Event Overview
From July 29 to August 2, 2025, the “70th Summer School for Young Researchers in Condensed Matter Physics” was held at Shirahamaso in Shiga Prefecture. Five graduate students from our laboratory participated. The summer school brought together about 250 students from all over Japan for five days of lectures, intensive seminars, parallel session presentations, and poster sessions. The theme of this year’s school was “Nontrivial.” What kind of “nontrivial” experiences did the participants have?
Group Seminars
Immediately after the opening ceremony, group seminars were held. Participants were divided into groups of four, and each person gave a 30-minute presentation on their research. My group consisted of two theory students and one researcher focused on chemistry-oriented material synthesis. It was an inspiring opportunity to hear about research from completely different fields.
Parallel Session Presentations
On the second day, I gave an oral presentation in a parallel session. Although the format was the same as a regular academic conference, the audience consisted mainly of students of the same generation, creating a more relaxed atmosphere. It was a good rehearsal for future conferences. After my own talk, I attended presentations by other theory students and was impressed by their confident and “nontrivial” approaches.
Poster Session
Due to the approach of a typhoon, the poster session was moved up to the third day instead of the final day. In the morning, presenters from east of Nagoya spoke, and in the afternoon, those from west of Nagoya took the floor. Speaking loudly to engage many visitors was exhausting, but I gained a lot from the discussions. I was able to exchange ideas with people ranging from undergraduates to doctoral students, from both theory and experiment backgrounds. During the morning viewing, I noticed that there were many posters from theory groups.
Lectures
Over three days, we attended nine hours of lectures (three hours per day) by Professor Shigeo Ohara of Nagoya Institute of Technology, titled “Symmetry of Crystals and Physical Properties.” The lectures were designed to convey the idea that “to understand the nontrivial, you must first clearly recognize what is trivial.” Starting from fundamentals familiar at the undergraduate level, the talks provided a clear, systematic overview, making them highly engaging.
Intensive Seminars
We attended two intensive seminars:
- “Electronic Properties of Low-Dimensional Conductors” by Associate Professor Gomei Matsunaga (Hokkaido University)
- “Persistent Spin Helix State and Its Applications in Semiconductors” by Professor Makoto Yoshida (Tohoku University)
The first covered NMR studies of organic low-dimensional conductors, while the second ranged from the basics to applications of spin–orbit interaction. Both were highly educational.
Social Gatherings
Social gatherings were held every night. This year, they were in a standing buffet style, which encouraged interaction compared to last year. We had opportunities to talk directly with the lecturers, and on the third and fourth nights, we enjoyed fireworks on the shore of Lake Biwa. These were fun and memorable evenings unique to a student-centered event.
Lodging
At night, 5 to 12 people shared a room, creating a school trip–like atmosphere. We had many enjoyable late-night conversations about our research and future plans.
Closing Remarks
At this year’s summer school, some of the organizers had ties with Nara Women’s University. Thanks to their dedication, even staying up late to manage the program amid typhoon conditions, we were able to spend a safe and fulfilling five days. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to them.
