UGRNOEKQuarterly Newsletter vol.24

Headlines

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

令和４年
3 月31,
31 日発行
Issuedon Oct2023

Featured
Sakura Science Exchange Program
Held in Person for the First Timein 3 years

Student Exchange with South

Korea's Hanbat National University!

Featured

Sakura Science Exchange Program Held in Person for the First Time in 3 years!!
The Faculty of Science and Engineering, Iwate University, has been hosting Asian students with the support of the Japan Science andTechnology Agency (JST) as part of the Japan-Asia Youth Science Exchange Program (Sakura Science Exchange Plan) for about 10 years.

The program, which had recently only been conducted remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was held in person for the first time in 3years. From Sunday, July 9th to Sunday, July 16th, 2023, 7 university and graduate students, along with 2 faculty members, were invitedfrom Mongolia, Taiwan, and Thailand. Research activities took place in the laboratory of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at ouruniversity, under the theme of "Experiencing digital content supported by advanced media technologies and design!"

E xperiencing Cutting-Edge Design ResearchAn opening session was held in the morning of the first day ofthe program. After a welcome speech by Prof. Yashiro, the Dean of
our Faculty, the participants watched an introduction video about
Iwate University, and graduate students (two Ph.D. students)from our university's Design and Media Engineering programgave research presentations. Additionally, the invited students
introduced the culture, cuisine, and daily life of their respective
countries under the theme "My Country, My University." In theafternoon, the participants were divided into two groups led byProf. Takamitsu Tanaka and Associate Prof. Jiang Peng from theDesign and Media Engineering course, as well as Prof. Katsutsugu
Matsuyama, engaging in activities at the respective researchlaboratories.
From day 2 onward, the participants focused on laboratory
Designed by Freepik
activities for 3 days. Prof. Tanaka's group conducted discussions
based on the characteristics of specialty product packaging in
Mongolia, Taiwan, and Thailand, while Prof. Matsuyama's groupengaged in discussions about application ideas focusing on
cultural diversity. To promote further interaction among faculty
members, a reception was held, bringing together 4 instructors
from our university who are involved in the Sakura Science
Exchange Project, along with the 2 invited instructors.
The 5th day featured presentations on the findings from eachlaboratory, and on the following day, the students visited the"Art & Technology Tohoku 2023" event held at our university andorganized by the Society for Art and Science - Tohoku Section,providing an opportunity to experience various works and digitalcontent created using cutting-edge technology. The 6-day
program at our university undoubtedly offered full immersion into
the world of design.

(Above) Participants visiting Art & Technology Tohoku 2023

(Left) The fieldwork of Prof.
Matsuyama's group. Based on
the information they gathered
through research activities in thevicinity of the university, as wellas in commercial facilities andshopping districts in the city, they
delved into needs and discussed
the applications to address thoseneeds. They also discussed userinterface design and database
design with the users in mind, inpursuit of realizing their ideas.

(Right) The fieldwork of Prof.
Tanaka and assistant Prof. Peng'sgroup. They conducted in-depth
surveys of various traditional craftsand specialty product packaging
from Iwate Prefecture and various
regions in facilities such as theIwate Museum of Art, Kawatoku
in the center of Morioka, LaLa
Iwate, and local cafes and shops.
They exchanged opinions from adesign perspective on the featuresof the packaging and discussed
the characteristics of Japanese
specialty product packaging.

(Above) All participants of the Sakura Science Exchange Program

Featured

Student Exchange with South Korea's Hanbat National University!!
From August 27th to 31st, 2023, 10 undergraduate/graduate students and 5 faculty members from Hanbat National University (HBNU)

visited our school through the exchange program, and from September 17th to 21st, 8 of our undergraduate/graduate students and 5
faculty members visited HBNU to further deepen the relationship. Through various events such as joint PBL (problem-based learning)
activities by mixed teams of students from our school and South Korea’s HBNU, laboratory tours, visits to factories, cultural facilities, andcultural experiences, students from both universities were able to participate in a fulfilling exchange.

E xchange at Iwate University Begins!
One of the main objectives of this exchange program is tocultivate a broad perspective by learning about the differences andcommonalities in approaches and ideas regarding creativity andproduction between Japan and South Korea through group work injoint PBL. Our school's students proposed the following PBL goals:① "Plantification of buildings," ② "Establishment of a production
cycle system for Biodegradable plastics," ③ "Proposal of ecomaterials using carbon recycling technology and its use," and ④"Recycling of new fashion waste. "The first day of the exchange began with a short lecture by
the faculty members of both universities and self-introductions
in English by students from both universities, followed by theintroduction of PBL goals by our students. Immediately afterward,
participants were divided into four teams and commenced PBL
activities. Laughter could be heard during the discussions, andit was evident that the students quickly bonded. On the secondday, joint PBL activities continued in the morning, followed by a
mid-term presentation. Each team presented their ideas, which
incorporated contributions from students of both countries,
and it was decided that these ideas would be further refinedin preparation for the program at HBNU in September. After aclosing ceremony in which participants were awarded certificatesof completion of our university's program, HBNU students weredivided into 5 groups representing the fields of chemistry,materials, electronics engineering, social environment, and design
information, and visited our laboratories.
On the final day of the program, participants took a charteredbus to the Oshu and Hiraizumi area to learn more about Iwate.
At the Oshu City Iron Casting Technology Exchange Center, theyacquired fundamental knowledge about iron casting and producttesting methods for quality improvement, and observed the actual
production process of Nanbu ironware at the OIGEN Foundry. In
the afternoon, they visited Chuson-ji Temple and Takkoku Seikoji Temple, experiencing the culture of Hiraizumi. Afterwards, HBNU
students and faculty members enjoyed hot springs in Tsunagi
Onsen before heading back.

