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E-JUST and Tokyo Tech

E-JUST and Tokyo Tech

E-JUST and Tokyo Tech

Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) is the first Egyptian national university specializing in the field of science and technology. E-JUST takes a practical, problem-solving oriented, lab-based approach to engineering education and research — a style more commonly associated with Japanese universities. E-JUST has rapidly adopted a role in developing highly skilled individuals in Egypt.

Tokyo Tech's efforts at E-JUST

E-JUST is supported by a consortium of twelve Japanese universities, four of which have dispatched long-term faculty members and provided operational guidance to the Egyptian institution. E-JUST currently consists of three graduate schools made up of eight departments. Tokyo Tech provides educational support to three of these eight — the Department of Industrial Engineering and Systems Management, the Department of Energy Resources Engineering, and the Department of Environmental Engineering. In academic year 2014, Tokyo Tech faculty members made a total of 27 visits to Egypt.

Through short- and long-term programs, Japanese partner universities receive E-JUST students with the aim of offering opportunities to conduct research in a cutting-edge research environment while developing students' global awareness. Tokyo Tech accepted 13 graduate students and 4 faculty members from Egypt in academic year 2014 and will continue to do so in the future.

E-JUST campus01
E-JUST campus02

E-JUST campus

Workshop organized by the Department of Environmental Engineering

Comment from Tokyo Tech faculty

Associate Professor Ookawara giving a lecture at E-JUST
Associate Professor Ookawara giving a lecture at E-JUST

Shinichi Ookawara
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering

I have been engaged in E-JUST for the past six years. I spend one third of each year in Egypt. Before first arriving in the region, pyramids were the only things that came to mind when thinking about the country, so it's fair to say I felt anxious. However, courses at E-JUST have been interactive, fun, and rewarding.

The students are cheerful and well-mannered. They love to chat and speak English very well. Some are slightly shy, but most like to conduct lively discussions and ask lots of questions, so much so that I am sometimes requested to extend class time. In terms of research, E-JUST students are insatiably diligent. This system of students conducting research in a lab together with faculty members while receiving guidance firsthand has raised E-JUST academic activities to the level of Japan's universities.

As a Tokyo Tech academic supervisor, I am pleased to see the synergistic effects generated by incoming E-JUST students. Tokyo Tech students have clearly taken a more proactive stance to research and internationalization. E-JUST is planning to launch three undergraduate programs in September 2017. In the midst of this growth, I will make further efforts to continue providing Japanese-style engineering education and research guidance.

Ookawara's distance learning lecture to E-JUST students studying at Tokyo Tech
Ookawara's distance learning lecture to E-JUST students
studying at Tokyo Tech
Dining out with students at a Bedouin tent-style restaurant
Dining out with students at a Bedouin tent-style restaurant

Ookawara (center) and E-JUST students set up a wind and photovoltaic power generator on the rooftop of the lecture building

Ookawara (center) and E-JUST students set up a wind and photovoltaic power generator on the rooftop of the lecture building

Comment from student: What I learned at E-JUST

Engy (left) and her academic supervisor at E-JUST
Engy (left) and her academic supervisor at E-JUST

Engy Nagy Fahmey Bkrey Ghoniem
Department of Materials Science Engineering,
School of Innovative Design Engineering, E-JUST

E-JUST offered a lot of options including a chance to receive instructions from Japanese professors, to conduct research with leading-edge equipment without leaving the country, and to study in Japan. The style of teaching was very different from what I knew, but I have gained so much beyond academic knowledge, including research methods and ethics. I was able to further develop my analytical skills with the support and guidance that were appropriately provided by professors at E-JUST.

As part of the program, I just spent seven months at Tokyo Tech conducting research under the supervision of Associate Professor Shinsuke Mori during which I developed a deeper appreciation for Japanese-style engineering education. It was amazing to see the Japanese spirit at work, apparent in everything from teamwork and research attitudes to life manners.

Engy (second from left) with Tokyo Tech Associate Professor Mori (right) in front of his lab
Engy (second from left) with Tokyo Tech Associate
Professor Mori (right) in front of his lab
Engy (left) in Japan with E-JUST students
Engy (left) in Japan with E-JUST students

Standing where I am now, I see that joining E-JUST was a turning point in my life. One day, I hope to become a successful multidisciplinary engineer as well as a respectable professor who can support and guide the future engineering students in Egypt and the world.

Reinforcing cooperation

Stemming from the partnership with E-JUST, the Institute opened its fourth overseas office, Tokyo Tech Egypt E-JUST Office, in April 2014. In September of the same year, Professor Emeritus Masaaki Suzuki took up the post of first vice president of E-JUST, becoming the first Japanese citizen to do so. With a formal academic cooperation agreement signed in May 2015, E-JUST and Tokyo Tech committed to further deepening ties in education and research. Tokyo Tech aims to enhance its role as a supporting university and reinforce the cooperation and exchanges with E-JUST.

Professor Junichi Iijima, director of Tokyo Tech Egypt E-JUST Office, giving a lecture
Professor Junichi Iijima, director of Tokyo Tech Egypt E-JUST
Office, giving a lecture
Tokyo Tech Egypt E-JUST Office opening ceremony
Tokyo Tech Egypt E-JUST Office opening ceremony

Academic cooperation agreement signing ceremony

Academic cooperation agreement signing ceremony

For more on the background and objectives of E-JUST, please visit the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) website.

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Published: July 2015

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