Environmental Prediction Science Lab.
- Our Direction in FY2024 with many thanks to Muto-san and Kurosawa-kun for arrangements

Shunji Kotsuki

Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University
Lab. Kick Off Meeting (April 2, 2024)

Our History
Date# Profs &Postdocs# BS# Staffs# Papers(in Eng.)# Papers(in Jpn.)

Direction

2020/04142

1

1Foundation(土台固め)

2021/04

13

4

4

1

2022/04

47

345

3

Start Integration(融合の開始)2023/04

772455Deepening(深める)

2024/04

12627?

?

Reproducible Success(再現可能な成功)

28 members in total# Ph.D.

1# MSStandardization(幹・文化の形成)

Only # of papers issued from our internal research activity

Why Mission & Vision?
We have grown to be a big group. It seems to be nice.
However, being a big group does not mean a productive and visionary group.
To maximize our outcomes and growth, let me share our mission and vision with you again.

a group w/o mission

a team w/ mission and vision

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. (from African proverb)

Today’s talk for FY2024• to share what I am thinking about (考えていること)• how I would like to lead this lab (研究室をどうしていきたいか)• What I would like to prioritize (何を大事にしたいのか)• how I see the current lab. (研究室をどう見ているのか)• to share what I would like you to be (成長して欲しいこと)• to acquire critical thinking (クリティカルシンキングの獲得)• to improve leadership (リーダーシップの試行)• Our directions and actions• What we keep doing and start trying

to share what I am thinking about(考えていること)zOur Desire and Mission (研究室をどうしていきたいのか)
When I launched our lab in 2020, I dreamed of growing this lab. to be a world-leading group.
Based on the dream, I defined our mission.
Let me remind you the most important “Our Mission (理念)” and “Our Value (価値観)”.
The point is I would like to commit to your internal growth in addition to research outcomes.

Our Mission & ValueOur Strategy & Status

Our Direction & Actions

Our Mission: What roles do we play?
理念:
我々は何者か？何のために存在するか？

・Science: to create environmental predictions sciences
・Education: to encourage active members who will lead society
・Society: to realize real implementations for disaster preventions
・科学: 我々だから可能な地球環境予測技術を創造する。
・教育: 日本・世界で活躍する能動的な人材を育成する。
・社会: 具体的な防災社会実装を通して社会に貢献する。

Remaining mission statement can be found at https://kotsuki-lab.com/research/mission-statement/.

Our Desire and Value (研究室をどうしていきたいのか)
When I launched our lab in 2020, I dreamed of growing this lab. to be a world-leading group.
Based on the dream, I defined our mission.
Let me remind you the most important “Our Mission (理念)” and “Our Value (価値観)”.
The point is I would like to commit to your internal growth in addition to research outcomes.

Our Mission & ValueOur Strategy & Status

Our Direction & Actions

Our Value: What we always prioritize
価値観: 我々は何を尊重するか？
・Strengthening our competence while challenging in new areas.
・Achieving outcomes that cannot be accomplished alone.
・Providing chances with allowance of failure for young members.
・我々のコンピタンスの強化と、新しい分野への挑戦を両立する。
・一人では成し遂げられない研究成果を挙げる。
・若いメンバーに失敗しても良いからチャンス・環境を提供する。

Remaining mission statement can be found at https://kotsuki-lab.com/research/mission-statement/.

Our Desire and Mission (研究室をどうしていきたいのか)
However, I noticed that we are a lab not in research institutes like RIKEN, but in a university.
To maximize the potential of fresh students’ power, I steered toward a lanchester strategy,
which is doing “Environmental Prediction Science (EPS)” bridging Earth and Data Sciences.
EPS to keep exploring product market fit (PMF)

Our Mission & ValueOur Strategy & Status

Our Direction & Actions

Our Positive Status: (研究室をどう見ているか)
Definitely, what we are doing is beyond my expectations four years ago.
I believe we can say we are a Japan-leading research group at least (not yet for the world).
I am very happy to work with you, and am proud of our group.
Publications by Students ☺

Oishi-kun’s Sinkhorn LPF (SOLA 2023)

Spreading collaborations ☺

Pascal’s Landscape with mathematicians

Reliable staffs ☺

Administrative works

Budget managements

Kawasaki-kun’s
MPC (NPGD, in review)

Documentations & Reports
Shiojiri-kun’s SSP
with train company

Server managements
Project managements
Students’ advisory
Outreach

Even keep publishing in domestic journal is unusual!

