MEcoH Student Attended Ehime University's First Ever iCollab Conference

By Kyle Young LOW​

I had the honor of participating in the 1st International Joint Meeting of Young Researchers for Future Research Collaboration (The 1st iCollab) held in Ehime, Japan on March 14, 2025. This meeting fostered academic exchange between young (pun not intended) researchers from Ehime University and its overseas partner universities through research presentations. Aiming to build sustainable international research networks.

The event started off with an opening remark from, Prof. Noriaki Mitsuda, head of the Management Information Analysis Office here in Ehime University, followed by two plenary speeches from invited guests, Professor Greg Tabios Pawilen and Professor David Weissbrodt. Although both speakers came from different backgrounds, both emphasized that working collaboratively helped them achieve tangible progress in their respective fields. Dave Robledo, an upcoming PhD graduate, then delivered an inspiring keynote on killer whales.  

Once the plenary session concluded, we moved towards the panel session. As an invited speaker, I got a chance to present my work "Establishing Wastewater Metaviromic Sampling Standards" and shared contacts for potential collaborations. When not speaking, I got to listen, and I am happy to report that the panel session covered wide variety of subjects ranging from deducing physical properties of moon stones to figuring out the relative distance of spaces using of circular objects—a mind enriching experience. 

Outstanding presenter recipients awarded by organising chair, Prof. Noriaki Mitsuda (center)

Once all the speeches had concluded. The event concluded with a networking dinner at Maple where I was glad to have used this opportunity to interact directly with all three invited speakers. These moments are invaluable to my PhD journey and I am thankful for the candid conversations made. At the end, certificates for outstanding presentations were awarded by the organising chair. 

As an international student residing in Japan, I am thankful for the collaborative opportunities that MEcoH gave me. All in all, it's been a rewarding and inspiring experience for me.