Hello, I’m Taichi Eguchi, a 2nd year student.
 On Saturday, October 19th and Sunday, October 20th, 2024, the 35th National College of Technology Programming Contest (Kosen ProCon) was held in Nara Prefecture. A five-member 1st year and 2nd year student team competed in the Themed Section. For more information on the Kosen ProCon and the presentations by the ICT students’ team: Five Students Participated in the 35th National College of Technology Programming Contest

 In the qualifying round, we had less than two months to come up with an idea from scratch with our team members. We worked out what kind of product we would make, had Meguru Ito sensei check our qualifying materials many times, made many revisions, and submitted our proposal well in advance of the deadline.

 We received an A grade and passed the qualifying round. After this, the team members were assigned different roles to complete the product. I had the job of creating the mobile application. I had to use a JavaScript framework called React Native. It was the first time I used React Native and JavaScript, so first I had to research these programing languages so I could create the mobile application, step by step. It was a lot of fun to learn new things as I researched and implemented them one by one, and to see things that I envisioned coming to completion.

 I was also the leader of the team. All the team members worked on their own jobs and consulted with me on matters they did not understand. I was able to trust them and concentrate on application development without having to spend much time managing the team. I have the impression that the project went smoothly. I felt a great sense of accomplishment when the application was completed.

 Due to time constraints, we were not able to experiment with the finished product. However, we received many suggestions for improvement that we did not notice on our own or that would be problematic if we used the product.

 At the end of the two days of the competition, we did not receive any special awards, but I thought it was a great experience for the team to think and work from zero to completion of the project. Also, we completed the project, which made me feel relieved. After having participated in the programming contests last year and this year, I decided that I wanted to do it again. When I become 4th year student, I want to use the feedback the team received at this year’s competition and win an award.

Taichi Eguchi

 Have you ever heard of a "learning mentor"? Many people may not know a lot about this job and I want to share what my day is like.

 My name is Apirak Sang-ngenchai, and I am a learning mentor. My work begins in the afternoon when I join the classes I am assigned to. I usually sit at the back of the classroom to listen to the lecture in order to understand the topics and context, which helps me better support the students later on. If students have questions, I provide explanations. Sometimes, I assist students who feel shy about speaking up in class.

 The evening learning session runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This is the heart of my job. Students come to me for help with their studies during these two hours.

●Homework and Quizzes: During the evening session, many students bring their homework to ask for guidance. Some assignments are straightforward, like math problems or writing exercises, but others can be more complex, like science reports or project research.
●Projects and Activities: Not all students come for help with homework. Some need support for extracurricular activities or personal projects. For students interested in robotics, I help them design, build, and program robots for competitions like Robocon. This includes brainstorming ideas, debugging code, and testing the robot’s performance. Some students have their own goals, like creating a small AI application or programming a game. I guide them by teaching coding techniques, suggesting tools, and troubleshooting their problems. It’s inspiring to see their creativity and determination.
●Life Issues: Some students just want to talk. They share their worries or ask for life advice. Some students need someone to talk to. They might feel stressed about exams, homesick, or unsure about their future plans. I listen without judgment and offer encouragement. Other students ask for advice on balancing school and personal life, building friendships, or setting goals. I try to give them practical tips and share my own experiences to help them feel more confident.

 Learning mentors are like the students' older brother or sister. We play, study, and enjoy time together. It’s not just about schoolwork. It’s about building relationships. Students often feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts with me than with their teachers. For example, some students ask me for help with programming, especially for robots or AI. Then I guide them step by step through the process, and it makes me happy to see their progress.

 Besides helping students with their studies, learning mentors organize events like Halloween parties, Christmas celebrations, or cultural festivals. These events help students feel more connected to each other and the school.

 

 Being a learning mentor is busy, but it is also very rewarding. The best part of the job is watching students grow, solve problems, and become more confident. We are not just helping them with school; we are helping them with life. Now if you meet a learning mentor, you know what we do!

Apirak Sang-ngenchai

 Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Campus office. On Saturday, November 9th, 2024, a team Ekiden (Relay Race) involving 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th year students, along with faculty and staff members, was held at the Hakusanroku Campus. It was a cool and sunny autumn day with clear blue skies, creating the perfect atmosphere for the event.
 The race took place on a roughly 670m course around the Hakusanroku Campus. Four teams were formed, each consisting of both students, faculty, and staff members. The start and handoff point was next to the gymnasium, with the course passing the dormitory, the KIT Innovation Hub, and the Hakusanroku Campus entrance before completing a full lap. Each team, made up of about 15 members, took turns running one lap at a time, completing a total of 30 laps (about 20.1 km).

