University associate professor reveals her love for engineering and Japan through tattoos: I want more, because in some places the skin already looks too empty

The assistant professor shares that many people associate Japan with a distant and exotic country: “I got to know this country from a completely different side – through science and studies. And today, already living in Lithuania, the tattoos decorating my body remind me of my love for this country and engineering.”

After starting her doctoral studies, Inga, encouraged by her colleagues, decided to go to Japan. She intensively studied Japanese for half a year and continued her scientific activities connected with doctoral studies in Lithuania.

“After half a year, Prof. Hiroshi Fujii offered to join the Ph.D. At that time, I had not yet completed my doctoral studies in Lithuania. Since I agreed, I wrote two dissertations almost at the same time,” smiles the docent.

She wrote one thesis in English while in Japan, and defended it after returning to Lithuania. Two years later, Inga defended another dissertation in Japan. She deepened her knowledge in completely different fields – in Lithuania – in the field of Metrology and Measurements, and in Japan – in the field of Mechanics. “After defending my thesis, I was lucky enough to win researcher funding for post-doctoral studies. So I stayed in Japan for another two years,” says Inga.

The assistant professor remembers that from the beginning of her studies in a foreign country, she had to study Japanese intensively. “Courses were compulsory and took place according to a strict schedule from 9 am to 4 pm. evening When I came back, I did homework and solved tests,” she says about the intense beginning of her studies.

Despite her hard work, Inga fell in love with Japan and its culture. The locals welcomed her kindly and warmly, invited her to various events, and included her in activities. “Since the first days of my arrival, Prof. H. Fujii. Japan seems to everyone to be quite an exotic country. Even the Japanese themselves say that foreigners think of them as a nation of samurai and geisha,” Inga emphasizes the cultural nuances.

By the way, she is currently watching movies and reading books in Japanese. “This language is not easy. At the beginning, I only knew how to ask the direction and the price of the product. I started to understand the language only after a good six months, when I had no choice and had to communicate only in Japanese,” the docent reveals the intricacies of the language.

Inga’s choice of studies and the direction of her doctoral studies were determined by her desire to construct, draw, and produce. First, she finished chemistry at Kaunas Technical University, but she had a great desire to improve and deepen her knowledge. “I came up with the idea of ​​enrolling in KTU and studying machine manufacturing technologies. I have always been interested in what is new in production technologies, the latest developments in the world of metal cutting tools. This study program perfectly met expectations,” says the associate professor.

Many times when she told me that she works in mechanics and manufacturing when she was young, people around her wondered why a woman would choose this field. “After showing my knowledge, work and the fact that I know the field of mechanics, there were no questions left. Sometimes being a woman in engineering is an advantage, because we can inspire other women by our example and contribute to the promotion of equality”, asserts Inga.

She is convinced that today the attitude towards women in “male” science and industry is already changing. Especially since many young girls are currently choosing to study engineering. “They are doing great work in industrial engineering and I am very happy with the achievements of my students.” Therefore, a woman in engineering is not an obstacle, but an equal employee who knows what she is doing,” the assistant professor adds.

Not only the attitude towards women in engineering is changing, but also the specialty itself. The assistant professor emphasizes that industrial engineering is an interesting and rather broad field that can be viewed from the perspective of production, mechanics, mechatronics and information. “It’s not here – I made it and left. Everything is much more complex. It includes not only the production process, but also managerial and organizational areas,” asserts Inga.

Production processes and companies are developing, technologies are improving, the most important thing is to know the basic areas of engineering. “Everything starts with the analysis of design and market demand, followed by production, which includes many different processes to obtain the final product, and then the realization of the product itself,” explains the associate professor about the complexity of engineering.

Inga began to decorate her body with tattoos by accident, but they often reflect the style of Japanese identity. By the way, you can see elements of mechanics among the tattoos. “I became fascinated with tattoos during the New Year’s holiday. I was asked what I would like. I thought tattoos. That’s how it started,” she says.

The docent got her ideas from others who have tattoos, “I saw what was beautiful, I started to be interested in the masters. I got one tattoo, then another. I still want a few tattoos, because in some places the skin looks too empty,” says Inga.