[O-04] How to become a scientist? What can they do?

[O04-01] The attractiveness of science jobs

★Invited Papers

*Naomi Harada¹ (1.Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology)

Keywords:science jobs, field works

The attractiveness of science. I'm obsessed with it and have come to this day. From the beginning, I didn't want to go on to graduate school or become a researcher. When I became a student in high school or university, I thought of being a teacher in the future. When I was in my fourth year at university, I was involved in research on my graduation thesis and learned the fun of fieldwork from my supervisor. In particular, the story of his observation experience in Antarctica was very appealing to me, and I came to think that I would like to experience fieldwork before getting a job. Therefore, I decided to go on to graduate school, a master's course at the Institute of Atmospheric and Hydrological Science, Nagoya University, which has produced many members of the Antarctic Research Expedition. After advancing to the master's course, I proceeded with my master's thesis research using the seafloor sediments stored in the laboratory. In my second year of the master's course, I decided to get a job at an environment-related company instead of a high school teacher. I was about to finish the master's course without experiencing fieldwork. Therefore, I asked my supervisor to finish my master's thesis early and participated in a research cruise in the equatorial Pacific. The research cruise was an exciting experience for me. Every experience was the first time in water sampling, plankton sampling, and seafloor sediment sampling. At the same time, it was a lot of fun, and at the same time, I was very impressed by the eternal time of the seafloor sediments, which were deposited thousands and tens of thousands of years ago. The supervisor who was on board with me said, "This sample will be analyzed by your juniors because you will get a job." I wanted to do the research using the samples I have collected by myself! I strongly thought that I refused to get a job and immediately decided to go on to a doctoral course. Since I woke up to the joy of the fieldwork in graduate school, I have lived in the world of this natural science as it was. I have reached this day with just such innocent thoughts, and I hope that my story like this will convey the appeal of the research profession to everyone.