
was studied at a single spatial point
because of underdeveloped
measurement techniques. In
theoretical studies, the flow field istreated as a spatio-temporal velocity
field. The development of numericalsimulation made it possible toinvestigate the flow field in a spatiocompletely understood. Separated
temporal manner numerically.
flows for instance are of great
importance which makes the baffle
In LFC, two major novel andproblem more interesting andadvanced experimental methods arevaluable to study.
used to extract the spatio-temporal
behavior of flow fields in different
In fact this configuration has some
applications. The following is a brief
similarities with the flow over
explanation of the above said
backward and forward facing step
methods.
problem in fluid dynamics which has
attracted the attention of many fluid
In my research, I am investigating the
dynamists because of theirflow of water over a baffle (a flat plate
application and importance. In thisnormal to the direction of the flow) in
configuration many interesting fluida rectangular channel using advanced
dynamics phenomenon, such as
experimental techniques. The flow
separation and reattachment,
pattern due to the presence of thisr e c i r c u l a t i o n r e g i o n s, v o r t e xplate at different Reynolds numbers isshedding, shear layers and etc. areinteresting and complicated althoughobserved.
the geometry seems simple. On theother hand, in fluid mechanics there
On the other hand, flow through aare many areas that are notsudden expansion and contraction is

ACTIVITYREPORT:
New Year’s Party
January 25, 2008

“The Greek mathematician
Archimedes (287±212 BC)
provided an exact solution
to the fluid-at-rest problem
and expressions for thebuoyant force on various
bodies, long before
calculus or the modern
laws of mechanics were
known.”

Hamid is now doing his Ph.D. in the
Laboratory of Flow Control, Graduate
School of Engineering.

a model system that mimics many
applications in chemical,
pharmaceutical and biomedical
device industries and also heattransfer applications and provides theopportunities for the observation ofinteresting complex flow behavior asa diagnostic tool.
In general there is also an interest inblockage effect on flows such as theflow of blood through an obstructed
arterial passage. Therefore, the baffle
can also be regarded as an obstacle
which makes it possible to gain some
information on the blockage effects. It
must be mentioned that separation
and reattaching shear flows appear invarious engineering systems andtherefore their study is of great
importance.

The first ever e3 New Year’s
Party was held on January
25th, 2008. Over 60 people
attended this party,
including various
professors, staff members
and non-e3 students! The
program included games suchas ‘Horses, knights, andcavaliers’, ‘Musical chairs
with a treasure hunt’, ‘The
cup game’, and ‘Charades’.
Dinner included dishes frommany different countries(thanks to all ourvolunteers!).

FEATURE:

Myth and Ritual
By Dr. Werawan Manakul Ueda

Myth and ritual are important components ofreligions practice. I am not going to talk about “For a graduate student to get all
religions though. I am going to talk about our ‘A’s for all the courses he took isuniversity, to be precise, the Faculty/Graduate not strange because, according to
School of Engineering. Passing by theprofessors, “We put emphasis onclassrooms with doors left ajar, it is not unusual
to see students sleeping in the back rows while research”. Let’s look at how
the instructor is giving his lecture. It was a most undergraduate and master ’s
startling observation for me when I started students’ research works areworking here nine years ago. Gradually I began
to understand why students dare to sleep in examined.”class and why professors do not seem to mind.
of his work, rather the place where he might beassigned to.
One day, last semester, a group of Japanese
students were leaving a classroom at the time Students attend classes because attendance isthey were not supposed to. I asked them what crucial. For some classes, attendance alone
happened and was told that the professor did guarantees a passing grade. To some professors,
not show up. Students were chatting and showing up at every lecture or remaining in theshowing no sign of discontent caused by laboratory study room late into the night is anprofessor’s absence. They seemed gratified by indication of how much a student devotes
their professor’s absence (without prior notice) himself to his study. Devotion is more
as it offered an opportunity for them to chat.
important than the study result since theuniversity’s role is to prepare well disciplined
What do Japanese students expect from team workers ready to be re-trained byuniversity? Knowledge? Friends and fun? A employers. Most employers pay little or no
passport to employment? Perhaps all of the attention to what students learn at theabove but with more (a lot more) so with the university, instead they put emphasis on how
latter two. High school students study hard in well students fit in their organization. Whenorder to get into a “good” university. The word specific knowledge or expertise is required, an“good” has nothing to do with how famous the employer approaches a professor in that fieldteaching staff is or how interesting the and asks him to recommend a student who fitscurriculum is. It refers to the high probability of the need.
getting a job at a big company after graduation.
It won’t be surprising if you ask a university Since tuition is charged per semester, not per
student what kind of work he would like to be credit, students who fail to obtain credits can reengaged in after graduation and he won’t be take the course without an extra cost. Failure toable to give you an answer. One graduate earn credits may come from simply dropping
student told me that he did not mind the nature (or disappearing from) the course, failure to
submit the final report or failing the final exam