 After Philip Cadzow sensei, Health and Physical Education teacher, gave the signal to start, the starting runners each team sprinted off. Right from the beginning, the starting runners added a touch of excitement to the event: among them, 4th year student Kan Kinoshita performed a backflip before starting, and Learning Mentor Apirak Sang-ngenchai sensei ran in a banana costume. As each runner completed their lap, they handed off their sash to their teammate, leading to a thrilling and competitive race. Students showed a mix of emotions—some were nervous before their turn, but they smiled as they took the sash and began running. Some students tried their best to outrun pursuing faculty and staff members. Philip sensei ran multiple laps, and Ian Stevenson sensei went above and beyond, running continuously regardless of his turn, completing an impressive 21 laps (roughly 13.5 km) on his own. In the second half of the race, the Yellow Team surged ahead, leaving the other teams two laps behind and securing a decisive victory!
 At the end of the event, Amazon gift cards were awarded to all members of the winning Yellow Team and the MVPs of each of the four teams.

 The sight of everyone, including students, faculty, and staff cheering each other on, continued until the very end of the race. It was truly moving to see the runners pushing through with labored breaths and heavy legs as the sash was passed from one teammate to another. The event was a wonderful experience, with all the team members united as one.

@ictkanazawa

2024年11月9日（土）、白山麓キャンパスで1、2、4、5年生と教職員が4チームに分かれてチーム対抗の駅伝大会が開催されました！各チームは15人で、合計30周（1周約670m）を走り切りました。🏃‍♀️🏃🔥✨ #国際高専 #駅伝 #ict #kosen #白山麓キャンパス #金沢キャンパス #ekiden

♬ familie - Mrs. GREEN APPLE

Yuri Makada

 

Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Campus office. Today, I would like to write about the Halloween events held at Hakusanroku Campus.

 Every year when Halloween comes around, the Hakusanroku Campus is decorated with a festive Halloween theme by students and learning mentors. Students and Learning Mentors decorated the big stairs with Halloween decorations and attached plastic bags with pictures drawn on them to the air conditioner vents blowing air out from the floor. The plastic bags were decorated with pictures such as Moo deng (หมูเด้ง), the adorable baby hippo from Thailand beloved on social media, along with other animated characters and cute ghosts. The bags would sway like little ghosts in the breeze, bringing delight to teachers and staff! Additionally, a "Making Jack-o'-Lanterns" event was held, led by Ian Stevenson sensei.

 On Friday, October 25th, 2024, during the optional Learning Session, a game of hide and seek was held. The game consisted of four rounds. The students who were hiding took cover inside the school building, while the seekers had 5 minutes in the first round and 10 minutes in rounds 2 to 4 to find the hidden students. The number of seekers ranged from 3 to 6 students per round, and the goal was to find all the hidden students within the time limit. 

 The dark, quiet atmosphere of the school added an extra thrill to the game, and the students seemed to have a lot of fun. Initially, only 3 rounds of hide and seek were planned, but the excitement was so high that an additional round was added. Students who weren’t found within the time limit were rewarded with a snack by learning mentors.

The Learning Mentors created a video trailer for Hide and Seek👻

@ictkanazawa

ラーニングメンターからハロウィンにちなんだ動画をもらいました🎃今後、校内で「ハロウィン隠れんぼ」が開催されるそうです👻楽しみですね🎃👻👻 #国際高専 #白山麓キャンパス #ict #寮生活 #hakusanrokucampus #dormlife #schoollife #halloween #hideandseek

♬ オリジナル楽曲 - 【公式】国際高等専門学校 - 【公式】国際高等専門学校

The day of hide-and-seek👻

@ictkanazawa

2024年10月25日（金）のラーニングセッション（夜の学校）オプショナルの日では、「校内隠れんぼ」が開催されました🎃👻 #国際高専 #ict #internationalcollegeoftechnology #ハロウィン #隠れんぼ #寮生活 #寮 #学生生活 #学校 #高専 #Halloween #hideandseek #schoollife #dorm #kosen #kosenjapan #technicalcollege #japan #school

♬ Pumpkins Dance Halloween - AF_Sounds

 On Thursday, October 31st, 2024, teachers and students dressed in Halloween costumes for classes, strengthening the Halloween atmosphere. Students wore costumes such as Pokémon characters and movie protagonists, while teachers appeared in unique outfits like maid costumes and hot dog suits, making for a uniquely styled day of classes.

 

 Additionally, a Halloween special lunch menu was offered. The selection included a cute ghost-shaped salad and seven varieties of freshly baked bread and cookies. Students cheerfully chose their favorite treats and had a lot of fun!

