Tsukuba-Dooba-Doo

Quite frankly, I've been putting off this blog post for some time now.  My reluctantance to tackle this topic was because I wasn't sure how to describe it without sounding like a pompous jerk or a kindergarten teacher.  I suppose I should just bite the bullet and start with a little background.

Here is the funny thing, I first applied at AIST to do research on dye-sensitized photo cells.  I submitted the application knowing that I was unqualified to handle the hazardous chemicals associated with it.  Seeing that both Matt and I were passionate and motivated, they allowed us to come work in the Turbomachinery Division to do research in Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators (DBDPA) and the Properties of Hydrogen Combustion.  Whew, what a mouth full.  After getting settled in, we had a meeting with our bosses and decided that I would be working on Plasma Actuators while Matt handled Hydrogen Combustion.  One thing that is really nice is that Matt and I are still given the freedom to help each other out on either project.

Okie dokie, its about to get a lot nerdier in here as I  explain plasma actuators.  If you don't much care about how it works simply skip over the first two bold sections and we can meet again later down the page at Finally...what I actually do!  For everyone else, put on your favorite galoshes and take my hand as we try to wade through this sticky, smelly, swamp of science.  

What is a Single Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuator (DBDPA)?
The DBDPA I work with is composed to two electrodes (just think of wires) separated by a thin layer of dielectric material.  The top electrode is exposed to the air whereas the bottom electrode is often submerged in dielectric material.  When low current/high AC voltage is supplied, air close to the exposed electrode becomes weakly ionized.  This ionized air is called plasma.  The plasma creates what is called a body force vector field.  It's this body force which is used to control flow.  Below is a diagram that should help.



What's the point?
Most people know what happens when an airplane tries to climb altitude too fast, it stalls and loses lift.  This is due to a little thing we call flow separation which can cause major problems for airplanes and (wait for it...) wind turbines!  Modern wind turbines rely on principals of lift and drag.  So, when flow separation occurs, efficiency goes down.  If flow separation can be prevented, airplanes can fly at a higher angle of attack and wind turbines can capture more energy.  Below are some images of plasma actuators preventing flow separation on airfoils.


 Finally....what I actually do!
The first major task I've been assigned involves redesigning almost all aspects of the DBDPA experiment.  I designed the Plexiglas wind tunnel test section, the electrode arrangement, and the airfoil itself.  Once everything is put together we will do tests in an attempt to optimize about a dozen things including input voltage, electrode configuration, and overall performance.  Depending on when I'm able to get all of this nailed down, I might be able to write up a technical paper and present it at the "International Symposium on Low Carbon & Renewable Energy Technology" in South Korea in November.  Visiting South Korea would be awesome so I'm really going to push to get a paper submitted

If all goes well, I will start working on a 2nd phase of the project which involves making a 'smart wing.'  Basically we want to try to design a wing that can turn on/off the plasma actuators when it senses that it has flow separation.  Making a 'smart wing' is a daunting task, but I'm excited to try. 

BONUS: Plasma Actuator Air Jets?!
That's right, people have arranged the electrodes to produce little air jets.  Who knows, maybe someday they will make a hover craft with using this technology.  Below is a pic of one of these. 

Ahhhhhhhhh, see? We made it through.  Hopefully I didn't come across as a 'know-it-all' and I hope you find this stuff as interesting as I do.  Please let me know if you have any questions about any of this.  I'd be more than willing to answer anything.  Whelp, I'm going to go rest my brain for a while.


-Seth

It's been brought to my attention that I only ever talk about my endeavors outside of work.  I promise, I do actually work.  I think it is worth mentioning the office dynamics as well as the type of work I do.  Before I whip out a bunch of technical garble, lets focus on the daily grind at AIST.

Every morning Matt and I meet in the parking garage to bike to our office at the AIST West campus.  On our way to work we pass by the two complexes of the National Institute of Material Science (NIMS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and a whole lot of other researchers on bikes.  This is the Science City, remember?  Also, everyday we ride by a small section of road that has been under construction the entire 3 months I have been here.  I'm not kidding, it's just plain bananas.


Everyday they tear up the same section of pavement, do some work, and repave it.  This is all between the hours of 9am-5pm.  I honestly think they spend at least half of the day cleaning up from the previous day and for the next day.  But I digress....

