Dr. Wakayama had arrived at the Ina Plant from his RIKEN laboratory in Kobe the
day before.
The Ina Plant, which has operated as a manufacturing facility for
microscopes since its establishment in 1944, has the orderly atmosphere
one would expect of a workplace producing precision machinery, while
its employees exude the attitude and pride of a craftsman.
Expressing his surprise at the amount of handwork involved in microscope
manufacture, Dr. Wakayama diligently observed each process, from
metalworking and lens grinding to the fabrication and assembly of
the microscopes (*9), before going on to give a lecture on mice
cloning technology and the research using microscopes. Explaining
his research via visuals and excellent oral communication skills,
he quickly captured the attention of the employees filling the venue.(*10)
Listening to your lecture, Dr. Wakayama, dispelled my
previous image of researchers as people who stay in one place observing
something or other. I was impressed by how fast you were able
to
transplant nuclei into the eggs of mice: you seemed to get into
a rhythm, a most impressive tempo.
You must have some kind of rhythm when you assemble a
microscope, I'm sure. It's the same thing.
Even so, you're looking down a microscope for over 10 hours
a day. That makes you a real heavy user.
In our case, no matter how much we try to look down our
microscopes while they're still with us, we have to send it off
in a day or two. People like Dr. Wakayama and his colleagues, however,
use their microscopes every day. It actually makes me a little envious
to think of people spending every day in the company of microscopes
that I've made with such loving care.
You get to know all their subtle quirks, too, down to
the smallest detail.
If I had the chance to meet people in your position on a frequent
basis, Mr. Miyazawa, I guess I'd be able to give my suggestions
and views on various things. In the past, I have suggested to the
salesperson that the eyepieces of microscopes be set up in a similar
way to the viewfinder of a digital camera - with information on
the current status displayed.
That's interesting. The extent to which we can incorporate
users' feedback in development and manufacturing is now more critical
than ever. We've actually just set up a new customer support section
for our microscopes.
By the way, I must say that you give an interesting lecture,
Dr. Wakayama. Is that trick of adding a little humor here and there
something you've picked up in Kansai?
No, that's something I learned when I was in America.
America is a bit like Kobe and Osaka in that way, isn't it? People
insert two or three jokes in a serious speech. A laugh here and
there keeps your audience awake.
The debate among researchers is more heated in the US. I am
sure that conducting research in that atmosphere must have been
a valuable experience.
Years ago, it was that you should go to the US to study
state-of-the-art research; however, research in Japan is among the
top these days. If it's just studying something, you can learn all
you need to here. But it's worth studying overseas to experience
research in a different type of atmosphere. I think people go there
because it's also necessary to learn what you might call a more
American style of research, a more aggressive attitude toward research.
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| *9––Dr. Wakayama is touring the Ina Plant
to view the entire process of making a microscope from grinding the lenses
to the
metalwork, fabrication and assembly. The Ina Plant opened in 1944, and
boasts outstanding technical capabilities in the small-lot production
of biological microscopes and a wide variety of other products , including
scanning probe microscopes allowing nano-order observation, and microscopes
for use in surgical operations. |
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| *10––Dr. Wakayama is giving a lecture
on cloning technology and research following his tour of the plant,
employing
visuals to
explain the delicate operation of nucleus transplant, and adding a
little humor, a communication skill learned during his years in the
US. |
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