The Second KUAS Seminar Held in Kyoto City

On Wednesday, June 7, the second KUAS Seminar was held at Hotel Granvia Kyoto. The seminar was titled “A Pioneer of Innovation Discusses Future of Internationalization of Japan’s R&D,” in commemoration of Dr. Hiroyuki Matsunami, a Specially Appointed Professor at the Kyoto University of Advanced Science who was recently selected to receive the prestigious IEEE Edison Medal. More than 200 participants were in attendance for this event.
 

Semiconductors are used in many products essential to daily life. Among them, Dr. Matsunami created the silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor, which controls and converts electric power. Although its properties were known, it was difficult to manufacture and remained an unexplored topic. However, Dr. Matsunami has established a method for producing high-quality crystals of SiC on which to build. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, along with other organizations, has made initiatives to subsidize the power semiconductor industry, creating an opportunity to establish Japan’s strength in the technology field.
 
At the seminar, Dr. Matsunami recalled his strong desire to utilize the properties of SiC semiconductors in the industrial world. Establishing a viable method for this took about 20 years, and Japanese semiconductor companies took notice of the progress that was being made. Later, with the support of the government, Japanese companies rapidly developed and manufactured SiC power semiconductors. Today, they are manufactured and used all over the world.

KUAS sponsors this seminar and opens it to the general public, under the concept “Kyoto from the world, Kyoto for the future”. The first seminar was held in May of this year, its theme being tourism. With over 200 participants, this event was an opportunity to showcase the features of KUAS to the general public. The third seminar will be titled “Kyoto of Politics, War, and Beauty” and will focus on international peace and art education.