Dean's Message

Dean’s Message

 

In April 2022, Osaka Prefecture University and Osaka City University were integrated to form Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU).This new university is one of Japan’s largest public universities with some 16,000 students, covering a wide range of academic disciplines. As part of this integration, Osaka Prefecture University’s College of Engineering and Graduate School of Engineering have combined with Osaka City University’s Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of Engineering. The resulting School of Engineering and Graduate School of Engineering boast one of Japan’s largest student enrollments and consist of departments and disciplines covering the entire field of engineering. Through a wide variety of content-rich educational programs and cutting-edge research, the OMU will foster global engineers and researchers who have practical abilities to contribute to future monozukuri (manufacturing) and kotozukuri (value creation) .

In the spring of 2020, an unprecedented crisis caused by the new coronavirus struck the world. The spread of COVID-19 has severely affected education and people’s daily lives, as well as the economy. In the post-COVID world called the “new normal,” drastic changes are expected in the structure of society, economy and education, and we need to be flexible in responding to these changes. A major challenge that engineering needs to tackle is digital transformation (DX), which refers to the use of data and digital technology to flexibly respond to a remote society. Another major challenge is to create a society that secures a certain level of education and research and allows people to live with peace and safe under a pandemic of a viral infectious disease.

Some of the important roles of engineering include collaboration with the medical and pharmaceutical sciences to develop technologies to detect viruses and control infection; creation of anti-virus materials, development of communication technologies that use digital technology, utilization of remote control robot to avoid the risk of infection; and improvement of infrastructure for a remote society. In addition to these challenges, serious global issues still remain unsolved, including environmental destruction, global warming, resource depletion, explosive increase in population, and food shortages. I believe that future engineering must aim for harmony between people and the earth’s environment and should contribute to realize a sustainable society, as well as create new principles and technologies.

The OMU’s School of Engineering consists of 12 departments to tackle all kinds of issues related to engineering: Department of Aerospace Engineering, Department of Marine System Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Architecture and Building Engineering, Department of Urban Design and Engineering, Department of Physics and Electronics, Department of Information Science, Department of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering, Department of Applied Chemistry, Department of Materials Science, Department of Chemical Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering. Students will acquire basic knowledge of engineering through a systematic curriculum that connects basics to applications, and develop various skills, including problem-solving, and creative and communication skills, through their graduation research.

The OMU’s Graduate School of Engineering consists of 7 departments and 12 disciplines to enable cutting-edge research across a wide range of disciplines. Students will develop high-level expertise through a wide variety of content-rich educational programs and cutting-edge research. The Graduate School of Engineering fosters engineers and researchers who are rich in humanity, have a high sense of ethics, and are able to contribute to develop a sustainable society and creating culture. The Graduate School of Engineering will promote industry-academia-government collaboration and contribute to the development of science and technology, serving as a leader in fulfilling the OMU’s goal: to be “an advanced research university—a regional base of trust that spreads its wings to the world.”