Dear Prof. Mikoshiba,
It has been more than five months since I left Japan and I am back to my previous life. Nothing changed here; Paris is a beautiful city as always. I am now working on the next step of my career, but I already find it hard after the threshold set by your laboratory.
Back to September 2008: I had been thinking seriously of going to Japan for scientific purposes for almost three years. I had very few contacts through my university network, but just when I was starting to feel hopeless, I noticed something on the announcement board when attending a lecture at the Pasteur Institute. I saw ‘it’, the famous name I had heard about: Katsuhiko Mikoshiba. I could not believe it, you were coming to the institute for a lecture. The presentation was really interesting, especially because so many different projects joined together were held in your laboratory. I gathered my energy to initiate a dialogue with you. You sounded so nice and glad that foreign students could also be interested in your laboratory.
A few weeks later, you gave me a positive answer, and, on the 31st of December, I finally arrived on the other side of the globe. I knew no-one in Japan, but the very kind people in your laboratory had already made contact with me. In my first amazing days in Japan, I discovered typical Japanese food and had parties with great people, and I even tasted a homemade end-of-year dinner.
Then my six months project started, and you personally explained to me the details of the IRBIT project and its purpose, and assigned me to the supervisor you thought was the best for me. Soon, I felt independent in my organization and ideas; I could also ask anyone for help or answers if I had questions. I really made a huge step forward in my capacity to be a researcher.
The RIKEN institute is such a great place to work in; it is a reserve of smart and diverse people working on stunning research projects and ready to discuss with you in any corridor corner… my time in your laboratory gave me the opportunity to meet very passionate people, and they made me understand my own passion about science. I felt really motivated to find my own path, started to feel more confident to start my career for real and continue as a PhD student as soon as possible. I am very grateful for the opportunity you gave me, because it changed my life and it was an important contribution to the person I am.
I had a wonderful time in Japan and it was very hard to leave. I discovered Tokyo for real as an ‘insider’, and also experienced many other incredible places. As a great conclusion to my stay, my friends from the laboratory organized a farewell party for me, and it was so amazing that I will never forget it.
Thank you for everything. I hope you are doing well and that you will continue to instill your passion in young people.
Regards,
Laura Gainche
PhD student
Sleep Laboratory
University of Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
P.S. After six months in Paris I was fortunate enough to secure a position as a PhD student at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Thanks to your help and inspiration, I am now firmly on my own path and enjoying my prospects for the future
