UGRNO
EKQuarterly Newsletter vol.23

Headlines

Special Committee on Globalization of Education & Research, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Iwate University

令和４年
月 3131,日発行
Issuedon3Mar2023

Featured !!
Student Exchange withSouth Korea's Hanbat
National University
for the First Time in 3 Years!
The sakura around our Faculty
bloomed early this year!

FeaturedStudent Exchange with Hanbat National University for the First Time in 3 Years!

As Covid-19 related border restrictions have been significantly relaxed, our student exchange program with South Korea's Hanbat

National University (HBNU) has finally resumed after a 3 year suspension. From January 4th to 8th, 10 undergraduate/graduate students

and 7 faculty members from HBNU visited our school through the exchange program, and from January 29th to February 5th, 8 of ourundergraduate/graduate students and 4 faculty members visited HBNU to further deepen the relationship. Through various events suchas joint PBL (problem-based learning) activities by mixed Japanese and South Korean teams, laboratory tours, visits to cultural facilities,and cultural experiences, students from both universities were able to participate in a fulfilling exchange.

R esuming Exchange from Back in September, 2019
The exchange program's main event was the joint PBL, in which

students from both HBNU and our school formed mixed Japaneseand South Korean teams to work the following goals proposed by
the HBNU side:① "How to overcome the problems of self-drivingcars?" ② "What will be next after smartphone?" ③ "Safe Smart City
with Information & Communication Technology," and④ "Spacegarbage collection technology in the manner of eco-friendly(Right) Students

getting along rightfrom the start of joint

PBL activities at IwateUniversityapproaches."

Over at Iwate University, after a short lecture by the faculty

members of both universities and the introduction of PBL goals by
the HBNU students, the participants were divided into four teams,

after which they conducted PBL activities. Despite the limited(Left) PBL interim results

by Freepik
schedule of less than just a single day, they were able Designedto complete

presentations, delivered

discussions and present their interim reports. During the Q&A

in English in front ofsession, faculty members from both universities gave stringent

students and faculty

feedback, and each team continued discussions in preparation forfrom both universities

giving their final PBL presentations over at HBNU. After PBL activities,
they held a ceremony to conclude the program in our school, andtoured research labs. On the last day, they visited Chusonji Temple atHiraizumi, as well as the Sekino-ichi Sake Brewery in Ichinoseki. TheHBNU students and faculty members also got the chance to enjoy(Right) HBNU students

Three weeks after the program at our school ended, our students

Environmental Engineeringsome time at Tsunagi Onsen's open-air baths before heading home.

visited Hanbat National University (HBNU) in Daejeon, and after twodays of intensive PBL activities, they gave their final presentations.

The presentations were evaluated by faculty members, and thewinning team was awarded with a certificate and prize.

at labs in Civil andfield (students divided
into four groups to visit

Chemistry, Materials,
Electronic Engineering, andCivil and Environmental
Engineering labs)(Left) At Sekino-ichi

Brewery in Ichinoseki,

where HBNU students
were able to get a feelfor Iwate's sake brewingindustry through theIwate Kura Beer factory
tour and sake tasting(Above) At Hiraizumi's Chusonji Temple, on a great day with almost no snow on the groundOne of the program's main highlights was having students visit andexperience cutting-edge research at HBNU. During the program's last two(Left) Cultural visit toto participate in internships. Through mutual introductions and discussions

the Janghang Skywalkdays, students stayed at research labs related to their fields and were able

the sandy beach nearin Seocheon (aboutof research and experiments, they were able to get a feel for the ways of

70km southwest ofthinking towards research in South Korea. After the program concluded,HBNU), followed bythey moved to Seoul to prepare for their return to Japan. Everyone had ana tour of the nearby

enjoyable time in Seoul, and visited the National Museum of Korea, as well

National Institute ofas did some shopping at the cultural hub of Hongdae, before their trip back.

