Spring 2009 - The Magazine of the English Engineering Education programe3

Table of contents
ArticlePage

1. What does the future hold for eco?
by Nikol
2. Template by Dr. Werawan
3. Easy scam, easy goes by David

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34-5Studious/2
Jintana Wongta

4. Switzerland : The YES 2008 Experience by Richard
5. Interview Dr. Ito by Tomoo
6. Social activity by Tidarat
7. Zimbabwe by Masline
8. Trip to Korea by Tomoo

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Tomoo Tsuyuhara

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9
10
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Aileen Parra Huelgas

9. What a unique winter by Masline
10. A diversity of winter by Indra
11. e3 outlook by Upaka
12. Magical eye by Upaka

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13
14-15
16

Jaja Gaidacknowledgement

Masline Makasi

E: Vision team; Tomoo Tsuyuhara, Upaka Sanjeewa Rathnayake, Erianto Indra Putra, Masline
Makasi, Aileen Parra Huelgas.
Editorial team; Nikol Kochmanova, May Thitiwat,
Richard Diaz Alorror, Jaja Gaid.
Article’s writer; Dr. Werawan Manakul, David
Blanco, Jirawattanasomkul Tidarat.
Interviewee; Akinobu Ito.
“Thank you for all of your hard work”
Jintana Wongta - Editor in-chief

May Thitiwat

on coverErianto Indra Putra

Upaka Sanjeewa Rathnayake

Richard Diaz Alorror

Photocontest winner- Mr. Piti Rotwannasin
Internship Trainee, Laboratory of Transportation Intelligent, Hokkaido University.

Nikol Kochmanova

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WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ECO?
by Nikol
The year 2009 brought about several
big changes in our student organization,
including the restructuring of the student
committee (eco); the distribution of tasks
among the students; and a refocus on someof our goals.
In the past, eco has consisted of apresident overseeing the work of other officers, such as the treasurer, secretary, andacademic officer to name a few. This year,
rather than having one person assume theleadership role, we’ve decided to distributethe responsibilities equally among all theofficers. Hence the creation of only 4 chair(officers) positions were adopted: vice-chair(VC) finance - Alex, in charge of finances; VC Social – Tidarut/Lek, in charge of all non-task group related
activities; VC Academic - Sayem, in charge of all academic matters; and the chair (wo)man - Nikol, overseer ofthe VCs and task groups. The creation of the VC titles is meant to provide each officer with equal input anddecision powers with regards to the various events, initiatives, and tasks undertaken by the organization.
This year, to further delineate responsibilities, there has been the creation of task groups. In thismanner, annual events, such as welcome and graduation parties, elympics, and field trips, are organized byeveryone, providing each member and/or volunteer with a sense of pride and well being from a task welldone. Different ideas from different people creates diversity in the events, and also allows the chairs toconcentrate on higher level priorities, rather than dealing with the smaller day to day intricacies associatedwith planned events.
The goal for our tenure is to create a more family-like feeling within e3, and to be seen not only as acommittee that organizes parties and ‘fun’ events, but also as a committee that represents the students in all
matters, social and academic. We want the students to know that if they have a problem, they can come to us,
and we will try to help them find a solution; like a family.
Socially, we want to shift our focus from events aimed at young single students, to social events that aresuitable for families, and enjoyed by all ages. This means that instead of planning more parties, we want to
try new types of events, events that everyone would enjoy partaking in.
On the academic front, we would like to strengthen our role by establishing a course evaluation thatwill benefit not only the students, but also the senseis, thereby helping us to improve the academic standardof our program. With the aid of the annual survey we would like to gradually make our laboratories anduniversity safer, and more foreigner-friendly. Some issues cannot be changed instantly, but if we lay theframework for change this year, then the next committee can build on that framework, and eventually we willreach our goal. Also, looking forward, we would like to organize special lectures, seminars and field trips thatwould benefit all the students.
In essence, we would like to improve our program not only for us, but also for future students! So, if
you have any ideas or suggestions, or don’t like something we’re doing, don’t hesitate to let us know; yourcomments are appreciated and will always be kept confidential.