and re-exam. Some students re-takethe course in their graduating
semester knowing that professors areless likely to fail them. Why? Failing a
graduating student affects manythings negatively. First and foremost,
students’ failure to graduate is due touniversity’s poor education, according
to MEXT. Second, students might
already have gotten a job offer orpassed an entrance exam for higher
study. Third the university risks losing
the trust of organizations that makes
job offers to students. This is because
most Japanese companies hire new
employees only once a year in April,
it is not possible to immediately fill
the vacant posts left by students
unable to graduate. As a result
employers may refrain from recruiting
our students because they cannot be
sure whether our students can join
them.

up to their supervisors or divisions.
Two years ago, it took me one year
and repeated reminders to get acomplete thesis from a Japanese
graduate of the e3 program. Last year
out of 5 Japanese graduates, only 2
submitted their theses. We cannot
blame them as they simply followed
what their Japanese colleagues were
doing.

Within the 40 hrs/week timeframe, anactive professor is expected to prepare
for his lectures for both undergrad
and grad courses, deliver his lectures,
do the grading, conduct laboratory
seminars, supervise students’ researchwork, check students’ research
papers/theses, review journal papers,
write his own papers (vital forachievement recognition), attend
committee meetings both on and off
c a m p u s, wo r k o n c o m m i t t e e
assignments, attend domestic andinternational meetings/conferences,take care of invited lecturers andvisitors, pre pare g rant/projectapplications, prepare progress reports
for on-going projects, prepare final
reports for complete projects, carryout university administrative work,
etc. It has always fascinated me to seethat Japanese professors have noproblem carrying out these tasks.

Likewise, we cannot blame professors
for being content with the university’srole given by the society. What else
can they do if the rest of the Japanese
universities accept such role? As one
professor put it, “If we are strict, no
students will choose to study here.”
Professors then shift their interest
from education to research and offcampus academic society committee
activities where they can seriously
discuss research with experts fromtheir field -- something that is difficult
For a graduate student to get all ‘A’s to do on campus where each professor No one can predict how long thisfor all the courses he takes is not at all is expert in his own field.
ritual will last. But one thing we haves t r a n ge b e c a u s e, a c c o r d i n g t o
to admit is that everyone performs
professors, “we put emphasis on To conduct research required funds his/her role perfectly and in unison.
r e s e a r c h .” L e t ’s l o o k a t h ow but the budget each laboratory gets Well, this is Japan, a land ofundergraduate and master’s students’ from the university is not enough. perfection and harmony.
Professors have to get money fromresearch works are examined.
somewhere outside the university.
Undergraduate and graduate thesis They can apply for research grants
defense lasts not more than 10 mostly provided by governmental
minutes (7+3) and 15 minutes (10+5), agencies but the chances depend on
respectively. What students have to how “hot” the research topics are. If
submit before their thesis defense is a the success rate is 10%, professors
2-page abstract (for undergraduates) must submit at least 10 applications toand a 4-page abstract (for master’s various agencies.
Dr. Werawan is our beloved program
students). Whether students are
officer.
required to submit a complete thesis is

ACTIVITYREPORT:

Graduation Party
March 14, 2008

The Graduation Party washeld on March 14th, 2008.
Approximately 50 people
attended the party,
including six of the eightgraduates; Hiroshi
Yamamura, the first
doctoral student tograduate in 2 years, andthe masters’ graduates:
Yayoi Akahori, Shiro Amano,
Keisuke Iwata, Rani Jha,and Hiroyuki Nagata. The
graduates were able to put
on make-up, made of flour,
and work for their degrees
in ‘Who wants to be a
graduate. Following a
Thai-based dinner, which
included otherinternational dishes as
well, the graduates wereable to demonstrate theirdancing skills. The night
ended with the ‘Newspaper
dance’, and the‘Wheelbarrow Race’. Good
luck in the future
graduates!

