SAKURA SCIENCE High School Program Group 5
High School Students from Four Countries Visit the Institute of Science Tokyo
On Thursday, November 14, SSHP Group 5 that was visiting Japan, 29 high school students and supervisors from Peru, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Micronesia visited the Ookayama campus of the Institute of Science Tokyo, which was newly established through a merger of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the Tokyo Medical and Dental University in October this year.

After being given a welcome by Vice President WAKABAYASHI and an introduction to the university by Professor NOZAKI, the students were given a special lecture by Associate Professor TANITSU. They were given an introduction to cutting-edge research such as ultraviolet astronomy and the use of Earth observation data based on the development and observation data of small satellites. The overseas high school students were intrigued by the research on the origin of the universe and black holes using ultraviolet observation data, the environmental problems of Earth observation data, the mining of resources, and the potential for use in various fields such as agriculture, while being shown an actual small satellite (small enough to fit on a table) that can be equipped with multiple cameras to obtain various observation data.




The students of Science Tokyo guided the foreign students to the school cafeteria for lunch, and then took them on a campus tour, where they visited the library and ginkgo trees (unfortunately, it was a little early for them to be able to see the famous "yellow leaves").

In the afternoon, they visited the on-campus ELSI (Earth-Life Science Institute). https://www.elsi.jp/
In response to an explanation of the Institute's philosophy and history of its having been established in 2012 as a globally unique research institute to explore the origin of the earth and life, and after the students visited the facility, Prof. Smith Harrison gave a special lecture on the subject of whether it is possible to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. At what resolution are planets outside our solar system currently observable? After building anticipation among the high school students, he surprised them by revealing that the answer is that the entire Earth is roughly equivalent to one pixel (one color). Firstly, how do we define life? In addition to other philosophical discussions, there were Peruvian high school students who spoke enthusiastically to Prof. Harrison personally even after the Q&A.


Lastly, a roundtable discussion was held with international students in the communication room "Agora" for each country. With seniors of a similar generations, there was also discussion regarding cultural shock in Japanese life and hobbies. They laughed and there was a very lively and friendly atmosphere.



There is no doubt that it was a day that broadened the horizons of the overseas high school students and greatly stimulated their interests.