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Templateby Dr.Werawan
Last night I attended a farewell party for a retiring professor. The party was organized by hislaboratory staff and attended by people who knew the retiring professor. During the past few years, I
have attended such parties besides the official one hosted by the Dean for all the retiring faculty andsenior staff. Attendees of the latter are limited to members of the faculty and senior staff and thesubsidized fee is 3,000 yen. Fees for parties organized by laboratories ranges between 5,000-10,000
yen.
All the laboratory-organized parties I have attended so far used the same template, with someone, normally the retiring professor’s Division chairman, reading out the professor’s profile andachievements. This is followed by a “kampai” and speeches are made one after another from colleagues
at the university, outside the university, former students, former supervisor (if he could come) and theretiring professor himself, as well as some slide shows of his life chronologically. I have found thesame template when I attended the farewell party for a professor at a university in Tokyo a few years
ago.
The atmosphere was also similar to all other parties. When the speech was interesting, people
would listen, otherwise they would continue with their conversation and pay no attention.I felt strange
each time a speaker expressed gratitude to the retiring professor for having devoted his whole life at
the university – as undergraduate student, graduate student, research associate, assistant professor
and finally full professor. Having jumped from one place to another for better pay as well as for work
satisfaction, it was at first hard for me to believe that someone could spend his entire career at a single
place.Later I found that, like farewell parties where you can predict what would come next, here in
Japan wherever you work, the system is the same – designed to foster consensus, a common denominator and hierarchy. Why then should one struggle to go somewhere else?

When I created the website for the then EGPSEE program in 1999, I
was surprised to see that almost everyone in most laboratories, from full
professors to research associates, graduated from Hokkaido University. I am
sure everyone knew that faculty inbreeding is unhealthy. This was precisely
summed up by Vijay K Stokes, a former professor at IIT Kanpur, in his article“Academic inbreeding and lack of faculty mobility converts such institutions
into degree-awarding factories.” Fortunately things have started to change
during the past few years. We have seen new professors who graduated
and/or worked somewhere else before coming to work here.
While the situation concerning faculty members is changing, that of
the graduate students remains unchanged. The majority of graduate students
here, as well as at other national universities come from their own undergraduate students. For innovation and creativity to be nurtured, one musthave different mentors from different institutions. Unless MEXT sets a policyon the admission ratio between internal and external students, both students
and universities will continue using this "template" for years to come.

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Easy Scam, Easy Goes
by David

Pyramid scheme
Aerial of central business district of Columbia, South Carolina, USA
On November 18th 2008, the news
emerged that the Colombian Government forced
the closure of the operations of a local firm ownedby 28 year-old David Murcia Guzmán for involvement in a financial pyramid.
A “financial pyramid” refers to a monetaryscheme that uses point cards and other merchandising strategies to increase an organization's
capital as long as new investors continue to join.
In David Murcia Guzmán’s company, DMG,
the total cost to investors totaled over 48 billion
yen, creating a national economic emergency.
Why was this an emergency? As it turns out,
unlike the recent Lehman Brother’s failure, DMG’sinvestors were made up of hundreds of thousandsof villagers from towns across the countryside.
For these people, DMG was often seen as
their only hope for a better life; many even putting
money from their mortgages, life savings, andeven taking out loans. When the pyramid
collapsed, the gross monthly product for one
province dropped by 4.1%.

4Pyramid schemes and other schemes likethis are not new and can be dated back to similarcases found in 19th century Europe and North
America. The most notable case being the one
performed by the Italian immigrant Carlo Ponzi in
the US around 1920. This case was particularly
notorious because his power grew so large that
he was able to bail himself out of jail several times
with the money he earned. Eventually, when he
was deported back to Italy, it was met with theroar and clamor of many people that believed he
was a hero unjustly persecuted by the system.
The scheme is simple: the con man at the
top of the pyramid asks an investor for a certain
amount of money. The con man promises torepay double that amount in a few months’ time
as long as the investor brings in more recruits todo the same. The first couple of investors receive
their payment on schedule, giving social proof tothe scheme. However, the number of investors
required as the pyramid gets deeper grows exponentially, so a critical point is reached fairly quickly.
At this point, the scheme is a social time bomb,with the investors at the bottom of the pyramid
accounting for most of the capital, but without
any chance of getting their money back.