“Your health comes first. Spend thetime being healthy or else you mightfind yourself spending more time being
sick. Hard work should be balancedwith other activities so that you enjoy
and give you a break.”FEATURE:
Thanks to the PLOS Computational Biology, and its
Creative Commons Attribution License which permit
unrestricted use and reproduction in this story. Choosing
to go to graduate school is a major life decision. Whether
you have already made that decision or are still about to, it
is now time to consider how to be a successful graduate
student.
1- Let Passion Be the Driving Force of Your Success
Doing your best work requires that you are passionate
about what you are doing. Use the time wisely. The
educational system provides a variety of failsafe
mechanisms depending on the part of the world where
you study. Laboratory rotations and other forms ofapprenticeship should not be overlooked, for they areopportunities to test the waters and measure your passion
in a given subject area. If you do not feel excited about
doing research and the project selected, do not do it; reevaluate your career decisions.

To Be a Successful
Graduate Student
By Thithiwat May

3- Remain Focused on Your Hypothesis While Avoiding
Being Held Back
When you find yourself lost in the details of yourresearch, take a step back and remind yourself of the big
picture. Re-evaluate your hypothesis from time to time tosee if it still makes sense, because you may find yourself
needing a new one. Always keep this in mind in
discussions with your mentor. As you have these
discussions, remember you are cheap labor, and, if you area good student, a source of success to your mentor. Define
the scope of your project early with your mentor and agree
that this is what you will attempt to complete in order toreceive the degree.
4- Address Problems Earlier Rather Than Later

If graduate school wasn't quite what you thought it wouldbe, discuss these problems with your mentors. A good
mentor is there not just to guide you scientifically, but also
in your personal development. Remember, they have been
there themselves and have likely seen similar issues with
2- Remember, Life Is All about Balanceearlier students. Take time off to reflect on your future if
Take the time to meet your own needs. Graduate school is this is needed. A good mentor will understand that you
highly demanding, both mentally and physically. Your come first.
health comes first, spend the time being healthy or else
you might find yourself spending more time being sick. 5- Share Your Success with the World
Hard work should be balanced with other activities that When opportunities arise to give seminars andyou enjoy and give you a break. These activities can often
presentations to other groups, take them. Before starting
become important in your future scientific career.
with a mentor, come to an agreement as to when and what
meetings you can attend locally and globally. Meetings area fun and fruitful venue for exchange. Be sure toventure beyond the comfort zone of familiar faces,
because it is important to meet other colleagues in yourfield. These people may become your futurecollaborators, friends, advocates, and employers.
6- Build Confidence and a Thick Skin
The best way to build self-confidence for theseotherwise defensive moments is to be prepared and topresent your work clearly with a confident display of
your expansive knowledgebase of the relevant related
work. Do not be intimidated by big names whoquestion your work; counter knowledge withknowledge. Another reason to have a thick skin is thatthe path to success will not be without setbacks—
setbacks such as experiments that fail, and experimentsthat succeed but do not yield a useful result causing
you to have wasted significant time.
From Gu J, Bourne PE (2007) Ten Simple Rules for
Graduate Students. PLoS Comput Biol 3(11): e229.
doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030229

May is the E:Vision Editor-in-Chief, and doing Ph.D. in
Laboratory of Water Quality Control Engineering.

