PROSPECTUS2021-2022

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07Becoming the global leader in metal materialsTatara steel in Shimane has a history spanning over a thousand years. Taking advantage of both old and new advanced tatara technology, the centre was estab-lished as a new R&D laboratory for the world’s Four Pillars of Materials Science and EngineeringAt NEXTA, we promote research on advanced metal materials from domestic and overseas universities, research institutes and private companies. R&D at the centre features the interrelation among the four important components of materials science and engineering, identified as the Four Pillars: (1) Characterization, (2) Mechanical testing, (3) Computational modeling, and (4) Processing. Students can join NEXTA’s research group after they are admitted to the Interdisciplinary Faculty of Science in collaboration with researchers leading-edge metal materials. Professor Roger Reed of the University of Oxford was invited to act as director. Students and researchers have the opportunity to attend some of the world’s highest-level classes and learn about cutting-edge research in Shimane. and Engineering at Shimane University and are assigned to the laboratories of NEXTA faculty members.Human Resource Development at NEXTAWe aim at nurturing highly creative innovators and advanced researchers and engineers who will lead the future material field. NEXTA offers education and research based on the knowledge and technology related to the evaluation and processing of metal mate-rials that Shimane University has accumulated with the National Institute of Technology, Matsue College, and companies in Shimane Prefecture, as well as cutting-edge materials engineering of collaborating universities. Students who are assigned to the laboratories of NEXTA faculty members can join research activities with collaborating universities, institutes, and private companies, and also have the opportunity to be selected as research associates who will be sent to the University of Oxford for research training.The Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Course in the Major in Science and Engineering at the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology was opened in April 2021 as one of the two-year Master’s Courses. The course trains advanced engi-neers and researchers who have knowledge from the Next Generation Tatara Co-Creation Centre: NEXTACutting-Edge Research