Once we cross the entrance threshold we get saluted by the guard.  For me this never gets old.  In Japan they have immense respect for their researchers.  Therefore, working at an institution in Tsukuba has a certain amount of prestige.  After we park our bikes under the parking cover, we scan our badges and walk inside.

The first thing I noticed when I entered our building for the first time was the darkness.  The hallways, stairwells, and bathrooms are almost never lit with artificial light.  In fact, even in our office, the only lights that are turned on are the lights that pertain to one's workspace.  I must admit it was a little hard to get used to at first.

When we get into our office we greet everyone with "Ohayo Gozaimasu!" which means good morning.  Shortly after settling into my desk, one of the secretaries brings me coffee just how I like it.  Immense hospitality is displayed everyday here.  Our bosses and coworkers never hesitate to bend over backwards for us.  Their perpetual kindness makes me very grateful for the people I have been placed with here in Japan.  Below are a couple of pictures Matt and I took with some coworkers during the cherry blossom bloom in April.


Once 12 o' clock rolls around, someone will flip on the tele as everyone gathers around the central table.  Lunch is usually very social as everyone talks about the news, weather, ect.  If its a clear day, I will eat my lunch fast and get changed for soccer.  From 12:30 to 1:30 I play soccer with about 15 other researchers from AIST West.  It is sometimes very fast paced even though some of the guys that play are over 60 years old!  What's really great though is that I've been able to join a local soccer league with some of the people I play with at lunch.  My fist official game was a couple weeks ago.  Below is a picture Katie took of me while I waited to go in.


The next break in the work day is the 3:00 tea time.  The secretaries usually gather everybody's mugs, make tea, and lay out snacks for everyone to enjoy at the central table.  This is another social time where people talk about work and non-work related matters. During tea is usually when Matt and I tell everyone about our trips, show pictures, or ask questions about Japanese language and culture. 

At 5:00 a bell chimes and an announcement comes on over the speakers.  The message goes something like "AIST is implementing measures to prevent global warming.  Please conserve energy by turning off any lights or equipment when you are not using them."  In fact, this same message is played in the morning and at lunch time.  Sustainability is ingrained in the culture of AIST.  In fact, the central campus boasts the title of "Mega-Solar Town" because of its over 1 MW of solar power generation capabilities via photovoltaics.   

Another interesting message is announced on Wednesdays which encourages people to finish their work and go home.  Wednesdays are days that AIST officials try in vain to prevent people from working overtime.  It never works though because everyone just ignores the message.  I can't imagine any company having to make that announcement in the U.S.  I think this is a major cultural difference between America and Japan.  In Japan, the general mindset is that people 'live to work' whereas Americans 'work to live.'  Although I really enjoy my work, while in Japan I will definitely be more on the 'work to live' side.

Usually around 5:30, Matt and I gather our things and leave the office with a "sayonara!"  If it is a Tuesday or Friday we make our way to language classes at the AIST Central from 5:45 to 7:45.  Every other day we just mozy on back to the Ninomiya House. 

-Seth

After spending the morning in the Peace Park, we took a train to the port for Miyojima.  The only way to get there by public transit is to take a ferry.  This is nice because you get a good view of the island before you arrive.



Reagan started getting really antsy so Matt and Chelsae let her play in the water for a little bit.  They seized the moment and got a family photo out of it.

After having a great time in Kyoto we caught our Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed with pouring rain...bummer. The group decided to venture out, rain or shine, since we knew there was a ton of things we wanted to see. After consulting a soggy map, we sloshed our way to the Hiroshima Castle.

The first thing we noticed about the castle, was that there was no castle. Said castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb. Later, I found out that part of the castle had been rebuilt, but we didn't see it. We did however spot a guard outpost and made it in 30 minutes before closing. As we tried to take in 5 stories of history in half of an hour, we spotted an area where you can take photos with samurai and kimono clothes. We were able to snap this picture right before they called for people to leave.


That night we walked around and found a fantastic place to have dinner which overlooked the streets.  The table had two grills and they brought out raw meat and different sauces for us.


It had been a long day of walking so we headed back to the hotel to relax and rest our feet. In fact, Katie drew some burning hot water in the bath for us to soak our feet in.


