Welcome to Prospective Lab Members!

At the Higo Lab, we specialize in Software Engineering, a field dedicated to developing technologies that make software development more efficient and timely. By joining us, you’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge in this cutting-edge field through hands-on research.

We especially welcome students who:

• Enjoy programming,
• Have an interest in efficient coding and debugging,
• Care not only about functionality but also about the readability and elegance of code.

Lab Introduction for Fourth- and Third-Year Students (2024)

On April 5, 2024, we will host an introduction to our lab. Teachers and students will be present to answer your questions and discuss our research. Please refer to the materials distributed by the ICS head teacher for location and schedule details.

Knowledge You Will Gain in the Higo Lab

Understanding of Industry Practices

In industry, software development often takes place in large teams, sometimes consisting of dozens or even hundreds of members. Working in such environments requires techniques and practices that go beyond personal development, such as task allocation and collaborative source code management.

Through collaborative projects with industry, the Higo Lab provides opportunities to learn about software development practices directly from professionals. Here are a few key areas:

• The responsibilities that developers bear in creating critical software for society,
• Development processes and coding practices commonly employed in industry,
• Quality aspects required in source code, such as maintainability and readability.

Technical Skills

You will acquire specific knowledge on gathering diverse information relevant to software development, such as:

• Insights derived from the source code itself,
• Information obtained by running the software,
• Data on the behaviors of software developers.

By combining these types of information, our research seeks to develop methods that support developers’ tasks and gain new insights from analyzing existing software.

These skills are relevant to professional activities such as runtime analysis and quality assurance, and through them, you will stay at the forefront of technological trends and understand the challenges faced by companies today. For more details, please visit our Research page.

Skills You Will Develop in the Higo Lab

In addition to expertise in software engineering, you’ll enhance your skills in logical thinking, multi-perspective analysis, and intercultural communication through interactions with international students and teachers.

Key skills you’ll develop include:

• The ability to interpret technical documentation, such as programming language specifications, with precision,
• Research skills for investigating existing works and organizing information to develop a new technique,
• The ability to design experiments to validate theoretical models,
• Communication skills for working with international partners.

Yearly Activities in the Higo Lab

Fourth-year students will experience:

• Weekly group meetings to share progress updates,
• In-depth discussions with your supervisors and graduate students around once a week to structure concrete research steps,
• Bi-weekly paper readings focused on the fundamentals of software engineering,
• Participation in fourth-year courses (we flexibly schedule meetings and paper readings taking timetables of our members into account),
• Occasional visits from professors from overseas universities, offering insights into the latest technology advancements.

We believe in a healthy balance of work and fun, with events like a summer party after the graduate school entrance exam and cherry blossom viewing in spring.

Core Values of the Higo Lab

Two principles are especially valued in our lab:

Effective Sharing of Research Progress within the Group

Research often involves venturing into uncharted territory, where it’s common to encounter unexpected challenges. Team members may also face personal circumstances or external commitments that impact their availability. At Higo Lab, we prioritize open communication to bridge the gap between “research goals” and “students’ interests and abilities.”

Skill Development Tailored to Individual Interests

There are many ways to develop technical skills beyond research. We encourage students to participate in:

• Conferences, technical seminars, and workshops hosted by academic societies,
• Corporate internships,
• Personal software projects,
• Programming competitions,
• Contributions to open-source projects.

Additionally, we value students’ contributions in decisions such as selecting lab equipment and reference materials, which expands the technical expertise available within the lab.

Career Paths After Graduation

Students graduating from Higo Lab and its predecessor, Inoue Lab, pursue diverse paths, including advanced studies in graduate school and employment in industry. Many go on to make meaningful contributions, utilizing the knowledge and skills they developed here.