SDS Orientation

Thursday, April 9, 2026 — Tsudanuma Campus

Meeting Point

1st floor entrance, Building 1 (Tsudanuma Campus).
We will move together to Conference Room 1, 2nd floor, Building 2.

Tsudanuma Campus: 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan

Schedule

Time Activity Details
1:50 PM Arrival & Check-in Meet at Building 1 entrance, move to Conference Room 1 (Building 2, 2F)
2:00 PM Welcome & Introductions President Joi Ito's welcome. Meet SDS and Henkaku Center faculty.
2:30 PM Essentials Important dates, health checkup, student IDs, account setup
2:50 PM How SDS Works Timetable, course registration, how to take classes at SDS. Software, AI tools, and key resources (screen walkthrough).
3:10 PM IDP Overview Joe Austerweil and Fiza Razik introduce the Individual Development Plan — what it is and what's expected (10 min)
3:20 PM Advisor Breakouts Meet your research advisor and fellow advisees (15–20 min)
3:40 PM Campus Tour Tour ending at the Henkaku Center (Building 4, 5F)
4:10 PM Networking + Q&A Informal Q&A at Henkaku Center — including life in Japan (visa, bicycle registration, commuter passes)
Scheduled separately (first weeks)
  • IDP Follow-up — Each student writes their own IDP report and meets 1-on-1 with their advisor to discuss it

What to Bring

Just bring yourself. It's not required, but you may like to bring a laptop to follow along with any software setup. We'll give you everything you need to do this on your own, though.

Key Contacts

Ira Winder

Orientation Lead, SDS Faculty

ira.winder@chibatech.ac.jp

Fiza Razik

SDS Program Director, ChibaTech Liaison

fiza.razik@chibatech.ac.jp

Nakamura Keisuke

Academic Center, Tsudanuma Campus

keisuke.nakamura@chibatech.ac.jp