Activity Report of Open Application Program 2020 vol.12 (Alternative Online)
Intercultural and Collective Exchanges on Effective Use of Biomass to Attain SDGs
Report from the Headquarters for Admissions and Education, Kumamoto University
A total of 16 people (13 students and 3 faculty members) from 10 countries (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia) were welcomed for this program for 5 days from Monday, January 18 to Friday, January 22, 2021. The program was conducted online under the theme " Intercultural and Collective Exchanges on Effective Use of Biomass to Attain SDGs.”
<Activities on Facebook>
On the 19th, Kumamoto University's laboratory and its experimental videos , and on the 21st, video messages from participants in the program from 2014 to the present were shared on Facebook, and opinions were exchanged between Japanese students and invitees and past participants.
The experiments presented in the laboratory video were microwave experiments, pulse power experiments, gas separation experiments, and subcritical water experiments. Past participants shared their views on their previous experiences with the program and their subsequent return to Japan. Although it was on Facebook, there was a lively exchange of opinions, which seemed to be a good stimulus for future research activities and exchange activities.
<Activities at Zoom>
The orientation was held on the 18th, an international symposium was held on the 20th, and a wrap-up was held on Zoom on the 22nd.
In the orientation, we introduced the country of residence of the invitees and the university, introduced Kumamoto University (history, boundaries, and research), gave guidance for studying abroad, and exchanged opinions.
On the 20th, the International Symposium on Green Chemistry and Engineering: Multidisciplinary and Multicultural Exchanges Towards the Attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals was held online, and three invitation lectures were given one by one, and oral presentations were made on each participant's research. We held discussions on research areas through Q&A, and we also heard interesting questions about various research areas through oral presentations by graduate students at the university. In addition, intercultural exchanges were held by students of the University's Global Leaders Course.
In a wrap-up on the 22nd, we discussed the contribution of the Latin America-ASEAN-Japan Biomass Effective Use Research Network and SDGs in achieving their goals for collaborative research on effective use of biomass. The group of 4-5 people exchanged opinions. The opinions were summarized and presented to the whole group. We had a lively exchange of views and were able to share and deepen each other's ideas.
Throughout, the academic and technical roles of Japan were strengthened, and research cooperation with the exchange region was promoted. It was a new online format, but we took advantage of the online features, made full use of videos and slides, and had lively exchanges with participants from many countries.
I would like to conclude by expressing my deep gratitude to the Sakura Science Exchange Program for the tremendous support it provided.