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http://governanceblog.worldbank.org/ponzi-schemes russiacolombia-and-us-mavrodi-murcia-madoff-mmm

In DMG’s case, the resulting scandal washuge in scope. The angry crowds, unable to act
until it was too late, ultimately raided DMG’sregional offices in an attempt to recoup losses.
Songs, graffiti, and emails mocking the situation
began to circulate, adding further insult to injury.
What is truly interesting, however, is how thesocial environment in Columbia allowed these
events to occur.
In Columbia, as in most of Latin America,
the American Dream is pervasive. The thought ofbeing successful and rich has mislead many
young people into lifestyles that are unsustainable, while at the same time devaluing theconcept of hard work as a means to get ahead.
With an uncertain future, and no link to a traditional culture, these young people are quickly
enticed by easy money.
For these people, there are two major
options: get involved in illegal business, or leave
the country in hopes of a better life (generally the
US or Spain). This leaves a dearth of hard-working
Colombians, and is devastating to the development of the society. When DMG came along, they
were in the position to provide many people with
better dividends than working could provide.
What does this say for Columbia? The
devaluation of work as a concept in Colombiansociety seriously contributed to the DMG fiasco.
With a large portion of the population thinking
only for themselves, the society as a whole suffers,
and the culture becomes toxic. We Colombians,
and indeed those of us from all developing societ-ies, must think very hard about what it means to
be a member of our society, and how we as individuals can contribute to the whole. Only
together can we bring up the standard of living
and distinguish ourselves as a society.
Perhaps, though, David Murcia Guzmán
taught us something important with the final
words found on a plastic chair (the chair being theonly thing left behind) inside one regional officesimilar to DMG’s and which was found by thepolice:“Hello, here we have left for you the most expensive plastic chair in the world. Remember that the
only pyramids that do not run away are the onesin Egypt”.

David Blanco, M2. Division of Human Environmental
System, Architectural and design, Environmental
Systems Research Laboratory.

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Switzerland: The YES 2008 Experienceby Richard

What else do you know about Switzerland
aside from Lindt and Cailler chocolates, Swiss
watches, Roger Federer, the Swiss Alps, the red withthe white plus flag, and neutrality?
The Confoederatio Helvetica(CH),
Switzerland’s Latin name, is famous for many things,
including sustainability. Switzerland is a small but
sustainable country which lacks natural resources, yet
it’s among the world’s greatest and most prosperous
countries. Being such, Switzerland hosts the bi-annual
Youth Encounter on Sustainability (YES) International Workshop, which attracts a highly diverse groupof students around the world to discuss global challenges and opportunities for sustainable development.
The YES course aims to develop the leadership capability necessary for a viable future.

The main modules of the YES program
looked into natural and human systems, energy andmaterials, water, health and nutrition, economics,
psychosocial needs and policy. The 17 day-workshop
was filled with interactive lectures, group discussions,guided art sessions, games, poster sessions, case studies, debates, presentations, excursions, company
visits, film viewing, and cultural activities. The participants were able to visit different locations in theValley of Glarus and learned about direct democracy
and the history of industry in this province. After theworkshop, some of us went on a three-day field trip to
the picturesque Rheinau, next to the Rheine Island
Monastery and close to the world famous Rheine
Falls and experienced Switzerland’s largest organic
farm.

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I applied and fortunately got selected toparticipate in the YES August 2008 workshop held in
Branwauld, Switzerland last August 8-27, 2008. The
workshop was attended by 35 participants from 30
countries with very diverse fields of studies: from engineering to art design, international studies, medicine,forestry, world literature, business management,
education and sustainable development. A pool ofexperts from scientific institutions (MIT, ETH Zurich,Technical University of Vienna, University of Tokyo,
International Water Center and others), industry,
non-governmental organizations (Union Bank of Switzerland, Holcim, Ministry of Environment of Costa
Rica and others), and YES alumni served as lecturers
and resource speakers for the four modules tackled
during the workshop.

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The YES workshop was not only about lecturesand discussions, but also held several other activities.
During our free days, we were able to visit different placesin Switzerland. A trip to the beautiful city of Lucerne andits famous Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument, thehistoric and old municipality of Altdorf where the statueof the legendary Willhelm Tell stands, Einsielden whichis the home of the magnificent Abbey Church of
Einsielden, and to Switzerland’s largest city and the main
cultural and commercial center, Zurich was an experience
like no other. In Zurich we visited the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and the Universityof Zurich, and other famous landmarks, such as theGrossmünster and Fraumünster.

