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Dispatches from the Field:
Movie Land and a Giant Microscope
By Young Chun
July 16, 2007
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| Young Chun poses with a period character at Toei Movie Land in Kyoto. |
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It has been just over two weeks since we arrived here and so much has already happened. I walked around the old temples and shrines of Kyoto – and occasionally got lost. I attended lectures with Japanese graduate students, sang Karaoke songs with professors and even operated the world’s biggest electron microscope. It all has been amazing- to say the least.
Everyday, I try to absorb and experience new things while adjusting to the life in Japan. I learned to move aside quickly to make way for the bicycle riders who often go by. Waiting in the line for lunch at the Osaka University’s cafeteria has now become the norm.
Still, sometimes, I can’t believe that I am living in this completely new world away from family and friends. But then, this is what I came to experience and I can truly say that I am enjoying every minute of it.
Three other UCSD undergraduate students and I are working at the Cyber Media Center of Osaka University thanks to UCSD’s Pacific Rim Undergraduate Experiences (PRIME) program. As a bioengineering/pre-med major, doing research is a crucial part of my education but studying abroad is not always an easy option. So when I heard about the PRIME program, I realized it was the perfect opportunity for me to get both research and study-abroad experience.
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| Chun tries on a kimono at a local hostel. |
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One incredible fact about Osaka University is that they have the world’s biggest 3MV Ultra High Voltage Electron Microscope (UHVEM) here. It’s three to four stories tall! When the electron beams are shooting, no one can go near it because of the strong X-rays it emits. With the guidance of both UCSD and Cyber Media Center mentors, my research project involves using UHVEM to acquire high-resolution images of muscle cells called ventricular myocytes, to ultimately model the cells in 3D with better anatomical details. Of course it is not - by any means - an easy challenge for me, but I learn to tackle it gladly knowing that it will only strengthen and help me for the future.
I also get to have fun. During our first week here, we visited some great Japanese temples in Kyoto. A Japanese professor took us to a really cool "studio" called Toei Eiga Mura, or Toei Movie Land, where they display the sets of olden-times Japan from a variety of period movies. They also had giant sets of fried eggs, chicken, New York hotels and - of course - the famous Power Rangers. Sort of like Universal Studios but different. The whole place was crowded with many tourists, even with the rain.
Later, I got to try on a kimono at our hostel. This past weekend, we visited the coast of the Sea of Japan, north west of Osaka, including the Tottori Coastal Sand Dune, the Misasa Hot Springs and hotel and the Hiruzen Highlands. Our whole lab, including graduate students and professors, went. It was so much fun!
Time seems to fly really fast here, but I can’t wait for what is to come and the memories that I will be making…
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Young Chun studies in Osaka, Japan. |
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