Student Interviews

Natsumi Kawashima

I want to gain expertise in cryptography and information required for my research into radio astronomy.

Studying cryptography and information handling for a more specialised research

Radio astronomy, which I studied at university, is the study of the properties of celestial bodies and the events that have occurred through radio waves from space. However, the received radio waves are weak and most of them contain noise, so the data analysis requires cryptanalysis methods. I chose this postgraduate course because I thought that I would need to acquire expertise in cryptography and information, in order to pursue my research more professionally.

The teachers teach me until I understand, which is a big difference from my university days

As I am new to cryptography and information, there is a lot I don't know. I ask my supervisor, Prof. Arita, questions about the lectures and what kind of research topics are possible. There are many opportunities to come into contact with a small group of people. If you actively ask questions, they will teach you until you are satisfied, which is a big difference from my university days. For now, I plan to focus on the RSA cipher. In addition, some of Principal Tsujii's lectures have themes determined by students' requests, which shows his willingness to respond to our needs. I am also impressed by the breadth of his knowledge, which allows him to lecture on various themes.

Learn about society by listening to mature students

The student-oriented style of lectures and seminars is also unique to IISEC. Most of my classmates are mature students with a job, so I can learn about their companies and work just by talking to them. It's also a good social learning experience for me as I came straight from university (laughs).

Natsumi Kawashima
Natsumi Kawashima
Graduated from Hosei University, Faculty of Engineering
Enrolled in April 2005
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