(Left) The joint PBL
activities. They
engaged in heateddiscussions fromthe very firstday of their firstmeeting.

(Right) The joint
PBL mid-termpresentation. The
team that worked
on goal ② won agold award at thepresentation eventin South Korea.

(Left) Participants
enjoyed wanko
soba at Azumaya
for dinner on thefirst day of theexchange. Therewas quite an
impressive pile ofbowls.

A glimpse of thefactory tour at OIGENFoundry (photo onthe right). Everyone
seemed impressedby the powerfulproduction site,with loud machinery
noises and theprocess of pouringmolten iron intomolds.
(Above) A group photo of everyone in front of Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamondo.

L ong-awaited visit to Hanbat National University
Two weeks after the program at Iwate University ended, ourstudents visited Hanbat National University (HBNU) in Daejeon. The
morning of the first day featured a short lecture by 4 instructors
from both universities, and in the afternoon, joint PBL activities wereconducted along with progress reports. During the progress reports,participants discussed how they had addressed and considered
the questions and comments received during the mid-termpresentations in August. On the second morning, they continued
with joint PBL activities, and in the afternoon, each team presented
their results in a 20-minute presentation. Professors evaluated thepresentations, and each team received certificates and prizes.
On the third morning, they toured the laboratories of HBNU, and in
the afternoon, they visited the Electronics and Telecommunications
Research Institute, where they experienced cutting-edge electronic
communication technologies such as CG imaging, autonomousvehicles, holography, AI image creation, and more. On the fourthday, the day before returning home, they enjoyed their time inSouth Korea and went to Seoul, where they had lunch in Insa-dong
and visited Changdeokgung Palace.

(Left) The PBL
group work at
HNBU.

(Right) The visit toProfessor Jae-Hyun
Lee's Organic EL
Display ResearchLaboratory. Everyone
listened attentively tothe explanations.

(Left) A glimpseof the visit to theElectronics andTelecommunications
Research Institute.
Participants took acommemorative photoin a self-driving car.
(Above) In traditional Korean attire in front of the Donhwamun Gateof Changdeokgung Palace.

Student Comments
Yuto Komuro, Graduate Course in Regional and Community Design M1

Ai Miyagi, Chemistry Course in Faculty of Science and Engineering B4

I learned three signiﬁcant things through this program.
First, the differences in research environments;
second, the necessity of discussions consideringcultural differences; and third, the importance of
the willingness to communicate across language
barriers. I discovered that even with some errors inword order or grammar, it’s possible to communicate
eﬀectively through the right intention and creativity. I
felt that my previous hesitations toward engaging withforeign cultures have diminished.

At ﬁrst, I was worried about whether I would be able
to communicate eﬀectively in English, but I feel that
I was able to build deeper connections than I hadimagined. This was my first trip abroad, and theexperience of actually being in a foreign country
made me realize that the local food culture andthe atmosphere of the city were much more vivid
than what I had seen on TV or read in books. I had
a very fulﬁlling time.

Kim Jisoo, Industrial Design B2This activity gave me a lot both visually and humanrelationships. Although It is an exchange-oriented
activity, I was able to see excellent materials
related or not my major, and I am sure that I grewfurther based on this. Having working with people
from other country and majors and greatly improve
my future work.

Message from the Editor

Heo Geun, Materials Science and Engineering B4
All the communications with Japanese students
were really special and precious experiences.
Learning and sharing each other's language andculture, all of us developed rapidly. At ﬁrst, almost
everyone communicated in English, but on thelast day, everyone learned each other's language.
Participating in this program was one of thegreatest oppertunity in my whole university life.

This was my ﬁrst time participating in the program, and I was deeply impressed
to see the students' attitude to communicate and understand each other despitethe language barrier during their exchange with the international students. I haveonce again realized the importance of understanding and respecting others as
the first step in communication, and I, too, was able to return to the basics. I
believe that this experience will be a valuable asset in the students' future lives.

Editor’s Oﬃce:

Special Committee on Globalizationof Education and Research
Email: kenguro@iwate-u.ac.jp
TEL: 019-621-6405
http://www.kenguro.iwate-u.ac.jp/