Ecology(Right) Students
listening attentively

as their Japanese

language guide gives
a detailed tour of theNational Museum ofKorea in Seoul(Above) Group photo after the joint PBL presentations at HBNU

Student Comments
Sakoto Matsuo, Materials Science and Engineering M2:

Kota Nishizawa, Chemistry M1:

I learned a lot through this exchange program, andwas able to be more proactive, take initiative, andimprove my English ability. I lacked confidence
in English before participating, but the students
at HBNU gave me a warm welcome and let me
join in without any hesitation. Even if I don't haveconfidence in English, I felt that thinking about how tocommunicate and convey my thoughts by listening toeveryone's words and ways of speaking, and being active in my own
communication is necessary to improve my skills. This is somethingthat I wouldn't have understood without experiencing it firsthand,so it was an extremely valuable experience. Also, seeing the HBNU
students' proactive attitudes during our PBL activities, and conducting
experiments at the lab, made me want to apply that kind of approach
to my own research. I will cherish the connections that we madeduring this program, and I hope to continue studying English so I cantalk more when we meet again.

I made unforgettable memories during the 8 days
we spent in South Korea. It was my first time goingoverseas, and being able to see a different culture
so vividly made me feel like I was immersed in myown book, making every day enjoyable. Although
I was a bit nervous about whether or not I could
communicate in English, I found that word order andgrammar were not as important as the willingness toconvey your thoughts and making the effort to do so. As I became
accustomed to conversing, I was able to express more complex ideas
and mental concepts in my own words, and I felt like the usage of myEnglish language study since junior high had finally come to fruition.
By engaging in active communication during my stay, I was able toimmerse myself in South Korean culture and ended up really enjoying
it. With this newfound enthusiasm, I hope to continue experiencing
various cultures from around the world.

Lee SeoJin, Materials Science and Engineering B4:

Lee JeeSoo, Information & Communication Engineering B4:

I had the great opportunity to participate in acollaborative capstone program with Iwate Univ.
I was able to learn a lot from everyone and had agreat experience reflecting on my life's direction.
As well as capstone activities, we could tour
laboratories. Japanese students introduced theirresearch in English, and we were able to see fascinating
research being conducted there. Also, in Japan, we had theopportunity to visit unique local tourist destinations, such as a sakeand beer brewery and a temple. We were able to taste various kinds ofbeer and sake and observe the process of making them at there. Iwate
prefecture had great air and water quality. I was particularly impressed
and moved when I visited the open-air hot springs, and the food wasalso delicious.I think, it was definitely great experience to interact
between Japanese student and Korean students. I’m glad to be friends
with everyone.

Before the program started, I thought a lot about
whether to participate or not. There were alsouseless concerns, such as, "Wouldn't it be betterfor students who can participate in this program
more faithfully?" rather than being active? However,I decided to participate in the program because I
thought it would be a valuable experience for me toexperience other cultures before entering graduate
school. During the Iwate-Capston design program, students fromboth countries learned about each other's culture and backgrounds
and worked together to solve problems. As a result, even though
we were given a short time, we successfully carried out the task. The
ability to see the world from a wide perspective has been developedby experiencing Japanese culture, people, and food. It was a goodtime to build various experiences and friendships. You probably won't
forget this moment. I am willing to recommend this program to otherstudents.

Message from the Editor
With such nice days lately, it's soon time for the ishiwarizakura (rock-splitting cherry tree) to come into full bloom.

Today's newsletter brought you some information on our student exchange program with Hanbat National University,
which took place in January and February. This was our first face-to-face exchange in over three years, and we could

definitely sense the students' great enthusiasm. We are also very grateful that we have managed to create a situation

where faculty and staff can also engage in these types of exchanges. As we approach the end of the academic year, we'dlike to wish all our graduating students the best of luck, and express our gratitude to everyone for supporting Kenguro.

Editor’s Office:Special Committee on Globalization ofEducation and Research

Email: kenguro@iwate-u.ac.jp
TEL: 019-621-6405

http://www.kenguro.iwate-u.ac.jp/