EDITOR’SCHOICEI got a new iPOD again.
The fatty Nano !! The
new Nano gained someweight and most of all,it plays video at a
pretty high resolution.
However, many would not
bear to watch a complete
movie on the Nanobecause of its 2 inch
screen. The iPod ispackaged in its normal"clear", cute plastic
box- the packaging isthat good till its
almost seamless.
In one word "yes". This
MP3 player is not

perfect, but with theaddition of video
support it's definitely
one of the top 5 on themarket right now. The
third generation iPod
Nano is available in avariety of colors andeither a 4GB or 8GB
memory capacity. If you
plan on watching lots ofvideo, I definitely
recommend getting the
8GB rather than the 4 GB
model.

IPOD NANO

RECENT ARTICLE:

OPINION:
FIRST TIME
By Vannie J.T. Resabal

Coming from a tropical country likethe Philippines, I felt “the chill” assoon as I stepped out of Sapporo Eki.
It was about 140C then and way too
cold for me—even though I was
already wearing the thickest jacket I
could find in my country. My Filipino
friends, Aileen, Richard and Bong,welcomed three of us (Einstein, Primoand me), and were teasing us non-stopthat 140C was nothing compared to the-100C in winter. I wasn’t thinking indegrees anymore, I was thinking‘survival’. I considered hibernating; but
I hadn’t even found an apartment of
my own. I considered mega-shopping,but I was clueless about trendy winterclothes in Japan. Alas, I considered
not minding the cold at all. They took
us to Tsubohashi and while I struggledwith the hashi, I contemplated theclimate: good for tightening the pores
and regulating the oil glands (Wink!).
In the middle of October, my friends
and I rushed to go shopping at Sapporo
Factor y, Spor ts Depot, JUSCO,
UniQlo and Doki Doki (note the order,and how we stayed away from the eki).
As I studied how Japanese ladies
dressed up, I also learned about theprice tides in Japan. In my country, you
can get Gap originals at half the pricefor twice as many. Blue is fashionable
all year, and it takes two years before
we let go of a style. In Japan, the prices
and styles fluctuate with the seasons. I
am now also determined to find a pairof jeans that can actually fit the size of
my hips! (What do these women eat?)

Vannie is doing her Masters in the
Laboratory of Corrosion
Engineering.

the day it first snowed (?!?) and thecrows disappeared for a while (thosewretched birds!). I watched in awefrom our veranda and fixed my eyes on
the snow! All that snow! Snow! Snow!
I wanted to cup every flake and put itin the fridge as keepsakes! I phoned
Einstein, Primo and Jaja and we didour best to contain our excitement
about watching the snow as we walked
around the campus. The Yuki Matsuri
was even more thrilling! We even had
friends all the way from Kyoto come toenjoy the gigantic snow sculptures in
Odori.
But don’t get me wrong, winter has its
horrors too. One time I was walking
home from the hyaku-en shop in Kita
12 (everybody loves hyaku-en shops!)
and I slipped! I was crossing the street
with my proud winter boots and I
slipped! But the embarrassment wasn’t
over until I got up and cleared thestreet with my clutters. I laugh about it
now but at that time my eyes wereswollen with tears. In my country, we
had jeepneys and pedicabs thatdelivered you block to block, door todoor, rain or shine, with porter service,at 15 yen a ride. But here, I was always
walking and slipping and watching
every step. But slippery roads and earlysunsets were nothing compared to
winter leisure in Hokkaido. I’ve gone
skiing and ice-fishing and…. Well, I’m
not very athletic but I love the outdoors
and winter is best experienced when
you go out.

Now spring has come and a newsemester is about to start. I’m still
emotionally attached to my winterjacket so I haven’t thought aboutbuying a spring coat yet (hihihihi).
You know Hokkaido is best known for
its magnificent seasons. And there isnothing more about this country that I
can say except that I am charmed—
completely charmed by the seasons
Fall had just begun but I was desperate and the people. I say this as a testament
for a winter jacket! I have always put to the wonders of God’s work. It’s acomfort above everything else, so I beautiful, beautiful country!
braved the streets wearing my firstwinter jacket while the rest of Sapporo
celebrated Autumn. And what adelight it was to have my first autumn
in Japan! In my country, the trees staygreen all year and the chickens makenoise at precisely 5 in the morning. In
Sapporo, the trees can’t decide between
turning yellow or red but they’re pretty
just the same!
I can’t accurately say when winteractually started but I presume it was on