As a student engaged in materials processing and resources engineering, which is an important aspect of sustainable development, and as an advocate of sustainability science, the YES experience was a very extraordinary opportunity
to enhance my understanding of sustainability and appreciate more my chosen profession. The unique gathering ofbrilliant students of different fields from across the globe allowed us to learn sustainability in a most diverse way, to experience cross-cultural understanding and to created networks of friendship and collaboration. Somehow the workshop
has influenced my interests and the direction for my future career. Truly, my YES 2008 experience is priceless.

Richard Diaz Alorro,
D2 (Laboratory of
Mineral Processing andResources Recycling)
Note: I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to my sensei, Prof. Masami Tsunekawa and theLaboratory of Mineral Processing and Resources Recycling for the financial support afforded to me in this workshop. For more information about the YES Program.
please visit http://web.sustainability.ethz.ch/en/activities/yesprograms.cfm.

7Studious/2Interviewby Tomoo

Dr. Akinobu Ito (picture right) has just finished his doctoral course
and will now be working for a pharmaceutical company.
What follows is an interview about his research career, campus life,and future targets.

1. What is your best memory during
your stay in Hokkaido University?
Most of my memories are about myresearch especially when I gave an oralpresentation in Germany. It was the firsttime I presented either in Japanese or in
English. It was very tough.
2. What did you learn from that presentation?
I found that I could change myself if I
worked hard enough. I didn’ t like presentations. I was not good at it; but afterthat experience in Germany, I think I
improved. I had the courage to present,
but I could neither discuss nor defend
what I presented. I realized I needed towork harder and harder. It was a good
opportunity to discover the need to
improve my research skills, such as
experimental design, presentation, anddiscussion.
3. Why did you decide to get a Ph.D.?
After earning my masters, I decided tocontinue because I wanted to be a
researcher. To be a researcher, it isimportant to get a Ph.D. Research isvery important in life. Everything was
and is developed by research. New technologies and theories are conceived anddeveloped through research. With
research, we can make something new
to make life better.
Moreover, the work itself is very exciting. We can change our own life. We
can be among the very few who know
about something. We can help understanding the world. When ever I wouldfind something new, I would always get
excited. When the experimental results
would show that my hypothesis wastrue, I would always get excited. Even

8

when I would find that my hypothesis
was not true, I would always think ofdifferent methods or solutions. When I
would come up with new ideas, I would
get excited. Because I found I got
excited with the research, I decided toproceed with the doctoral course. At thattime, I actually didn’ t think about otherchoices except entering doctoral course.
4. How was your study?
It was very tough, but I enjoyed myresearch.
5. Ambitions?
I would like to be a good researcher.
6. What do you want to do as a
researcher?
I want to develop something new,which will have a big impact on improving our life. I also want to collaborate
with other researchers. I only had a few
colleagues then so I couldn’ t discuss somuch in the laboratory. I want a workplace where I can discuss often. What I
can do by myself is limited; but what I
can do with other researchers and what
we can do together has no limits.
7. What kind of a researcher do you
want to be?
I want to be a researcher who can leadand manage research projects. To be a
project leader, I need to gain fullknowledge about my own field andbroaden by studying related fields.
Knowledge-sharing fosters creativity
an d h elp s o n e u n d er s t an d r el at ed
research and think of new ideas as well.
I want to propose new ideas and develop
new products. To do this, I must deeply
understand my own research, and wid-

ening my learning scope helps meachieve just that.
8. Why did you decide to take theEnglish course?
I thought that it’ s important for mycareer, and it is good to communicate inEnglish. Moreover, presenting and discussing entirely in English are importantabilities for a researcher. It is good totrain myself.
9.What do you think about English
education in Japan?
It is poor. We studied a lot on reading
and writing, but we didn’ t work onlistening and speaking. So, the system
must be changed.
10. How should English education bechanged. Do you have any suggestions?
I met several students who are very
good at English. Some of them had
never been abroad, but studied with an
English course on a radio program. English class at schools might want tofollow these programs.
11. Hobbies?
I like skiing.
12. Tell us more about skiing. Whatpart of it is attractive for you? How
do you enjoy it every winter?
Skiing is thrilling especially because it
tests my speed and stability. It is difficult to control my own body at highspeed, in the air or in deep snow. So
when I make it, I get excited.