 After classes, a Halloween Costume Parade was held. Students and teachers walked the stage, striking poses and performing skits they had created. Among the highlights were 1st year students Ayane Ito, Madoka Nakazawa, and Kotori Mae, who wore matching costumes from the movie Mr. Vampire and performed a dance to the music, drawing cheers of "So cute!" from the audience. Another memorable moment came when 1st year student Lapananrat Pantawat who had not worn a costume during class, surprised everyone just before the parade by appearing in a giant dinosaur costume, bringing laughter and delight to the crowd. Following the costume parade, a contest was then held to determine the most creative, scariest, cutest and funniest costumes.

 The last event was the piñata event. In this popular Mexican tradition, blindfolded students swung a stick at a piñata. They were guided by the voices around them until they hit piñata and it burst, scattering candy. Cheers erupted as treats rained down, adding excitement to the celebration.

 In October, Hakusanroku Campus was fully immersed in a Halloween atmosphere, creating a fun and lively environment. This unique Halloween event, characteristic of ICT, surely made for a memorable time for the students.

Halloween day🎃

@ictkanazawa

ハッピーハロウィン🎃👻👻👻 10月31日（木）、白山麓キャンパスの1、2年生と教職員は仮装をして1日過ごしました。夜にはハロウィンコスチュームパレードなども開催されて賑やかな1日となりました🎃🧁🧡🧡 #国際高専 #高専 #石川県 #白山麓キャンパス #ict #internationalcollegeoftechnology #kosen #kosenjapan #japan #ハロウィン #仮装 #パレード #Halloween #costume #funevent #event

♬ APT. - ROSÉ & Bruno Mars

👻Costume contest video🎃

@ictkanazawa

2024年10月31日（木）の放課後、白山麓キャンパス（1、2年生）では、ハロウィンコスチュームパレードが開催されました🎉🎃👻 学生と教員たちはステージでダンスをしたり、自分たちで考えた演劇などを披露したりして、思い思いの仮装をアピールしました🕺🏻💕🎃 #国際高専 #白山麓キャンパス #ハロウィン #ict #halloween #高専 #internationalcollegeoftechnology #party #仮装 #パレード #costume #funevent

♬ Happy Halloween - Junky

Costume Contest
🏆The Funniest Award🏆

🏆The Scariest Award🏆

🏆The Cutest Award🏆

🏆The Most Creative Award🏆

Piñata

 

Yuri Makada

Hi, I am Michihiro Hayashi, the advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club.
On Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6, 2024, I took a business trip with the participating students to the Tokai-Hokuriku Regional ROBOCON 2024 held in Numazu City. Numazu City is located in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture and is the furthest regional competition site from ICT. The students and their faculty advisors traveled there by chartered bus. The one-way trip was about 8 hours long. The students bought a lots of snacks and fast food at the rest area and ate them on the bus. Perhaps the souvenir shops on the highway were a rarity to them, especially since there are few stores around the Hakusanroku Campus.

The theme of this year's ROBOCON is “Return of the Robots,” and the rules call for a robot to launch an another robot, retrieve objects, and return. When the robot is launched, it inevitably receives a shock when it lands, which can cause the robot to break or malfunction, so a mechanism to absorb the shock is necessary. Also, when the robot returns after retrieving an object, some obstacles must be jumped over, so each team needs to be creative in their robot design.

Two teams from our school participated: Team A from Kanazawa Campus, “ХАЙРТАЙ ШҮҮ 3k”, and Team B from Hakusanroku Campus “Tobihoudai”. The captain of Team A was Sansar Sergelen, a 4th year student from Mongolia. Therefore, the team’s name is in Mongolian. If you are interested in the name of Team A, please look up the meaning and pronunciation.

Team A's robot was designed with airbags for shock absorption and an arm that extends like a crane when returning. With only three members, various tasks took time, and they couldn't fully adjust the robot by the final date. On the day of the competition, they continued making adjustments at the venue but unfortunately couldn't demonstrate the soft landing with the airbags. As a result, they lost both matches in the preliminary league. However, despite the small team, their innovative efforts were recognized, and they received the "DENSO Special Award."

Team B's robot was constructed so that it could continue to operate even if it was upside down on landing. They also built a robot that uses a rotating roller like a pitching machine to retrieve objects. The members gathered after school until just before the competition to continue adjusting the robot. However, they struggled to reduce the weight of the robot and were forced to bring the improved parts to the venue by bus. As a result, the robot was able to successfully pass the weighing and measuring inspection for the competition. In the competition, the students showed off how they flew and landed their robots and achieved one win and one loss in the preliminary league. The efforts of the younger students were also recognized, and they received the “Mabuchi Motor Special Award.”

Although neither team was able to advance to the final tournament or be nominated for the national tournament, I believe that they were able to fully demonstrate the results of their activities. Some students may have felt that they “failed” or “felt frustrated,” but I hope that these feelings will become rich nourishment for their future.

Michihiro Hayashi