TRAVELOGUE:
WHAT’S IN
COIMBATORE?
by Aileen Parra Huelgas

For the first time since I came to Japan, I
missed the snow festival. I had to attend
a conference in India; not the capital ofIndia, which is Delhi, but Coimbatore in
the southern part.
To reach the place, we had to take four
flights from Sapporo: Sapporo-KansaiKuala Lumpur-Chennai-Coimbatore.
Before finally landing at Kuala Lumpur,
we had one stopover in Singapore. Whileplanning our trip, the thought of going
there made me want to finish theconference and return to Japan as soon
as possible. Expecting that I would betired from the trip, I had never thoughtthat a lot of people would ask me “Howwas India?” upon returning. And when I
was asked, my immediate response was,
“It was interesting!” That’s why May
asked me to write something for E:Vision
about my travel to India...oooppppssss…
can I still say no?
What attracted most of my attention inIndia was ladies’ fashion. I was still in
the airport in Chennai waiting for our
flight to Coimbatore when I noticed thatthe ladies were wearing their traditional
dress - sari or saree. But I was even more
surprised to see that all the ladies in
Coimbatore wore a saree, and a few oldmen were also wearing their own
traditional costume. It never occurred tome that in some parts of India men andwomen still wore the traditional dress. I
thought that just like any other country,
such as the Philippines, Japan, andThailand, India too has adopted thewestern way of dressing up - jeans andshirts, and that you can see thetraditional costumes only during special
occasions. In one of the conversations
with an Indian from Delhi, she further
told me that married women wear saree
and single women wear salwar (worn bya lady next to me). So dresses like thesein India are not costumes reserved only
for traditional festivals or ceremonies, butalso even for ordinary or casual attire. If
in Sapporo, bicycles are everywhere, in
Coimbatore motorcycles are like bees inthe streets.

RECENT ARTICLE:

Now, who are behind those costumes
that I see daily while I was in
Coimbatore? In other words, “How
about the people?” Well, they are soooo
hospitable! Friendly and accommodating
to foreigners! They always wear thatsmile when you ask something that will
make you feel more relaxed. And there is
this funny gesture that they have, that is,when they say “Yes,” they shake theirheads as if implying “No,” So I was
confused a bit at first, but later I found it
cute.
One night, I went to some shops with an
Indian friend. She bought a saree as apresent for her mother who lives in Delhi
because Coimbatore is famous for its
textile industry. In the shop, you can’t see
a saleslady! All those who will assist you
are guys. Not a single lady, but all those
who are buying are ladies of course…
Coimbatore is just part of one southernstate in India. India is divided into statesand each has its own different culture. I
compared it with the US, It has a lot ofstates but as far as I know, they really
don’t differ that much from each other!
And considering how India is muchsmaller than US, isn’t it interesting toknow how different one state is fromanother? Then I told myself, there’s still alot more to know about this interesting
country. Having a chance again in the
future, I would like to go back!

Aileen is now doing her PhD. in
the Laboratory of Engineering for
Sustainable Sanitation.

DINNER TIME: IN ZIMBABWE
By Masline Makasi

Welcome to the Zimbabwean kitchen!
A place that cannot be mistaken foranything else! For the traditional
Zimbabwean family, the kitchen is not
only a place where food is prepared andserved, but it is also a place where thefamily gets to enjoy quality time,sharing stories and pondering over the
day's events. But the modern kitchen iswhere the lady of the house practises
the art of preparing food.
Supper time is the most important mealof the day, as it is when the wholefamily is back from their various
callings. The dinner table usuallyconsists of a mixture of starches,
proteins and vitamins all aimed atproviding all the nourishment to thefamily.
The most basic meal in Zimbabwe
consists of sadza, meat, stew and leafy
vegetables. Sadza is the staple food andis made from maize meal. Sometimes
the meal used to make sadza can bevaried, ranging from white cornmeal,
rapoko, sorghum and yellow cornmeal.
Hence, sadza can be found in various
colours, adding diversity to the diet.
Preparation of sadza is a very simple
process, which is considered mandatory
for anyone who is called an adult. The
cornmeal is mixed with boiling waterusing a special type of wooden spoon.

