Activity Report of Open Application Course vol.7
Indonesian students study about advanced research and technology in civil engineering
Report from Ehime University
Through a grant from the SAKURA Exchange Program in Science, Indonesian students from Gadjah Mada University (GMU) and the Institute of Technology, Bandung (ITB) visited the Ehime Univ. Faculty of Engineering from October 31 (Tues.) to November 9 (Thur.), 2017. Five students from each university participated in the program, for a total of ten students. The program was a continuation of activities held from last academic year.
The theme of the program was “learning about advanced research and technology for civil engineering that supports social infrastructure”. The program had two main goals for participating students: 1) in addition to learning about advanced research for civil engineering, students would actually visit infrastructure facilities to obtain knowledge on the latest technology in Japan, and 2) students would join a laboratory specializing in civil engineering in order to deepen their understanding and interact with faculty and students regarding research themes.
October 31:
Members of the Institute for International Relations (IIR) of the Faculty of Engineering went to Matsuyama Airport in order to meet the Indonesian university students.
On the following day, students attended an orientation session in the morning. In the afternoon, students joined laboratories in their related fields and held meetings on research themes. The Indonesian students joined laboratories in six fields: 1) structural engineering, 2) geotechnical engineering, 3) hydraulic engineering, 4) urban planning, 5) environmental engineering, and 6) disaster-prevention engineering.
At the laboratories, Indonesian students cooperated with Japanese students to survey research literature, conduct indoors experiments, and perform numerical analysis. Indonesian students obtained new knowledge on research activities for civil engineering in Japan.
November 3:
On Culture Day in Japan, several Japanese students took the Indonesian students on a historical tour of Matsuyama City. They visited sites including Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Park, and Dogo Onsen(hot spring). The Japanese students had spent one month studying abroad at GMU and ITB in September of this year. While in Indonesia, they had met Indonesian students who participated in the recent SAKURA Science program. Everyone enjoyed meeting again in Matsuyama and deepening their friendships.
November 7:
Through the cooperation of Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company Limited, students toured the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge. They had the opportunity to climb to the top of the main bridge pillar (180 meters from the water surface). This tour is not available to the public, so it was a precious experience for participants.
In addition to the programs described above, Indonesian students also toured a plant operated by Iseki & Co., Ltd. and took Japanese language classes. The students truly enjoyed their direct experience with the advanced technology, language, and culture of Japan.
Continuing from last academic year, this was the second time that Ehime Univ. has hosted Indonesian students as part of the SAKURA Science program. The recent activities further deepened the university’s relationship with GMU and ITB.
Also, the Indonesian students were able to enroll as graduate students at Ehime Univ. through the university’s short-term invitation programs which included the recent activities.
We look forward to continuing this program in upcoming academic year. By doing so, we hope to obtain even more official exchange students and to contribute to the globalization of Ehime Univ. and Japan. In closing, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the SAKURA Science program and all related officials.
