Hi, I’m Chen Zhi from China. I’m in the 4th year in the Ph.D. course of the Graduate School of Medical Research in Shimane University. My major is Pharmacology.
　For my thesis, I mainly focused on mechanisms of drug-resistance generation in cancer cells while keeping an eye on new developments on such research arising in the world. In this field, we always have to be aware of what the society needs urgently, what the studies we are engaged in can contribute to, and what potential new therapy or medicine is likely to appear. It makes a graduate student more like a specialist to try to solve these questions.
　Izumo city (in Shimane pref.) might not be well-known outside Japan because it’s located in the countryside and its population is small but I’d like to say that Izumo is the right place to concentrate on your studies in the quiet environment. The sweet air (if not rainy) can make people feel refreshed and relaxed.
　Having spent almost 4 years here at Shimane University, I would like to thank the Japanese government for introducing various measures to increase the number of international students studying in Japan. Shimane is a remote prefecture which may not be as attractive as some other areas in Japan (Tokyo etc.), but that is exactly why our university is contributing a lot to local people, and supporting the development in this area by outputting natural and social scientific fruits. The cooperative studying system combining medicine, science, technology and agriculture is a great idea to exert the advantages in both Izumo and Matsue campuses and makes us united tightly. There are a lot of impressive classes introducing some of the developing trends in these fields. I hope Shimane University will have a brighter future and earn a higher reputation among international researchers after I go back and work in Guangzhou, China.