Vulcanus in Japan Final Presentation

Vulcanus in Japan2011-12

Final presentation

How to summarize 365 days full of somany extraordinary and new things?

Presentation by Andrea Tino

EU-DelegationAugust 24th 2012

Authored by Andrea Tino 2012 - Final Presentation for Vulcanus in Japan Programme 2011-12 - EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation - EU Delegation Tokyo on 2012Y08M24D

Yeah! I got a kissfrom a shika!What should be the first pictureof my presentation?

This presentation should not really becalled a “presentation”. I would rather like to call it some sort of diary, some sort of picture book, like those ones wetake from our shelf once a year, those moments when we sit in the sofa turning its pages and discovering things weforgot with time.

This is it! My diary for these 365 daysspent with you all guys, an experience Ithink hard to forget in years, hard to let go now.


Starting anewNew year, new town, new job, new people, new room

On January the Program started again witha brand new part. It was time to get seriousand start my traineeship.

Together with Kati and Przemyslaw, I moved from Atsugi to Nara. Amazing Shinkansen, sunny and fresh day. We had to say goodbye to our friends in Hase (and Isehara) and start again.

Maybe a little nervous, but much hope to give my best.

My new townMy dorm in a word? Nothing!

When I first arrived in Hase I already knew that my dormitory would haveprovided me with bed, desk, washing machine but no fridge! I was so disappointed at that time, and had to get one from previous Vulcanus mate from Isehara (also had to use a taxi to take it from there).

Once in Nara, my new dormitory had nothing but the fridge! Quite a difficult time, but in the first day people from NTT let me buy a futon. Then I bought everything else from 2nd hand shop.

NTT KeihannaResearch life in Keihanna

Located in the (not very exact) centre of an ideal triangle having as vertices Nara, Kyoto and Osaka; Keihanna isa very nice place filled with researchbuildings in Soraku-gun, a village area in the middle of (almost) nowhere.

Together with Atsugi, Yokosuka and Musashino, Keihanna is one of NTT’smost famous and biggest research facilities where the big things happen!

1.1

1.2

1.3


My workplaceAt the beginning it was such atidy desk, now it is pure Entropy

In NTT Keihanna, researchers do workseparately, everyone in his own space. Part walls are not that big, but sure there is no much cooperation.

I was surprised about this, but I started realizing that it is not like cooperation is forbidden. Members in the same teamdo cooperate, they just have many meetings and like to collect in large rooms with large screens and whiteboards.I started liking this as well, thought I was used to a different working style, it wasnot difficult to get used to this new one.

My researchSimilarity Search, graphs, algebraic structures and the magic world of Markovian non-ergodic processes

So, what have I been doing so far?Actually it is not so easy to explain, but, basically, as far as I am allowed to tell (I really like this sentence), I have been working on fast algorithms to searchlarge data masses looking for most similarobjects given a certain query.

My research topic (my supervisor’s one) deals with a new concept: “Basins”. This thing is new and not many researchers are focusing on it right now.

Turning into...Some sort of Theoretical Mathematician

I really did not expact it, but starting from January my work started looking being more fitted to Theoritical Mathematics rather than Computer Science or Engineering.

In fact, my research deals a lot with important mathematical structures. My work was, from the beginning, to analyzethe algorithm developed by NTT and prove some theorems. While doing this, I ended up finding a new methodology to improve one part ofthe entire algorithm.

2.1 2.2 2.3


Three monthsWhere I failed getting interstingresults and improvements

The first three months of my traineeship were really frustrating. I could not achieve anything and my efforts trying to build a good mathematical model todescribe the algorithm did not lead to a good result.

During that time I was researching a lot about many branches of Conbinatoricsand Normed Spaces, but, unfortunately, all those theories weren’t useful.

No give upOn trying to get to the finalobjective

On April something changed!My supervisor was able to prove one ofthose theorems I was working on.

He found that the mentioned proposition was not true in every case and managed finding a set of restrictions where it holds.

Even in that case I felt quite frustrated, but asked my supervisor to let me keep working on the same objective with the purpose of finding the most general case where the theorem always holds. I had it granted!

Starting anew and... Yatta!Finally discovered a model able to describe the algorithm

During the last part of April I was finally able to create a mathematical model toanalyze the algorithm and its properties.

The model was intended to be used inorder to verify some properties (passive).However it turned out that it could also be used to execute one part of the algorithm with a different approach. On August I developed a new algorithm (theoretically) faster than current implementations so far.

2.4

2.5 2.6


Cannot say thatmuch but...I will try to explain my research without saying secret stuff

My work concerns a mathematical modelto describe Fast Similarity Search processusing graph indexing system.

Although the entire process is intrinsicallydeterministic, I developed a non-deterministic model to describe it.

Model has a special structure and it willenable various applications (theoretically).

S n…( ) = limt

f M ,t( )S n…( ) = lim

tf Mi, j ,t( )

S n…( ) = Mi, j( )t=1

S n…( ) = Mi, j( )

d xi , x j( ) = xi x j s

Latest discoveriesAbout latest achievements andrecent works

One key concept in my work is B.C.

B.C. is a structured quantity that can be calculated from the database and thatdescribes it entirely from the point ofview of NTT’s Fast Search.

Calculating B.C. is costful.