The following day, I was especially excited because we were to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum as well as the island of Miyojima. The first point of interest is the A-Bomb dome.


What makes this so interesting is that it was located very close to the center of the explosion. Since there wasn't much of a sideways force from the blast, the building remained standing. The people of Hiroshima have vowed to preserve the building exactly how it looked right after the explosion.You can see it on the left side of the photo taken right after the blast.


The next stop was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.  As a self-proclaimed WWII buff, I could hardly contain my excitement when we entered!  When you walk into the museum you are immediately hit with an air of respect.  Respect for the 150,000 who perished in the blast, respect for the citizens of Hiroshima who immediately rebuilt their great city, and respect for the bomb itself.  I think I speak for everyone when I say that I was overwhelmed by the amount of information/photos/displays.  With something so historically significant though, you wouldn't want to leave anything out.  Here were some photos I took.

    

On June 6th we started our first Japanese trip.  We (Seth, Kate, Matt, Chelsae, Reagan, and our friend Justin) took the San'yo Shinkansen train which reaches speed of 190 mph,  we traveled 288 miles in 2.5 hours!  It was so amazing to see the beautiful country side of Japan during that ride.
Once we arrived, we wasted no time and started search of our hotel and a good restaurant.  With Reagan being a sleep we found a wonderful place to eat where they made their own Soba (buckwheat) noodles. We also had our very own room which worked perfectly with Reagan.


After lunch and unloading our backpacks at the hotel, we all started to walk around the city seeing different temples such as Kiyomizu-dera which on top of a very long hill.  This temple was beautiful in the views that it gave us of the city and of the detail in the temple.
The group at the entrance of the temple.  Reagan was very excited to be out of her stroller and wanted to be in both pictures. 

The first couple of days after Katie's arrival in Japan was spent relaxing at the Ninomiya House.  After several short bike trips around Tsukuba during the week days, we decided to take the Tokyo plunge and attend Oktoberfest on Saturday.  Specifically, we went to a park in Hibiya where one of two Oktoberfest celebrations were taking place.

Upon confirmation of my internship in Japan, I quickly developed a bucket list of things I must do/see while in the land of the rising sun.  A couple items on that list include learning Japanese, visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, watching a sumo match, and battling a ninja in a cherry tree orchard.  Well on May 15th, I was able to cross off one of those items...SUMO!


The origins of Sumo go back some 1500 years.  Before it was a sport, it was a ritualistic dance in conjunction with prayers for things such as a bountiful harvest.  Today it is one of Japan's most celebrated sports taking a back seat to baseball and soccer.  Yet, in a way, it's almost more of a theatrical production than a sport.

Sumo matches take place during 15-day  tournaments held every two months in one of four locations in Japan.  It is an all day affair starting at about 10am and ends around 4pm.  The low ranking wrestlers have their matches early so, between me and you, the real fun doesn't start until the more seasoned wrestlers arrive in the area (about 2pm).  When the next division of wrestlers are about to start, there is an entrance ceremony (shown below).  They all come out in there formal wrestling gowns and present themselves to the crowd. 


Once the fighters begin their pre-fight rituals they have 4 minutes to actually start their bout.  They use this time to get mentally prepared, stretch, and try to build the suspense.  It should be said that it only takes one minute to do all of their rituals.  The 4 minute time limit comes into play because they do all of the traditional stuff, get into position facing each other, stand up, and do it all again, and again, and again.  For an American whose ADD has been fed by perpetual intense stimulation, it can get to be slightly dull.      



I would say that on average, the bouts last 10-15 seconds.  Which makes since when you consider one 300-400lb man trying to push/slap/pull/grab/throw/dodge another 300-400lb man.  Needless to say, they get tired very fast.  With that said, when two equally matched opponents face off, it is very exciting.  Below, is one of the more exciting bouts.




An added bonus is that the ring is small and elevated about three feet!  You can imagine that it's quite the spectacle when one of these giants gets thrown off onto the poor people in the front row. 

One last thing I want to mention concerns advertisements.  Before the highly ranked wrestlers fight, kids walk up to the ring and walk around holding company banners (i.e. McDonalds).  In America, we would have models walking around in almost nothing with a screaming guitar solo blaring over the loud speakers.  I'm glad this Sumo hasn't been tainted by this concept yet.