E-vision would like to thank Dr.
Ito for his cooperation.

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Social activity
by Tidarut“As I am a member of the family, I intend to3
make e closer and stronger”

The responsibilities of the Vice-Chairman
for Social Works have been changed to involveorganizing interesting events and activities otherthan the main activities. For me, the major
reason for choosing Hokkaido University was thedesire for a challenging academic experience andan opportunity to have new friendships as well.
For these reasons, numerous social activities
have been provided throughout this year and I
hope we will enjoy the activities together andhave a great time while studying here. As I am amember of the family, I intend to make e3 closer
and stronger.
Our string of activities started with the
Bounenkai Party last year. The ECO officers(Nikol, Alex and Sayem) helped me so much thatthe Bounenkai Party went well at last. After that,Thursday “Tea Time” was arranged to allow forrelaxation after a day’s hard work and at thesame time encourage bonding among all members. We also celebrate our members’ birthdays in“Birthday Tea Time” every month. Last time,
Nikol made a cake and it was so delicious that it
made me realize that, I really love Birthday Tea
Time. There are also tons of fun at “Game Night”.
“Movie Night” is also my next plan beginning inMarch. Towards Easter, we will have “Treasure
Hunt” during which treasures will be hidden
around our faculty. We will form teams and hunt
for as many treasures possible, using a map.
(It sounds fun, doesn’t it?)Jirawattanasomkul Tidarut (Lek, M1)
Engineering for Maintenance Systems"Life is like a box of chocolates. You neverknow what you're gonna get." (Forest Gump)
When new students come, current
students will treat the new comers to in a gamecalled “Buddies” (But keep it secret); and thengive small candies or chocolates with hint cards sothat the new students can guess whom are theirbuddies are. During the welcome party we will
reveal their buddies and ask new members to giveback a cute gift.
As winter comes to an end, we will becelebrating the traditional “Hanami” by enjoying
the beauty of cherry blossoms and have barbecue
at Susukino. In the summer, our members’ families will be invited to join the “Family Picnic,”
enabling us to become better acquainted with ourfriends’ families. Moreover, we will also have agreat opportunity to wear traditional dresses andperform traditional dances and songs during the“Cultural Day”. We also ask everyone to support“E-Cube Charity,” during which we will be visiting “Homes for Senior People” and teach themEnglish.
“It is a challenge for me to achieve my goalof fastening our members’ relationships but I also
realize that I cannot fulfill my role without ourmembers’ cooperation.”
Throughout this year, we will have theopportunity to participate in various activities. It
is a challenge for me to achieve my goal of fastening our members’ relationships but I also realizethat I cannot fulfill my hope without our members’ cooperation. Lastly, I will be glad if comments and suggestions from our members are
given to improve activities in the future.

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Let’s safari in Zimbabwe!
by Masline
Let's take a tour through the savanna
lands of Zimbabwe. "Zimbabwe" is a namederived from one of the local languages meaning"houses of stone". These houses of stone were
especially built to be the residences of theancient rulers. The largest of these stone houses,
is known as the Great Zimbabwe. So this would be ourfirst stop on the adventure into Zimbabwe.
The Great Zimbabwe is built of a mixture of natural granite boulders like man made walls. The interesting
fact is that no mortar was used in the construction ofthese walls. This is still a subject of awe and wonders formany scientists as the walls have managed to stand over a
decade.
The Eastern Highlands, a range of mountains close
to the eastern border of Zimbabwe with Mozambique,offers a unique experience of mountain hiking, horseriding and trout fishing. This area is ideal for all year
round visiting as it offers a quiet and peaceful environment in the thick evergreen forests. This area also hassome natural hot springs, which are richness inminerals.The natural landscape hosts for a variety ofwildlife species, including the black rhinoceros, hartebeest and the cheetah, which are endangered species.
Therefore, a drive through the national wildlife
parks will be a ticket to experiencing the spectacular viewof wildlife in the largely savanna scenery.The adventure
through Zimbabwe would be incomplete without experiencing the beauty of one of the Seven Wonders of theWorld, that is, the magnificent Victoria Falls.