Let’s thank the administrative staff here.

Our Negative Status: (研究室をどう見ているか)
However, we also have challenges that we need to overcome to fulfill our missions, which are(1) encourage active members, and (2) achieving outcomes though collaborations
Unreproducible Research Success ☹
(研究成功の再現性を高める)
wikis

can be solved technicallyby enrichingi.e., publications

templates
materials

Independent Research Activity ☹
(なかなか融合が進まない)

With following slides,
I would like to work on yourinternal mindsets.

Three things
I want to tell for young members.
z(1) To See “What is Research”(2) To Improve Critical Thinking(3) To Try Leadership

What is research? (研究って何なのか？)
Behind the “actual” research activity, there are many preparations and works.
If you want to grow up, it is good to think about which skill you need to acquire.

Review and Have Clear SQ
Design Experiment
Coding and Experiments

Resource
Management
Project
Administration
Meeting

Analysis and Discussion

Supervision

Writing and Publication
Required Skill

more technicalTechnical
Issues

CriticalThinking

Leadership

Roles inUniversity
Roles inResearch Comm.
LecturesHRadministrative works

Funding
Acquisition

research administrative works

Basic knowledge (math, physics)

what the whole research iswhat the PI’s work is

TroubleShooting
Responsibility

more internalHypothetical Deduction: the way to improve critical thinking
Among various technical research skills, the critical thinking is key to be productive research.
We can improve the skill through lab’s activity.
If you keep increasing your skill 1%,
you can grow up exponentially.
The point is this is f of # of hypothetical deductions.

Directly speaking, I want to change your mindsets
toward lab’s meetings.
There are many lessons beyond results of research: if you focus on your own work単利
福利
 If you focus on our research # of hypothetical deduction
https://investmentu.com/simple-interest-vs-compound-interest/

I must say there must be a limit that you can learn alone.
I think I and Okazaki-san have reached to our positions
because we learned a lot from surrounding members.

Laboratory: a good place to improve your leadership
The leadership is always required in the pyramid structure.
You can start trying in lab.
what you may thinkthe leadership iswhat I thinkthe leadership isthe leadership is always requiredin the pyramid structure
centers
labs.
groupsmembers

to order surrounding members
https://motifyhr.jp/blog/training/servant-leadership/

to take responsibility andput yourself at the center ofsurrounding members

You do not need to be successful
You just need to understandhow difficult to lead other members is.
https://diamond.jp/articles/-/319853

Our Directions and Actions- reproducible Research SuccesszTrickle down toward reproducible research successhttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/indicator-trickle-down-effect-must-working-through-applying-keyser

Our Directions and Actions
Keep doing

Start Trying
・Seminar (start in Autumn)
・to enrich research materials(wiki, templates, tasks)
・to enrich research discussion

Research・Group Meeting
・Entire meeting

Educational・group meeting with advisors
・to write Japanese paper first・to connect to publicationsin international journals

・so far so good, in general・to realize wiki first・to initiate pyramid structures(e.g. for MS)
・to be more resilient

Administrative

Summaryz

Today’s talk• to share what I am thinking about (考えていること)• how I would like to lead this lab (研究室をどうしていきたいか)• What I would like to prioritize (何を大事にしたいのか)• how I see the current lab. (研究室をどう見ているのか)• to share what I would like you to be (成長して欲しいこと)• to acquire critical thinking (クリティカルシンキングの獲得)• to improve leadership (リーダーシップの試行)• Our directions and actions• What we keep doing and start trying