The mixture is thensimmered and more
cor n meal is added
g r a d u a l ly u n t i l t h erequired thickness isachieved. The thickness
is also a very importantfactor as it has a bearing
on how palatable thesadza is. Green leafyv e g e t a b l e s ,sometimes boiled orin salad form areavailable
tocomplement the dietby providing thevarious vitamins andmineral salts required by the
body. Sadza is very delicious whenserved with beef stew and salad
vegetables. Another variation would be
grilled beef with tomato and onion
soup, which is a favorite among thebeer drinking population. The eating of
the sadza is one of the most beautiful
sights one can ever witness. The sadzais scooped using bare hands, andsmoothened into a ball. This sadza ballwill then be used to scoop the relishfrom the plate. Although various formsof cutlery are available for use, sadza isbest eaten with the hands. Eachindividual dishes out from the mainplaters a healthy portion. Sadza makes
up the core of daily menus and for the
more important occasions likeweddings,

graduation and birthday parties,
roast chicken and rice are the norm. So
if you like the taste of food withsimplicity, but a lot of originality,
Zimbabwe is the way to go. See you atthe next party where there will be
another Zimbabwean dish!

RECENT ARTICLE:

Masline is now doing her Masters
in the Laborator y of RockEDITOR’SCHOICE

While some are sufferingfrom gaining weight becauseof Japanese foods, I always
have a second choice tomake myself look thin andsmart....

Eat This Not That

Why don’t you guys try
reading this book? It tells
you the easiest ways tomaintain your perfect bodyas long as you can....

By David Zinczenko& Matt Goulding

ECO
CONSTITUTION(Drafted by Dr. Michael Angelo
Promentilla)....an excerpt from the newly drafted
constitution. For the full version, pleasecheck the e3 notice board.

We, the members of the English Engineering Education
Program’s Student Organization, realizing the need toform an organized group that shall embody our ideals
and aspirations toward the fulfillment of the common
good; in order to foster cooperation in the advancementof academic excellence, welfare and interests of thisorganization and of its constituents, to perform effectively
and efficiently the tasks which come within the scope of
this organization, and to promote loyalty to the objectives
and principles of this organization, the e3 program, as
well as this university, do hereby ordain and promulgate
this Constitution.
The Organization shall be officially known as the ENGLISHENGINEERING EDUCATION (e3) PROGRAM’S STUDENTORGANIZATION. It shall also be referred to as ‘e3(pronounced as e-cube) Student Organization’ or ‘eco’ forshort.
Objectives
Section 1 The Organization aims to act as a common
forum of all members to facilitate exchangeof views and promotion of mutual cooperation.
Section 2 The Organization aims to work for social andeducational welfare of its members.
Section 3 The Organization aims to work for the promotionof academic, cultural and other common
interests of all its members.
Section 4 The Organization aims to act as a mediator
between the members and University administration inmaintaining mutual cooperation between them.
Section 5 The Organization aims to keep close links withother organizations and institutions in promoting academic,
cultural and other exchanges.
Membership
Section 1 Membership shall be of three types: Regular,
Affiliate/Associate, and Honorary. The admission shall not
be based on race, creed, color, sex, sexual preference,
ancestry, national origin, handicap, religion or otherdiscriminatory criteria.