My model can (theoretically) fasten the B.C. calculation and make it less costlyand more efficient.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

O n( )( )O n( )( ) < 1

S n…( ) = Mi, j( )

2.7 2.8

Presenting to my team: 談話会As I advanced in my work andshowed improvements, the timecame for my Danwakai

After April my team leader listened for my advances and, finding it worth being presented, allowed me to have a Danwakai.

Team members, once a week, have apresentation about their work andtheir advances. During such times, allmembers listen and, many times,interrupt and start interestingdiscussions.

2.9


Japanese at workplaceNaganuma teachers: good job!

In my company there are very fewforeigners and a lot of Japanese peoplefrom Kansai but other areas as well.

With my supervisor I usually talk inEnglish, but with the rest of my team Ialways use Japanese.

No doubts, intensive course at Naganumawas really helpful. One hint only: improvepolite language learning in the final partof the course without focusing too much on final presentation.

JLPT... 2!As I failed N4 I could not refrain mu pride from trying N3

Gotta say it: I really didn’t put much effort into JLPT on December, but whenI started my Japanese lessons in KansaiI started gathering the motivation I neededback then.

From April to July, every evening, I wentto a bar and for 3 hours I stayed therestudying Kanji and grammar (no TV, no INet, no distractions). On July I didmy thing and I will know results in fewmonths. If I don’t pass I will try again!

3.1

3.2

Manners atCompanyNTT Research facility: no suit,nice working environment, no strict rules and much flexibility

In NTT Keihanna working environmentis quite different from the one I imaginedbefore starting my traineeship.

Suits are not necessary and all researchersare free to wear the clothes they like (with some limitations of course like shorts).

Environment is not too much formal and it is really easy to talk with people in the higher part of the hierarchy.

3.3


Japanese lessonsAlso after the first 4 months

One really cool thing at NTT, in my case, is that they offer the Japanese language course free of charge (for interns).

My sensei was Matsubara-sensei (松原先生) and we met two times perweek. During that time I had the possibility to continue the language course not by myself but supervised bya teacher (which is necessary from mypoint of view). Matsubara-sensei was sostrict during JLPT preparation: more than30 new words with kanji everyday!!!

VinJ mid-termI just think it really felt likelong-time-no-see, so we were all together again after 3 months

Mid-term is a very good chance to meetall again and share our experiences.

But in my opinion it would be even betterif we had a chance to also meet VinEUmates! It is such a shame that we cannot interact during the time of our programs.

Would it be possible some sort of Internetconference? Ok, because of time changeit might be difficult, but not impossiblefor sure. Imho, the Centre should focuson this point.3.4

3.5

Just one thing about lecturesNot even a typhoon could stopthe Centre from holding a lecture: “This is Sparta!!!”

Lectures are one core part of the first4 months of VinJ. I consider them reallyimportant, but, imho, improvements should be taken into account.

History lecture in 3 parts. Morelectures about Fukushima from different newspapers’ journalists. Nextlecture outline to be handed out at the end of the previous one.

3.6


Not just work...also sea and girls!Not exactly like italian beaches...

Of course it is not comparable to Italianand especially Sicilian beaches, but Kobe and other places are not so badafter all.

The sea is nice, the sand not bad. What is really beautiful is the sky.

What about Japanese people at the beach?Well, it looks like they like bathing with their shirts and trousers still put on!

Every MondayVolleyball!Starting from January I wasinvited to join Keihanna inter-kaisha Volleyball practiceand matches

I thought that after playing Volleyball for 5 years in my city team, I had no more chances to play that again nicely.

But I had to change my mind. In Keihanna I found a lot of peopleliking Volleyball and after they invitedme to join them, it has always beenso much fun all together.4.1

4.2

Crazy Kyotocrazy MatsuriHow to define Kyoto? I wouldprobably say: “A town betweentwo eras”.

Tokyo sure was amazing, but the realJapanese history and ancient life ishere in Kyoto.

Kyoto, seen from the top of 清水寺 lookslike a big big huge village. But it is filled with everything. There are clubs, there is the Gion district and the roadall filled with tea-houses and Geisha!

4.3


Hint 1: VinJ and VinEU like oneAlso after the first 4 months

Every year students from EU go toJapan and students from Japan go to EU.

But during their programs they neverofficially interact. Seems like VinJ andVinEU are two separate things.

I think much more interaction should beconsidered between the two groups ofstudents. If they could share theirexperiences during the program, this would make VinJ and VinEU twovery powerful cultural exchange programs.

Hint 2: CulturalexperiencesIn order to improve the cultural side of both programs, why don’t exchange personalexperiences at program-time?

What about having students from VinJ and VinEU exchange some monthly reports devoted only to culturalexperiences?

Japanese mates will be able to understandhow an European student approaches toproblems in their country and vice-versa!This would open many ways to improveboth programs as well.

5.1 5.2

Hint 3: Costs while in TokyoDuring first 4 months, commuting expenses to goand come back from Tokyo arequite different

I understand that this is some sort ofbig and not easy issue, but it is sureone problem. While in Tokyo thereare some students having their dormsfar from the city. Monthly passes arereally expensive.Is it possible to keep this into accountwhen handling grants? What aboutstudents cards to get discounts?

5.3

Education

Vulcanus in Japan Final Presentation