As a researcher and a mother in the study of the changing “35,000 kilometers.”
Associate Professor of the Course of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Associate Professor of Disaster Potential Study, Hazard and Risk Evaluation Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science.
Associate Professor Keiko Udo
Contemplating the role I could play, the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Tsunami made me realize the mission I had.
After evacuating to safety following the horrific earthquake on March 11, Udo saw live broadcast of the tsunami rushing through the fields of Sendai on TV. It was such an unbelievable sight that she felt she needed to go and carry out field investigations to see with her own eyes just how the coastal areas had been affected. She felt, as a coastal engineer of Tohoku University, that she had to go. But those around her, worried about something happening to her and her children, stopped her. “I felt so frustrated that I could not do anything at such a time. But after giving birth to my twins, the underlying theme for my research became even clearer to me, as I thought about what kind of coast my children would inherit. I think I gained a greater consciousness of my research and my responsibility through my own children.” Professor Udo re-discovered her responsibilities to protect the coasts from disasters through her own experience of the tsunami. Her passion was renewed, and after coming back from her maternity leave, she fell in love with her work all over again. “In April 2012, the International Research Institute of Disaster Science was established in Tohoku University and I came to belong to that institute as well, which made me think even more deeply about my role as a researcher. It is to accumulate knowledge that will be useful for disaster prevention and reduction in the coastal area.”
Ultimately, engineering is there to serve people, half of whom are women. And their perspectives are essential.
In March 2014, Udo published a report on the impact that beaches will suffer as a result of rising sea levels caused by climate change. “I think that everyone knows that the sea level is expected to rise in the future due to climate change. But exactly how it will impact Japan is the theme of the report. The report calculated the future loss of beaches derived from coastal data from all over Japan, but we had to conduct field investigations around the country since the data had not been fully organized. But there were many things we could only find out by actually going to the field.” Her report states that we may lose more than 50% of the beaches in Japan with only 30 cm elevation of the sea level. It can be easily imagined that the loss of beaches, which play an important role in absorbing the power of waves, is a very serious concern to coastal disaster prevention in Japan.
Hoping to diffuse the gender gap and popularize higher education for women, Tohoku University became the first Japanese university to accept female students, but even here only 5% of teachers are women. Udo says that female perspective is crucial for coastal engineering which contributes to the protection of communities and lives. “Ultimately, engineering is there to serve people, half of whom are women. That’s why I think it is a field where more women need to get involved and contribute their female perspective.”
“Making myself useful to the society by mastering the field of study I love.” Becoming a role model for future women in engineering.
Professor Udo says that it is because she was able to see the other female researchers who were also working while they raised their children that she is now able to enjoy her marriage life and raise children without being anxious about handling various roles both professionally and privately. She also works for an organization within the university called ‘ALicE,’ which offers consultation services for female students in the engineering department. “It is important for them to do the things they want to do. I give them advice on various matters including their career choice as well as private matters such as raising children in the future. I think it is important for them to have someone you look up to, and see that they can do the things they want to do.” Professor Udo took up the career as a coastal engineering researcher in her college years and has experienced firsthand that her perspectives as a woman and a mother contributes to her research, so she is an ideal person to encourage students to pursue their dreams. She says of her own dream, “My goal is to study the coast, which plays important roles in people’s lives, from engineering perspective and to leave a beautiful coast for the future. The earthquake tsunami in 2011 made me feel more strongly that we need to design the coast with a long-term view, and that is why I do my research.” Professor Udo says that she will be particularly happy if she can contribute to the society by doing research in the field she loves. Behind her dream there is a vision of the smiles on children’s faces in the distant future as they play happily on the seashore.
Associate Professor of the Course of Water and Environmental Studies, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Associate Professor of Disaster Potential Study, Hazard and Risk Evaluation Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science.
Associate ProfessorKeiko Udo
Graduated from the College of Engineering Sciences, Third Cluster of Colleges at the University of Tsukuba in 1998. Completed her Ph.D. in the Doctoral Program in Engineering Mechanics, Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tsukuba in 2003. After working as a research officer at the Littoral Drift Division, Marine Environment and Engineering Department of the Independent Administrative Institution Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI), she joined the Disaster Control Research Center of the Graduate School of Tohoku University in 2006. Her current research subject is the “study of the coastal geomorphic change.” Received a distinction as Excellent Speaker at the 56th Japan Society of Civil Engineers Annual Meeting in 2001 and Construction Engineering Development Award in 2008.