What is Risk Symbiosis?

We live on planet Earth, where our lives, environment, and social activities are affected by favorable and unfavorable potential effects (risks). In human society, new technologies and measures can pose new challenges that threaten the lives of people while at the same time improving their living standards. In nature, changes in the natural environment can create threats, such as disasters and long-term climate changes, as well as bring about changes to the social lives of people while at the same time producing rich biodiversity. The basic principle of risk symbiosis advocated by YNU is to select acceptable risks based on the social conditions and purposes from among the diverse variety of potential risks and to coexist with them. In this research theme, students explore risks and how to deal with them through interdisciplinary research across science, engineering, and social science.

Research Theme: Risk Symbiosis

What are students expected to learn?

Students learn specialized knowledge about natural environmental, industrial, and urban risks and how to deal with them, while at the same time learning about environmental and social safety and security from a wide range of perspectives, such as the risk management methods employed by corporations and local governments, the sociological understanding of risks for people and communities, and the relationship between risks and medicine. In addition, they also learn the mathematical statistics and big data analysis techniques required to analyze and evaluate risks. Building upon the above, they carry out research, for example to explore what risks are likely to arise in Society 5.0 and how to deal with them, and propose the social implementation of measures using Big Data.

What kind of people does the program aim to nurture?

The program aims to develop human resources who fully understand the philosophy of risk symbiosis, which is a fundamental principle of YNU, and have the ability to ensure environmental and social safety and security and contribute to the creation of a more sustainable society.

Career prospects after completing the program

Students can gain employment as occupational health and safety managers, environmental public health managers, environmental educators, RC managers, environmental risk consultants, anti-pollution managers, biotope planners/builders, certified weather forecasters, local government employees, junior high school/high school teachers, etc.