West Japan Alliance: Inter-university Collaborative PBL (Project-Based Learning)

Reference No.	2026a030
Type/Category	Grant for General Research-Workshop（Ⅱ）
Title of Research Project	West Japan Alliance: Inter-university Collaborative PBL (Project-Based Learning)
Principal Investigator	Toshihito Umegaki（Center for Mathematical Modeling and Data Science (MMDS), Osaka University・Specially Appointed Assistant Professor）
Research Period
Keyword(s) of Research Fields	Robotics; Machine Learning; Brain-inspired Information Processing
Abstract for Research Report	The present online meeting is organized as part of the West Japan Alliance inter-university Project-Based Learning (PBL) program. In accordance with the curriculum guidelines of the Mathematical and Data Science / AI Education Enhancement Consortium at the literacy and applied-basic levels, this PBL provides undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to work on real-world datasets and problem statements supplied by Osaka University and the industrial partner, Hitachi Systems, Ltd. In 2026, the program will be jointly conducted by eight universities: Osaka University, Shimane University, Wakayama University, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Kochi University, Ehime University, Ibaraki University, and Kagawa University. The primary purpose of this meeting is not to present new academic research results in data science itself, but rather to strengthen student motivation and support active participation in the intensive PBL program. Because the meeting is held during the PBL period, the keynote lecture is expected to help students understand how data science connects with concrete social and industrial issues, including how to identify meaningful problems, formulate verifiable questions, select appropriate data, and proceed through repeated cycles of analysis and validation. The invited speaker, Prof. Wataru Takano of Osaka University, specializes in robotics, machine learning, and brain-inspired information processing. His lecture will introduce a broad and accessible perspective on data science-related topics, including database construction, big-data analysis, and visualization. Through this lecture, students are expected to gain stronger motivation for their future study and a clearer understanding of the overall workflow of data science. In addition, this meeting is expected to contribute to the accumulation of practical know-how for managing an inter-university PBL involving multiple institutions with different academic calendars and administrative structures. Such experience will be valuable for the future improvement and expansion of data science education within the West Japan Alliance.
Organizing Committee Members (Workshop) Participants (Short-term Joint Usage)	Toshihito Umegaki（Center for Mathematical Modeling and Data Science (MMDS), Osaka University・Specially Appointed Assistant Professor）