At the end of July 2024, I left Gifu and landed at the cool Chitose Airport. Although I had visited Hokkaido before, this time I was particularly surprised by the temperature difference. I remember my mood naturally lifting with the expectation of spending a summer in such a comfortable climate.
The purpose of this stay in Hokkaido was to participate in a program called MANABIYA. This program attracts students and faculty not only from Japan but from around the world. I learned about it when Professor Mita enthusiastically promoted it at that year’s conference. At the time, I felt my research needed a computational chemistry solution, which led to my decision to participate.
When it comes to computational chemistry, many organic chemists think of “Gaussian”. I was one of them. I had also seen the GRRM program mentioned in papers, but I only had a vague understanding that it was “something to do with reaction pathways.” It was in this context that I found myself working in the Maeda Lab. I set out to analyze the pathways of photoreactions.
Surprisingly, exploring the reaction pathways progressed more smoothly than I had anticipated. I achieved my initial goal for participating in the program quite early. From there, through repeated discussions with Professor Maeda and further calculations, I was able to obtain significant results. Based on these findings, I am currently planning to submit a paper.
For students and researchers interested in computational chemistry, particularly those curious about AFIR, I would highly recommend participating in MANABIYA. Especially for students who can temporarily relocate their research and living base, I encourage you to experience life in Sapporo. It’s sure to be a valuable and wonderful experience.
Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Professor Maeda and everyone at the Maeda Research Lab, as well as Professor Mita and his group, for supporting my research. My stay in Sapporo was extremely fulfilling both professionally and personally. In particular, I owe my ability to smoothly progress through the pathway analysis of photoreactions – a complex area of computational chemistry – to Professor Maeda, Yamada-kun, and Kanna-kun. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them once again.
The days I spent immersed in computational chemistry research in the clear air of Hokkaido have become irreplaceable memories for me.
Eiji Yamaguchi
(Associate Professor, laboratory of Pharmaceutical Synthetic Chemistry,
Gifu Pharmaceutical University)
