SAKURA SCIENCE High School Program Group 4
Visited Faculty of Engineering, Suita Campus, Osaka University
On the afternoon of Thursday, July 13, high school students from India, Tonga, and Samoa visited the Suita campus where Osaka University Faculty of Engineering (School/Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University) is located. In the overall explanation, a detailed introduction to the history of the university was given along with an overview of the three campuses, the special international science course of the Faculty of Science (International College: IUPS), which is popular among science students, and the Faculty of Engineering, which is composed of five departments.
After that, the students were divided into groups and they visited the Towing Tank (Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering) and the Nippon Steel Research Alliance Laboratories. The testing tank is a facility that is 100 m long, 7.8 m wide, and a water depth of 4.35 m that is used to test the seaworthiness, propulsion, and maneuverability of ships and it evaluates the wave resistance of offshore structures. The students experienced a little adventure by being able to ride a tractor at the top of the tank and walk slowly through the inside of the huge tank, and experience the actual waves with the wave-making system.
Next, they visited the Nippon Steel Research Alliance Laboratories, one of the collaborative laboratories established in the Graduate School of Engineering as a pioneer for industrial-academic collaboration. Currently, about 10 collaborative laboratories are engaged in joint research with Osaka University. The research institute at Nippon Steel that was visited by the high school students is conducting basic research such as observing the surface of materials through an electron microscope. They learned that about current basic research on lightweight, strong steel materials.
Furthermore, various initiatives for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai made by Osaka University were introduced. At the end of their visit, there were able to see a performance experience of "ParoTone," which is planning an online concert with people from 100 countries. ParoTone is an electronic musical instrument that can be played even by beginners. It was developed by students of Osaka University. Even high school students who were unfamiliar at first quickly became accustomed to it and enjoyed playing it very much.