10Japan and Korea are said to be nations bothclose geographically but distant politically. Historicalaggression exists between Japan and Korea, which
contributed to the political gap between the two countries. However, on the brighter side, cultural interactionis bridging the two countries closer. Few years ago wewitnessed the birth of the “Korean Boom” in Japan,
which helped accelerate the assimilation. Middle-aged
women became fanatic and enthusiastic for Korean
actors. Many Korean dramas and movies have become
available in Japan. Moreover, there are more similarities
between the Japanese and Koreans aside from theirappearance that can bring them closer. If you visit Seoul,
you may feel you are in Tokyo. The Korean language isalso similar to Japanese. Owing to the cultural interaction, we can share similar sense. That’s why I was interested in Korea.

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Trip to Korea

nations both close geographically and distant politicallyby Tomoo Tsuyuhara

Inside the observatory there was a resource center
displaying various dairy products from North Korea. I
found and bought an alcohol made in North Korea. On
the way back, one picture attracted my attention. It wasa picture of the Inter-Korean Summit held in 2000. Temporal South Korean President Kim Dae-jung won theNobel Peace Prize on his work and achievement on
peace for both nations. Unfortunately, relations got
worst after 9.11. I left the place praying for peace forboth nations.

North Korea across the river Kim jong-il and Kim Dae-jungat the Inter Korean Summit

In order to deeply understand our neighbor, I
decided to visit Korea. When I arrived at Seoul, I felt I
was in Tokyo as I had expected. One highlight of this trip
was the visit to the militarized border. Korean Peninsula
has a history of ethnic division in the 50’s and is still notin peace until now. The Koreans have different views
about the division. Some said they hate North Korea anddon’t want re-unification, but some are still hoping forre-unification because they are of the same ethnic grouporiginally. To decide which way is better seems to be notvery easy and simple. Around the militarized border, I
could find soldiers of both nations facing across thefence. At the exact moment, I felt that they’re still in war.
I also visited the observatory where we can take a look at
a village of North
Korea across a river that flows along the militarized border. According to what the guide said, thatvillage was constructed by the North Korean government for the purpose of sightseeing. Through atelescope, I found people in the village engaging in
agriculture using cow instead of agricultural machines.

Other impressive and very significant places I
visited were the remains of Japanese occupation. Manyof them remain standing as proofs of Japan’s invasion.
Rulers have invaded and committed destructions manytimes in history. Seeing
the fact with my bareeyes, I couldn’t help but
to apologize in my mind
as a Japanese. I also
visitedGyeongju(located counter side ofSeoul in Korean Peninsula). Gyeongju is theold capital for around1000 years from 7th
century. The city itself issaid to be like a museum
and dotted with temples
Seokguram Grotto
and the relics of colonization. Gyeongju is home to two World Heritages, the“Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple”. I was
attracted by its smooth sculpture. Gyeounju is famousfor school trips and sometimes compared to Kyoto andNara in Japan.
Through this trip, I learned some historical factsof Japan and Korea. However, what I knew is just the tipof the iceberg and there are more unknown things about
our neighbor. Aside from Korea, I also want to visit othercountries and learn about history.

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WHAT A UNIQUE WINTER
by Masline
A lot has been said about this year's winter, some claim it's too
cold, while others say the snow was too little compared to previous years.
I asked some students about their views on this year's winter and thegeneral opinion was that it was rather too warm, a clear indicator that global
warming might already be in effect! But to others, experiencing Sapporo
winter for the first time, it was VERY COLD nonetheless! : Here are some of theviews shared by some of the students in e3.

"Nice winter, but not as
cold as the previous two
winters I have experienced here in Sapporo.
All the same it's colder
than my home country(Zimbabwe),
andI
really love the winter. It
has brought such anadventurous change to
my life."- Azania , D1

"Wonderful,but
not snowy enough.
I bought snow boots
but I rarely use
them!"-Surya, D1.

12"Too little snow thisyear. But I think, ingeneral, the level ofprecipitation worldwide is the same. I
feel this is just a caseof the precipitation
being
divertedtoother parts of theworld." -Upaka, M2.

"Warm winter thisyear!"-Jaja, M2.

