SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Driving Force THE POWER TO MAKE TOMORROW INTERVIIEW REPORT
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY Driving Force THE POWER TO MAKE TOMORROW INTERVIIEW REPORT

At my core is a “relationship
with the environment and nature.”
I aim to contribute to society
through my technological capabilities.

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Industrial Technology & Research Laboratory,
Process Technology Group (Osaka)
Hiromu Miyamoto REPORT #41

© School of Engineering, Tohoku University

From raising Japanese fire-bellied newts to the world of nature technology.

As the saying in Japanese “a lizard drops its tail (to save itself)” goes, Japanese fire-bellied newts can regenerate not only their tails but their feet, jaws, eye lenses (crystalline lenses), and hearts as well. Endemic to Japan, these newts are currently attracting attention for their promising applications in regenerative medicine. Mr. Hiromu Miyamoto graduated from the Department of Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biomolecular Engineering of Tohoku University’s School of Engineering and from the Department of Chemical Engineering of the same university’s Graduate School, and is now a researcher at Sumitomo Chemical’s Industrial Technology & Research Laboratory. He has been fascinated by the Japanese fire-bellied newt since he was a child, and he even tried breeding and hatching it as a child.

He passionately explains the creature’s appeal, saying, “More than anything else, its venomous appearance with its pitch-black body and red belly is quite captivating. As a baby, a Japanese fire-bellied newt has external gills for breathing, resembling an axolotl. As it grows, its gills slowly disappear, and it turns into a lizard-like creature. In that sense, raising a Japanese fire-bellied newt is like enjoying two experiences in one. Its big, round eyes are also adorable.” Mr. Miyamoto’s interest in nature eventually branched into the world of “nature technology,” which is the application of the functions and mechanisms of living organisms to engineering and technological development.

He adds, “You may have heard that the shape of a bullet train’s nose was inspired by a kingfisher’s beak which is shaped in a way that minimizes water resistance when catching fish underwater. There’s also the story of how the structure of a cat’s tongue, which efficiently forms furballs when grooming, was applied to an electric vacuum cleaner’s blades that compress dirt inside. I find it interesting how we can learn from nature and apply those lessons to technology.” Professor Hideki Ishida (currently professor emeritus at Tohoku University), who taught at Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Environmental Studies at the time, was the one who was widely disseminating this idea of “nature technology.”

“I read Prof. Ishida’s books, and the idea of solving society’s problems by copying and applying organisms and mechanisms found in nature left a deep impression on me,” says Mr. Miyamoto. That made him consider Tohoku University as an option after graduating from high school.

Aiming to be a trailblazing researcher succeeding locally and internationally

Leaving Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku where he was born and raised, Mr. Miyamoto chose to continue his studies at the Department of Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biomolecular Engineering of Tohoku University’s School of Engineering. He says, “I chose the School of Engineering because I wanted to learn something practical that would benefit society. I believed that the School of Engineering was the shortcut to quickly implement and give back science and technology’s benefits to society. I chose the Department of Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biomolecular Engineering because I thought I would have a wide range of options in this department. The biggest attraction was being able to acquire specialized knowledge across various fields such as organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, biochemical engineering, and chemical engineering.”

Mr. Miyamoto says that the future he envisioned when he enrolled at the university was “to be a cutting-edge researcher active locally and internationally.” To achieve this, he wanted to study abroad long-term while he was at university. To take a step toward this goal, he joined the “Tohoku University Global Leader Program (TGL Program),” an undergraduate program that cultivates talented students who can succeed on the global stage. Upon fulfilling the necessary requirements including finishing the “Global Seminar,” earning course credits, participating in overseas training programs, and passing a final review, students receive a “Global Leader Certificate” from the university. He says, “The Global Seminar of the TGL Program wherein we and overseas students research and present together left a particularly strong impression on me. The opportunity to talk to students from different cultural backgrounds was very valuable, and I’ve acquired the habit of thinking about how to effectively communicate while I talk to others.”

While he could not fulfill his dream of studying abroad long-term while at university, Mr. Miyamoto participated in short-term study abroad programs. He spent a week each in Sweden and Taiwan under the yearly “International Field Trip” sponsored by the International Office of the School of Engineering of Tohoku University, and two weeks in France under the university-wide “Study Abroad Program (SAP).” He also received a certificate as a “Global Leader” from the TGL Program.

School of Engineering, Tohoku University Driving Force, The Power to Make Tomorrow. INTERVIIEW REPORT

I want to accelerate the application of
my technological capabilities to benefit society.

