2024 Activity Report vol.34:National Institute of Technology, Toba College

National Institute of Technology, Toba College (Toba City, Mie Prefecture, Principal: Yuichi Furuyama, hereinafter referred to as "NIT Toba College") held a PBL workshop "Regional Innovation through the Circular Economy Model" to create a sustainable society from Saturday, February 8 through Thursday, 13 in 2025.

Through understanding the socio-cultural backgrounds of countries around the world and formulating a circular economy model (circular economy development) based on technology, we worked to make proposals and build consensus that resonate. We have built the multinational teams with the students from the College of Industry and Trade (Vietnam), Singapore Polytechnic (Singapore), Otago Polytechnic (New Zealand), and Kauai Community College (USA) are invited from overseas, and students from NIT Toba College, NIT Kisarazu College, NIT Maizuru College, and NIT Kumamoto College in Japan and students from Malaysia, Cambodia and Mongolia, who had been studying at NIT Toba. The program is designed to implement the following (1) ~ (7) initiatives under the theme of "water", which is a common problem worldwide.

(1) Ideathon

Four pre-online programs were held to share information about drinking water conditions in each country and learn about seawater desalination technology. In the face-to-face program that followed, group members exchanged opinions, designed a seawater desalination system, and formulated a circular economy model using the produced freshwater.

(2) Mentoring

We invited mentors from companies operating globally and arranged mentoring face-to-face and online mentoring and worked to materialize and improve the feasibility of the circular economy model we had proposed.

(3) Lab work

Each team has built a seawater desalination device through group work, and measured the temperature rise, the freshwater weight, and the amount of total dissolved solids using sensors, Python and Arduino. In addition, each team competed with the amount of freshwater produced per amount of electricity, and summarized the development results in a technical paper.

(4) Field Learning

We visited local start-up companies, visited local resources such as remodeled once abundant pearl farming hut, and conducted field learning to discover local issues, and brushed up the business model by gaining new insights and perspectives on business and social implementation.

(5) Pitch Contest

Each team gave a presentation on the equipment developed through the pitch contest and the circular economy model that could solve regional issues.

(6) Lecture Attendance

Lecturers from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, the Cool Japan Public-Private Partnership Platform of the Cabinet Office, and the Royal Institute of International Affairs were invited to give lectures on "Problem Solving by Team," "Global Leadership," and "Value Creation," and cultivated the teamwork and leadership skills that are essential for global human resources.

According to the survey results from the participating students, the most common responses were to improve "cross-cultural adaptability" (the ability to understand and accept people of different faiths and cultures) and to understand "diversity of values," which led to growth in empathy and consensus building. Also, in response to the question "What kind of subjects did you feel more motivated to study after participating in the program?", "English" and "Engineering Specialized Subjects" were obtained. In the process of devising a technology-based circular economy, the results showed that expertise is core value for personal growth.

As a result of JST Sakura Science Program, NIT Toba College has reached an agreement with the College of Industry and Trade in Vietnam and Singapore Polytechnic in Singapore to conduct online-based PBL activities throughout the year. We will continue to work to create a technology-based circular economy model.