1/Studiousa diversity of winter(winter in different languages)
by Indra

We usually describe Winter with cold, strong wind and snow. As wehave experienced in Sapporo, this word becomes a popular word for us.
How about Winter in other languages? As we are a big family in e3 so wehave a diversity in languages. Therefore, we observed what are“Winter” in other languages among e3 members, and how they are pronounced in each native sound. Here are some of them. Enjoy!

Language(country)
EnglishSpanishFrenchGermanBahasa Indonesia(Indonesia)
Filipino(The Philippines)
Nepali (Nepal)
Czech
SlovakSinhala (Sri Lanka)
Khmer language(Cambodia)
Thai (Thailand)Farsi (Persian)Bangla(Bangladesh)
Zimbabwe

Alphabet

Pronunciation

WINTERINVIERNO
HIVER
WINTER (yes it's thesame but you have tocapitalize the W)
MUSIM DINGIN

WIN-TERIN-VIER-NO
HI-VER
WIN-TERTAG-LAMIG

TAG-LA-MIG

HIUND
ZIMA
ZIMA
(same as Czech, since
the two languages
are very similar!)
SHEETA IRTHUWA

HEE-UN-THE
ZI-MA
ZI-MA

RODOV RONGEARฤดูหนาว

MU-SIM-DIN-GIN

SHEE-TA- IR-THUWA
RO-DOV –RON-GEAR‫ﻥﺍﺕﺱﻡﺯ‬RUE-DU-NHOW
ZE-MES-TAN
SITH

CHANDO

CHAN-DO(Thanks to Nikol, Farukh, Upaka, Pich, Jintana, Aileen, Alex, Yadab, Saeed Masline
and Juan, for providing WINTER in their own languages)

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by Upaka
e3 members were given five poll questions and their opinions werecollected. The outcome of the ballot is as follows.
These are some of the results of e3 family Poll; 31 e3 students partici
pated online between February 23 and 26, 2009.

Polling questions and opinionsA) Barack Obama will
1.
Continue the war against the terrorism (6%)
2.
Negotiate with the terrorists (3%)
3.
Work more on the American economy (85%)

It seems e3 members are expecting the
US president to bring about economical
stabilization and correct economical
disparities.

B) 2016 Summer Olympics in?
1.
Chicago, USA (16%)
2.
Madrid, Spain (6%)
3.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (29%)
4.
Tokyo, Japan (49%)

About half of all voters said Tokyo will be the first candidateof the 2016 Olympics. We will be excited if it really happens!!

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1/StudiousC) The best quality in a guy/girl?
1.
Hot, Sexy (10%)
2.
Smart (16%)
3.
Funny (3%)
4.
Great personality (71%)

Most of members required guy/girl to have a great personality. Are they speaking the truth? I hope so….
D) The best city for Honeymoons?
1.
Hawaii (42%)
2.
Caribbean (29%)
3.
Maldives (26%)
4.
Okinawa (3%)

Well, Hawaii is the most popular for honeymoons. How romantic to have ahoneymoon in Southern countries!!
E) MEXT scholarship in year 2010?
1.
Will be kept as it is (23%)
2.
Will be further reduced (41%)
3.
Will be increased (10%)
4.
No idea at all (26%)

Please save your money .

15

1/StudiousCan you see the hidden pictures?

by Upaka

Here are a few clues to see the hidden picture; so called 3D magical picture:· Bring the image really close to your eyes (until you touch it with your nose).
· At this distance, your eyes cannot focus on the image and they look somewhere behind the image.
· Now, slowly push the image away from you, while trying to keep your eyes off focus.
· At some point you will see the hidden image.
· Another method is to take an object and put it behind the image (about half a meter behind it).
· Now, focus on the object behind the image while keeping your eyes on the image.
· Try to see something behind the picture keeping your eyes off focus,
and if you’re lucky, some shape will show up.
· If you couldn’t, make the focus to turn two dots into three.
GOOD LUCK!!

１

・

・

３
3

・ ・
・ ・

２

４

・

・

・ ・

Answers 1 Duck, 2 E=mc2, 3 Clovers, 4 Scissors

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Sapporo Snow Festival 60th

E:Vision Magazine English Engineering Education Program. Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Kita-13, Nishi-8, Sapporo 060-8628 JAPAN.