Mr. Miyamoto, who was a student in Professor Hideyuki Aoki’s lab that focused on understanding phenomena such as combustion through computer-based theorizing and experiments, conducted research on the “simulation of soot generation during the combustion process” during his undergraduate and graduate years. His research was prompted by increasingly strict regulations on substances (including soot particles) contained in exhaust gases emitted by factories and vehicles. He says, “In the design and development of factory combustion equipment and vehicle engines, if we can simulate low environmental impact devices on computers without actually making prototypes, we can reduce design and development time and costs. So, we developed a program that aimed to create highly accurate simulations that could precisely and quickly predict soot particle generation amounts, and we succeeded in creating accurate simulations while reducing computational costs. Because I chose engineering rooted in my interest in nature and the environment, and by choosing combustion (which is closely related to environmental impact) as my research theme, I believe I was able to maintain a consistent focus on the environment for six years during my undergraduate years until completing my master’s degree.”

After receiving his master’s degree in 2021, Mr. Miyamoto joined Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. Since then, he has been working in the company’s Industrial Technology & Research Laboratory, developing various processing technologies including environmental technologies and improving existing processes. “When I first enrolled at university, I also considered pursuing a doctorate degree, but because I wanted to accelerate the application of my technological capabilities to benefit society, I chose to become a researcher at a private company,” he says.

He says he chose Sumitomo Chemical partly because of an article he read. “It was an article about an anti-malaria product called “Olyset Net,” a product developed by Sumitomo Chemical. It’s a mosquito net treated with an insecticide embedded in the net’s fibers, thus contributing to disease prevention in regions such as Africa which suffer from mosquito-borne illnesses. For someone like me who always has ‘a relationship with nature’ at my core, this article moved me,” he says.

Mr. Miyamoto is now working on commercializing a wastewater solutions project. The project targets “activated sludge process,” a wastewater treatment process used by many municipal sewage plants and industrial wastewater treatment facilities. He says, “The activated sludge process is a processing technology that purifies water by using microbes to break down organic matter in wastewater from homes and industrial wastewater. We aim to provide solutions such as efficient operational methods by combining biotechnology and digital technology to address the problems of customers with wastewater treatment facilities.”

There will always be something to learn.
So, if in doubt, just go for it!

Mr. Miyamoto looks back on the years he spent studying at Tohoku University, saying, “I could use the library even late at night because it was still open, and I could also freely audit classes in various fields as long as my schedule allowed it. When I went into the lab, there was a computer just for my own use, and I could freely use several computing servers. When I think about it now, it really was a luxurious research environment.” Aside from his studies during his undergraduate years, he also dedicated his time to the “Club Association Cheering Squad” and “Π~PIE~: Tohoku University Epilepsy Awareness Club.”

The cheering squad consists of three groups: the leadership team, the cheerleaders, and the band. Mr. Miyamoto belonged to the leadership team, and he was the Public Relations Manager. He says, “Sometimes I sang the cheerleading song, sometimes I raised the flag, sometimes I beat the drum — I ran around stadiums freely. I joined the squad because I was drawn to a senior squad member’s lively vibe, despite their usual image of being formal and strict. I was sure that I would grow as a person if I did my best under the leadership of that member. In that large group of more than 50 members, I learned communication skills, especially communicating with seniors.”

Mr. Miyamoto’s involvement with the Π~PIE~: Tohoku University Epilepsy Awareness Club was sparked by a foundational class (currently called “Navigating Academia”) which he took in his freshman year. He says, “It was a seminar supervised by a professor from the Department of Epileptology of the School of Medicine, and we learned about and examined epilepsy not just from a medical standpoint but also from various perspectives such as the psychological and the social. The seminar gave us a chance to participate in an awareness event, and because I thought awareness was one way to address the prejudices, discrimination, and difficulties felt by people with epilepsy and other colleagues in the seminar agreed with me, we established this club. With the Department of Epileptology of the School of Medicine, we planned and managed “Purple Day,” an awareness event, and we also held “Mr. Purple and Ms. Purple,” a contest where participants styled themselves in purple, epilepsy’s awareness color. At the university festival, we sold baked sweet potatoes, with its outer color being purple, and distributed fliers about epilepsy.”

Mr. Miyamoto is described by senior colleagues at the research laboratory as a positive presence on the team.” Reflecting his personality, the message he wants to impart to his juniors is to “just go for it!” He says, “This was the advice given to me by my high school teacher. There’s no such thing as a choice without regret. While it’s also important to think of the risks beforehand, I believe there will always be something to learn by diving right into what interests you without overthinking.”