SAKURA SCIENCE High School Program Group 1
Experimental Class on Fuel Cells at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
On the morning of Wednesday, April 19, a team of high school students from the G1 Group composed of the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Nepal visited the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to experience the assembly of small fuel cells. After the AIST introduction video, lead researcher Ando Naoko gave a lecture on "What is a fuel cell? It's a system that uses hydrogen to generate electricity," and "Why are we using fuel cells now? That's because only water is emitted after power is generated and no carbon dioxide, which causes global warming, is emitted so fuel cells are attracting attention because it is considered to be a clean gas." Furthermore, He was also explained the mechanism for power generation for students in an easy-to-understand manner.
Then, experiments to assemble fuel cells were started. A small fuel cell experiment kit was available at the desks of high school students who were divided into groups. When this kit is assembled like a plastic model and at the end, hydrogen is supplied from a hydrogen cylinder, the propeller begins to rotate and generate electricity. Because there are many tiny parts, the high school students had to assemble them carefully using tweezers. It took about 30 minutes to complete the kit; each group was able to generate power safely, while rereading the instructions and receiving explanations on the slides.
The high school students showed increased interest in fuel cells, and asked many good questions including "Even if the energy conversion efficiency is high, there is still a lot of loss. Is there any way to minimize that?" "In which country and when was the principle of fuel cells conceived?" and "What is the best way to conserve energy around the world?"0 And many other insightful questions were raised. Furthermore, we saw how many high schoolers asked Senior Researcher Ando and the AIST people serious questions during the experiment and took notes enthusiastically. It certainly seemed like a class being taken at school.
AIST has a large campus, and there are still many cherry blossoms in bloom on the campus that is full of nature. This made the experimental class enjoyable with such beautiful scenery for high school students.
