Takai, Osamu

Research

Faculty:

Faculty of Medicine

Country:

Japan

Home town:

Toshima-ku

State/Province:

Tokyo

Program:

Doctor of Philosophy in Audiology and Speech Sciences (PhD)

Started program at UBC in:

2009

Research

Research topic:

How we learn to read in foreign language as adults

Research group:

Human Brain Lab, Audiology, UBC

Research supervisor:

Dr. Anthony Herdman

Research description:

The written form of language is a representation of its speech sounds. When we learn to read, we begin by learning to associate the sounds of a language with its written symbols. I am interested in how our brain achieves this new association when learning a foreign language as an adult.

What do you hope to accomplish with your research?:

I would like to contribute to the multiculturalism of our current society.

Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?:

I am passionate about conducting research. Professionally, I'd like to continue to research, but I also want to start teaching and sharing my knowledge and skills as a scholar.

Why did you decide to study at UBC?:

I looked for researchers and scholars whom I felt would best help me hone my skills. I found them at UBC, and now I am honoured to have them as my supervisors.

For you, what was the best surprise about graduate life, about UBC or life in Vancouver?:

I was surprised that UBC is such a large campus -- after 2 years of study here I can still get lost. Vancouver is a beautiful place to live, with easy access to stunning natural surroundings, and is a relatively easy city in which to bicycle.

What advice do you have for new graduate students coming to UBC/Vancouver?:

UBC can offer excellent scholarly work. Make sure you enjoy your time here.

What has winning a major award meant to you?:

As a scholar I am so grateful and honoured to receive any award. As a consequence, I feel responsible for meeting or even exceeding the expectations for my work in the name of the award organization and their trustees. In addition, it's a tremendous encouragement to challenging myself even more as a scholar and a researcher.

Award(s):

NSERC Doctoral Prize

Killam Doctoral Scholarships

Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF)