Syllabus for TU STEM Summer Program 2024
(TSSP2024):
Exploring the Frontier of Science and Technology
June 17-July 12, 2024 at Tohoku University, Sendai, JapanPROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Japan continues to be a world leader in science, technology, and innovation. Tohoku
University STEM Summer Program (TSSP): Exploring the Frontier of Science andTechnology provides a unique opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to learn about theoriginality and state of advanced science and technology in Japan. Students will also get handson experience learning about creative science and engineering at one of Japan’s premier
universities, Tohoku University, in Sendai City.
In TSSP, students will be introduced to fundamental and innovative science and engineering
concepts through lectures, laboratory work, and lab visits. Students then work on project teams
with Tohoku University science and engineering students to use these concepts to solve
problems. In addition, several special seminars and lectures are given by experts to develop
knowledge about more advanced science and engineering principles.
During this four-week program, students also will learn how Japanese culture and society
influenced science and engineering in Japan. The program provides Japanese language training
and exposure opportunities to traditional and local culture through workshops and field trips.
The destinations include (1) the next-generation synchrotron radiation center in Sendai,
NANOTERASU, (2) experimental facilities at Tohoku University, (3) a Buddhist temple built
in the Heian period (794-1185) which is a representative example of Pure Land Buddhistarchitecture, and Toyota automobile factory (4) the historic castle in Shiroishi, and (5) coastal
areas in Miyagi that were affected by the 2011 tsunami.

LEARNING OBJECTIVESThis program has been designed to provide students with the contextual science andengineering background to apply critical thinking skills to modern science and engineering
problems in an international context. Through this program, they will be able to:1) Understand key information about advanced science and engineering concepts andtheir application in professional science and engineering practice2) Demonstrate knowledge of science and engineering culture and practice in Japan3) Utilize technical design skills
4) Work effectively in diverse teams5) Articulate their own academic and professional goals related to science andengineering6) Communicate at an introductory level in Japanese and apply the language in realworld contexts7) Experience Japanese traditional culture

ATTENDANCE POLICIESAttendance is mandatory at all academic activities, including instructor/guest lectures,
laboratory visits, laboratory sessions, Japanese language & culture sessions, field trips, group
discussions, course meetings, etc. Attendance will be taken through TSSP app. with GPS
coordinate and time stamp at the beginning of each activity.
All academic activities are scheduled on weekdays. Excessive tardiness or absence may begrounds for dismissal from the program. Optional activities will be advertised as such and may
include trips to sightseeing, shopping, or social gatherings.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
The program schedule is shown below. This program has been designed to require 200 hours
of work, equivalent to an 8-ECTS, 4-week long course. The outline below is provided to help
students guide the use of their time.
A. Students pre-program work and homework during the program
Pre-program work before the program and homework during the program (equivalent to 40
educational hours):• 12 hours: pre-program work (including self-study about Japan)• 28 hours: homework during the program
B. June-July Program Time:160 educational hours over the 4-week term distributed approximately as follows
 2 hours of orientation and guidance 38 hours of lectures and lab-visits, including reading preparation
 44 hours of group laboratory projects, including reading and report preparation
 44 hours of field trips, including reading preparation
 12 hours of culture learning 8 hours of language learning, including exercises
 6 hours of group discussion
 6 hours of individual and group presentation, including PPT preparation
A reading list for advanced preparation, if any, will be posted in this program classroom.
Readings are designed to provide context for instructor/guest lectures, laboratory visits, grouplaboratory projects, and field trips. Final details and assignment schedules will also be posted.

TEACHING APPROACH
This program will focus on learning from “hands-on” projects, field trips, expert topicallectures, targeted scholarly readings, culture and language experience, group discussions, andstudent presentations.

CONTENTSThe TSSP 2024 consist of lectures, lab visits, lab works, field trips, and those outside works.
GRADING
Students receive an overall grade for all their efforts in this program. Students should expect
grades to be comparable to those awarded for on-campus study.

Learning will be assessed in the following ways:
25%: Participation in lectures, project lab work, lab visits, and field trips
Because of the unique nature of this study abroad program, engaged
participation in all program activities is critical to allow for learning. Therefore,
students are expected to attend all program activities and actively participate.
Please note that being present is not the same as participating as a general rule.
30%: Study log and daily reports
During each activity, please take notes and records in however style(analog/digital) or digital device you choose to use. Based on these, submit areport of each labeled session, for example, LL1 for the first lecture, by 23:59
of the session date. These daily reports except for the laboratory reports should
be submitted via the TSSP app.
The TSSP app. can be installed on your mobile device from this QR code.

Or you can run the app directly in your browser from this QR code.

20%: Reports from three hands-on-laboratories
Lab report format and other details: TBA
25%: Final presentation and report
Each student will make a presentation and write a report covering what theylearned from this program and what they found interesting in regards to theirpotential career. The presentation will be made on the last day of the program.
The report should be submitted by midnight on Friday, July 19 (JST).

FINAL ORAL PRESENTATION AND REPORT
Final oral presentation: 10 min. individual presentation in the TSSP presentation session
Final report: max 3 pages including figures, images, tables, etc.

Contents: Students will discuss either the frontier of science and technology or the scienceand technology of disasters and damage reduction. Based on insights through the study ofJapanese language and experience of Japanese culture and traditions, they will discuss how
uniquely Japanese ways of thinking and approaches affect and influence the program’s
themes, their thoughts on basic and cutting-edge science and technologies, and how thisprogram relates to their future careers.
Tip for your presentation
TSSP has given you opportunities to challenge yourself in multiple ways over the four weeksof the program. Before departing from Sendai, we want you to think about your experiences
and consider the skills, knowledge, and awareness you will take away from this program as aresult. To help you with this, you will give a final presentation reflecting on what you havelearned.
In your presentation, you will identify critical incidents you experienced in the program. A
critical incident is “an event which made you stop and think, or one that raised questions foryou” (Monash University, 2017). You should address at least one critical incident in each of
three areas related to the learning objectives for the program: 1) scientific and engineeringlearning in lectures and labs, 2) Japanese culture and language, and 3) your personal andacademic development. For each incident, reflect on why it was important to you and whatknowledge you will take from it. You can refer to the steps of the DEAL Model of Critical
Reflection (Ash & Clayton, 2009) to help with this:
1.
2.
3.

Describe the incident you experienced in an objective and detailed way (Whathappened? How did you feel and react?)
Examine the incident beyond just summarizing it to understand why it was important(What did you learn? Why does it matter?)
Articulate your Learning from that incident and how you will apply what you learnedin the future (What will you do now? How has this experience affected your futuregoals and plans?)

You should address at least one incident related to each focus area, but you can provide moredetails on a given area if you have more to say about what you learned in that area. Also, asingle incident may correlate to several focus areas; for instance, an incident that occurred
during a lab session may have had an impact on your view of your own academic identity anddevelopment. In that case, you can present that incident as an example of one of the relevant
areas, but you should still provide 2 additional incidents. While this is an academic presentation,
we hope it will also serve you after this program as a record of your thoughts, observations,and experiences in Japan as well as a guide to help you put into practice some of your new
skills, knowledge, and awareness. So feel free to have fun with it; photos, memes, etc. areencouraged if they will help make it a better reference point for you in the future.
Presentations and reports will be graded on the following criteria:
 Address at least one critical incident from the three focus areas
 Demonstrate deep engagement with the process of examining each incident tounderstand the context surrounding it and why it is important Show how reflecting on the incidents leads to a set of realistic, achievable, andproductive goals for the future Offer a high level of substantive reflection that will allow it to be useful as a guidefor future practiceSummary of TU STEM Summer Program Assignments(1) Lab reports: Please submit them to the Google classroom.
Report length: Single-spaced 3 pages max. including figures and tables
12-point Times New Roman font
1. Challenging Experiments for Quantum Theory on 6/19 (W).
Report due: noon on Monday, June 24
2. Paper Aircraft Competition on 6/26(W) and 6/27(Th).
Report due: noon on Monday, July 1
3. Environmental radiation on 7/11(Tu).
Report due: noon on Thursday, July 11(2) Lectures: The lecture schedule is subject to change.
1.

June 17 (M)-A

2.

June 18 (Tu)-M

3.

June 21 (F)-M

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

June 24 (M)-M
June 24 (M)-A
June 26 (W)-A
June 27 (Th)-M
July 1 (M)-M

9.

July 2 (Tu)-M

10.
11.
12.
13.

July 2 (Tu)-A
July 4 (Th)-M
July 4 (Th)-A
July 5 (F)-M

14.
15.
16.

July 8 (M)-M
July 8 (M)-A
July 11 (Th)-A

Tsunami disaster mitigation(Prof. Suppasri)
Sendai's 17th-century mission to the Vatican: Its intent andinfluence thereof on Japanese culture (Prof. Shidara)
Artemisinin, from potent antimalarial agent to new anti-cancer
Therapeutics (Prof. Sasaki)
Here We Go Again!: Reflections on Applying to Grad School(Ms. Escalona)
Introduction to aircraft design (Prof. Abe)
Secrets of the Japanese swords (Prof. Ohuchi)
Research Expedition in Antarctic Waters (Prof. Okoshi)
Introduction to Spintronics (Former President, Prof. Ohno)(1) Synchrotron Radiation Facility: A Measurement Platform Providing
High-Brightness X-rays (Prof. Yoshida)(2) Using Light Sources to Shine new Light on Chemistry (Prof. Yin)
(1) Protein Folding Problem: Efforts to solve the simple but notoriously
difficult puzzle are now revolutionizing life sciences. (Prof. Takahashi)(2) Future Medicine Challenges: Perspectives from the Tohoku Medical
Megabank Project (Prof. Kinoshita)
Origin of Life: The early Earth made the first life (Prof. Furukawa)
Structural Metallic Materials for Industry Innovation (Prof. Yoshimi)
Discover, Measure, and Innovate Tactile Sensations (Prof. Okuyama)
Nonverbal Information to Enrich Future Telecommunication(Prof. Kitamura)
Robotics for Space Exploration (Prof. Yoshida)
Reaction Engineering for Sustainable Process (Prof. Kitakawa)
Humanities Approaches to Disasters -Study of Japanese
historical disaster and culture- (Prof. Ebina)

Write a summary of what you learned from each lecture in 250 words in the digital logbook.
(3) Final presentation on Friday, July 12. Final report due by midnight on Friday, July 19(JST).
See the details on the previous pages.
Final presentation: 10 min. (no more than 10 PPT slides)
Final report: Single spaced max 3 pages, including a title, figures, tables, and the list ofreferences (Times New Roman, 12-point font)QR code for Google Classroom

GENERAL OUTLINE OF A LABORATORY REPORT
Scientific writing is just as important as scientific investigation or experimentation. Although the
major part of scientific investigation takes place in the laboratory—setting up and repairing
equipment, obtaining supplies and samples, checking each apparatus for consistency, calibration,and finally data collection by running the experiment—a great deal of time is spent presenting theresults in a concise, objective, critical and conclusive format called a laboratory report (similar to a
research paper). Therefore, a well-organized laboratory report is much more effective andinfluential than one without a structure. There is no short list of instructions for writing a goodlaboratory report. You may have only one chance to influence your reader. While ineffective
writing can turn off the readers, a well-written laboratory report can have an impact on yourreputation, chance of employment or promotion. You may also draw the attention of the scientificcommunity to your work and retain them as your readers.
Sections of a laboratory report:
A laboratory report usually has several sections identified by titles. A typical report would include
such
sectionsas
TITLE,INTRODUCTION,PROCEDURE,
RESULTS,andDISCUSSION/CONCLUSION. If you are using a computer to type your work, section headings
should be in boldface.
Title:
A good title can usually draw the attention of the reader to your work. It should clearly represent
the work presented. If the purpose of the experiment is to measure the gravitational acceleration of
the earth using a pendulum as the experimental apparatus, the title should be something like
“Measurement of Gravitational Acceleration Using Simple Pendulum.” Avoid “The” as the firstword in the title as it will lead to misleading database search results.
Introduction:
State the purpose of the experiment in general terms. For example, “It is possible to measuregravitational acceleration using the oscillations of a simple pendulum.”
Review the existing information or theory. Readers will look for some reminders of the basic
information relating to this particular area. This can be done by giving them a brief summary of theexisting state of knowledge. We can also include a summary of earlier work with proper references.
Supply a paragraph or two about how the basic information, such as an equation representing
the behavior of a model (theory), can be used to make measurements.
Procedure:
Indicate the parameters or properties of the system you are measuring. Usually, you change aparameter of the system (such as changing the temperature, independent variable), and measure its
effect (such as the length of a metal rod, dependent variable). Specify such measurement details as
the type of standard or instrument used to make the measurement (for example, meter stick or
Vernier caliper, etc.). Give the instrument uncertainties. For example, if we use a meter stick, we
can say, “The length of the rod is measured using a laboratory meter stick accurate to within 1cm.” You may also provide an apparatus diagram if necessary.
Results:
 Provide at least 3 scientific observations
 Scientific observations are things like “the solution turned blue upon adding a component,” not“we turned on the gas tank.”
 Provide tables showing your measurement with units.
 Describe the uncertainties: standard, instrument, random errors.

Provide graphs. Graphs should be neat, clear, and include axis labels and units.
Computation of the final answer: slope calculation, averages, and standard deviations all inproper significant figures.

Discussion/Conclusion: Present your findings from the experiment.
 Evaluate the outcome objectively, taking a candid and unbiased point of view. Suppose that theoutcome is not close to what you expected. Even then, after checking your results, give reasons
why you believe that outcome is not consistent with the expected. Make it plain andsimple. Make factual statements such as “graph 1 shows a linear variation of velocity with time.” State the discrepancies between the experimental results and the model (theory), and discuss thesources of the differences in terms of errors by offering logical inferences.
 Suggest improvements
Although these do not make an exhaustive list of do’s or don'ts, they nevertheless offer a frameworkaround which one can write an effective report. In our experiment, some of the items indicatedunder each section may not be needed. We will give you more feedback in class. We expect that,the lab reports, whether typed or handwritten, should be neat, clear, and organized. Points will be
deducted for these, as well as for missing units and failing to follow the outline (i.e., title,
introduction, procedure, results, discussion/conclusion) given above.