SAKURA SCIENCE High School Program Group 3
Laboratory experience at Nagoya Institute of Technology
On June 18, a total of 85 members of the SSHP group3 visited the Nagoya Institute of Technology. The group included 75 high school students and 10 supervisors from India, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Maldives, and Kazakhstan.
After receiving an overview of the university and an explanation of studying abroad, the students split into eight groups and toured the laboratories. This was a rare opportunity for high school students who are focusing on the sciences and aim to become researchers in the future. The students’ faces were filled with excitement as they headed to their respective laboratories.
One group of high school students visited the Architecture and Design Laboratory in the Department of Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Industrial Management Engineering. The students received an explanation from Professor IDOTA Hideki and Professor SATO Atsushi about research on building structures, materials, and earthquake resistance to reduce human casualties in Japan, where earthquakes are frequent. They also visited a large-scale testing facility that verifies the earthquake resistance of various building materials, joints, structures, and other components. Furthermore, they had the opportunity to see the Instant House developed by Professor KITAGAWA Keisuke and used in the areas affected by the recent Noto earthquake.
Demonstrations to introduce prototype robots were held at Professor KATO Shohei’s laboratory on Computational Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science. The laboratory’s research theme is to use intangible factors, tangible factors, and other methods to facilitate a means of communication that people and communities can use in a society with a declining birthrate and aging population. The participating students stood up and watched with interest during the demonstration of a small robot that is registered in the Guinness World Records as the world’s smallest robot.
During the research presentations by the lab students, the high school students actively asked questions, and the students in the lab were a little confused!
The high school students also had the opportunity to interact with international students studying at the university.