Section 2 Regular membership shall be given to all students
who are officially registered in the e3 program. The student
member shall herein be known as a regular member andupon graduation shall be referred to as an alumnus/
alumna member of the Organization.
Section 3 Affiliate or associate membership shall be open to
all physically available alumni members of the e3
program, as well as, to non-e3 students and postdoctoral(PD) fellows of the Faculty and Graduate School ofEngineering, Hokkaido University, who want to actively
participate and be involved in the activities of theOrganization.
Section 4 Honorary membership may be granted to any
person who does not qualify as regular or affiliate member,
but who has expressed his/her intention in joining theOrganization and/or has given valuable contribution to
the well-being of the Organization.
Section 5 Acceptance of honorary members however shallbe embodied in a resolution that is approved by aunanimous decision of the Organization.
Section 6 The Organization may suspend or expel any
member who acts against the principles of theOrganization and deliberately violates the Constitution andbylaws; and behaves objectionably against the othermembers. However, opportunity and due process under theprovision of this Constitution and bylaws shall be given tosuch member to clear and/or defend him/herself against
any accusations.
BylawsSection 1 The Organization shall adopt a set of bylaws
consistent with the objectives of this Constitution. The
adoption of such bylaws is necessary for proper andeffective management of this Organization. The bylaws
may also have to c hange and be updated toaccommodate new conditions or circumstances of theOrganization.
Effectivity
Section 1 This Constitution and bylaws shall take effectupon the ratification by at least an affirmative vote of twothirds (2/3) of all the members of the Body.

Community UPDATES
By Nikol Kochmanova

Ataur Rahman – President
D1 – Division of Built Environment,
Engineering for Maintenance
System Laboratory
Rahman is studying the simulationof composite structures using 3D
FEM analysis. He enjoys sleeping
in his spare time, and when theopportunity or demand arises, helikes to go sightseeing or
shopping.
Terrance Mohanaraj – Vice
President
D1 - Division of Engineering andPolicy for Cold Region
Environment, Infrastructure
Planning and Design Laboratory
Terrance is studying the effects ofroad geometry and weather on
the number of accidents in rural
two lane roads in Hokkaido,
through a combination of data
mining and multivariate approach.
He spends most of his time doing
research and rest of time thinking
about it or searching the online
libraries for related material. He
also likes to cook, listen to IndianMusic and would like to spendsome time not thinking aboutbooks!
Carlito Tabelin - Treasurer
M2 - Division of Field Engineeringfor Environment, Terrestrial
Environment Engineering
Laboratory
Carlito is studying arsenic andlead mobilization. He enjoys
Japanese anime and manga. He
usually goes to the convenient
stores and looks for the weekly
shonen jump, the comic bookwhich contains the mangas, andhe looks at the pictures, since hecan’t read the kanji.
Jintana Wongta – Publication
Officer
M1 - Division of Built Environment,
Water Quality Control
Engineering Laboratory
Ting (nickname) is studying thecell toxicity using human DNA
microarray analysis. She enjoys
sleeping when she has free time,
but not during parties!!

Masoom Pahore – Academic Officer
M2 - Division of Built Environment,
Engineering for Sustainable
Sanitation Laboratory
Masoom is studying urine
separation and recovery ofnutrients from human urine. He
enjoys spending time alone, and isfond of having female friends.
Kyung Mi Chung - Public Relations
Officer
D2 - Division of Built Environment,
Water Quality Control
Engineering Laboratory
Kyung Mi has been MIA (Missingin Action) for the last couple ofmonths due to her research; wewish we knew what it was!!
Nikol Kochmanová - Secretary
D1 - Division of Solid Waste,
Resources and Geoenvironmental
Engineering, Soil Mechanics
Laboratory
Nikol is studying the
microstructure of clay, namely
bentonite. She likes to stay active
and do adventure sports, but also
loves to watch movies and read.

In the picture from left to right top row: Anbu (SriLanka),David (Colombia), Mamun (Bangladesh), Sadi
(Bangladesh), Hamid (Iran), Upaka (Srilanka), Einstine
Philippines).
left to right bottom row: Nikol (Canada), Vannie(Phillippines), Wandee (Thailand), Jintana (Thailand),Jaja (Philippines)

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By Michael Promentilla
Photo Contest Winner

E:Vision is the magazine of the English
Engineering Education Student
Organization (ECO), and is published twicea year on-line.

E:VISION MAGAZINEEnglish Engineering Education Program
Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido
University, Kita-ku, Kita-13, Nishi-8,
Sapporo 060-7628 JAPAN

E:Vision stands for English and the visionof the e3 students of the Graduate School ofEngineering, Hokkaido University, Japan.
It is the vision of facing academic
challenges in the global context.