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An Inside Look at QUEST2Japan

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By: Grace Cha (Q24)

This school year for the QUEST2Asia study abroad trip, the program took 21 students to Japan. Japan is known as the birthplace of the total quality management (TQM) movement. Naturally, Japan would be the perfect destination for QUEST’s 25th year. Students went on various cultural and corporate site visits in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka. Outside of the class, students got to explore the city and participate in fun activities, such as a tea ceremony or sushi-making class. Read on to learn about two students, Ivy Xia (Q25, Marketing) and Dominick Montero (Q24, Aerospace Engineering), and their experiences in Japan this past winter break:

Ivy Xia in front of temple

Ivy Xia in front of a temple

1. Why did you decide to go on the QUEST2Japan trip?

Ivy: I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. My interest to explore the Japanese culture stemmed from my love for Japanese cuisine, and a QUEST trip sounded like an enriching learning experience in addition to the cultural components.

Dominick: This program gave me a reason to travel to East Asia, somewhere I haven’t been before. I’ve been to Europe and Latin America, and I feel that Japan would have a different perspective because its history and roots are drastically different. I wanted to see how people would think and act in an East Asian country. I also was able to build my winter vacation around the trip and got to stop by South Korea as well.

2. What was your favorite corporate/cultural site visit?

Ivy: My favorite corporate visit was to Kodenshi corporation, a manufacturer of semiconductors. Our hosts really exemplified Japanese hospitality and made us feel like the most important and valued visitors. We were welcomed by a staff of over 10 people, including the founder of the company. We were able to see the clean room and the various facilities, which gave us really valuable insight into the operation of the company.

Dominick: The corporate visit to Toyota. The employees took us on a tour of the factory, where we witnessed the final stages of assembly building. We got to look over the entire factory on an overhead walkway. At one point, we got to complete fun tasks testing our hand coordination and agility. It was really interesting to see how Toyota implemented small kaizens (improvements) – such as line robots or kanban flashing lights – and how it could significantly impact their overall efficiency.

Dominick Montero in Niseko

Dominick Montero in Niseko

3. What were your main “QUEST” takeaways from the trip?

Ivy: The main QUEST takeaway was the application of quality management and Kaizen (continuous improvement) principles in businesses. While Japan is a leader in innovation and quality, there are significant differences in business operations between Japan and the U.S. The business visits shed light on the effects of culture in business.

Dominick: On a soft skills level, I would say that a main takeaway was understanding the importance of different perspectives and balancing that with your own. For example, Japan has a different approach in certain areas that we could apply here in the U.S., but there are also things that we do that could work in Japan as well. In QUEST, we intuitively learn about team dynamics through our projects – and how to better work together. It was inspiring to see how people in Japan work together like cogs in a machine.

Q24’s Big Friendly Giant: Dominick Montero

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Dominick MonteroDominick Montero (Q24) is a rising junior majoring in Aerospace Engineering. He was part of the notoriously tall BFGs (Big Friendly Giants) 190H team, and they definitely built a reputation for their similarly big friendly ideas and tailored presentations for the class projects this past semester. Outside of QUEST, Dominick is involved in Engineers Without Borders and conducts research with high-altitude payloads.

This summer, Dominick is studying abroad in Toulouse, France. As a student of the GEA Aerospace Summer Program, he has the unique opportunity to study alongside students from other universities including the University of Michigan, Syracuse University, University of Illinois, and University of Washington- Seattle.

1. As part of this summer program, what have you been learning about? Why did you decide to take courses through this program?

I am taking specialized aerospace courses in subjects like Structures, Combustion & Detonation and Propulsion. I chose to take this course because of the opportunities it presented in applying aerospace concepts. As a student, you normally don’t see much outside of the theoretical equations and models. In this program, there is a big focus on real-world applications and seeing them in action. For example, we’ve been given special tours by companies like Airbus and Dassault and learned about the design, production, and business aspects of each company. These classes complemented principles from QUEST classes, which is part of why I found it so interesting.

2. What has been your favorite experience while studying abroad thus far?

My favorite experience was in Barcelona when FC Barcelona won the Champion’s League. We celebrated with over a hundred thousand people – there were fireworks and flares and people chanting everywhere.

3. What is your fondest QUEST memory?

My fondest QUEST memories are all of our 190H team meetings. We were named the BFGs (Big Friendly Giants), and we really lived up to the name. My teammates are some of the best people that I’ve met at UMD.

4. What are you most looking forward to this upcoming school year?

I am looking forward to getting into detailed aerospace classes, and I think that this summer program has definitely given me a better understanding of what I want to do. I’m most excited to take 390H and mentor the spring 190H cohort; I’m looking forward to more QUEST experiences!