Getting Trained in the Real World: OIST Welcomes Two IT Interns

Mr. Dyce and the interns

Mr. Kaneshiro (left) and Mr. Hinokuma

As part of our effort to nurture young talent, OIST has welcomed two students from the Okinawa National College of Technology (ONCT) on a short IT internship, which runs from February 20 to March 31, 2012. They are Mr. Shunichiro Kaneshiro, 21, and Mr. Yuuta Hinokuma, 18. Both took part in the so-called IT Frogs last year, an initiative supported by 18 IT companies in Okinawa to find and develop the best IT talent by sending them to Silicon Valley in California. At OIST, their objective is to acquire real-world training in the subjects they were exposed to in America and are being taught in class.

Mr. Kaneshiro, who is aspiring to become an IT entrepreneur said, “In order for me to realize my dream, I must deepen my knowledge in IT from front to back-end services. OIST is equipped with a computer server unparalleled in its size and performance on the island. In this internship, we are learning how to operate the server. We have also been tasked with the launch of a new test server and its monitoring. OIST is a very international place and the daily use of English with the ardent staff is very stimulating to me.”

Having a university mathematics professor as a father, Mr. Hinokuma first programed a computer when he was merely a sixth grader. He became serious about computer programming after entering ONCT. “Setting aside my passion for software development, I would like to deepen my knowledge in IT infrastructure from the experienced staff through this internship.”

Their supervisor Mr. Timothy Dyce, Assistant Manager of the Scientific Computing Section, said, “This is a chance for the two young men to have hands-on experience in the diverse IT activities of a university, giving them a broader knowledge in this field. At present, our interns are learning how to test and monitor data transfer between OIST and other universities, which is the key to OIST’s research collaboration. The advent of high-speed networking removed the geographic boundaries to research collaboration, allowing a comparatively remotely located institution like OIST, to become a key player in science.”