“𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.”
― Rachel Carson

 Hello, this is Dorsaf Gatri, one of the STEM teachers at ICT.

 As a teacher, one of my main focuses is to foster students’ interest in a particular topic. This would involve, amongst other things, tackling topics that have a direct influence on the students’ lives and/or future.

 When I learned that students will have the opportunity to choose for themselves if they wanted to join Biology class or another class, I realized that half of the task is done: All the students in my class would already be interested in what I have to teach. What is left to do is to use this golden opportunity to introduce young, bright minds to one of the biggest challenges that is facing us in the 21st century. 

 It is no secret that the news about the decline of the state of our environment is worrisome, to say the least. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary subject. This might be a reason to think of it as a complicated matter. It can also be a reason for hope; history shows us that big challenges can be overcome when humans collaborate. This biology class tried to enforce the following ideas:

Hope is part of the solution:

 There is a myriad of reasons to why we should be very concerned about the environment, however this does not mean that all hope to turn the tables is lost. Students were taught that human ingenuity can mitigate environmental issues. We discussed examples and possible innovative ideas to get humans needs met while preserving the only home that we know: the earth. Some of the solutions mentioned in class are: 
-Decentralized energy systems using microgrids
-Shared driverless cars to reduce GHG emission related to transportation
-Grazing animals’ systems as opposed to industrial livestock 
-Using seaweed to restore the overturning circulation in the oceans

Understanding the problem is the first step to the solution:

 Different activities and experiments were conducted to illustrate the concepts explained in class.

 One of these activities was a fishing game to explain the concept of the Tragedy of the Commons. In this activity students were part of an imaginary village and were competing against each other to catch fish. Each type of fish had a price tag. The winner of the game would be the richest person in the village.

This is how the game is played: Students have four 30 seconds turns with each turn corresponding to one fishing season. During each of these turns, students try to catch fish using a tape attached to two straws and they must make at least 500¥ to keep playing. At the end of each term, each pair of fish will produce two offspring.

 As expected, the students, hoping to be the richest and win, depleted all the fish in the ocean in the first round. This is when they realized that the only way to win this game is to come up with a sustainable strategy and make sure that there will be enough fish in the ocean for them to catch next season. I reset the game and the students were given another chance during which they worked together to maintain natural resources. Using an environmentally friendly approach to play, the students ended up with more financial prosperity.

 Another important experiment that was conducted is the soil salinization experiment. The students monitored the growth of mung beans using different salinity levels. The results of the experiments showed clearly the adverse impact of salinity on plants and, by extension, on our food sources.

 To sensitize the students to the problem of biodiversity loss and its impacts on ecosystems, they were introduced to taxonomy (the science of naming animals and plants) and ecology (the study of the interaction between the organisms and their environment). The taxonomy classes were followed by a microscopic observation of different animals and plants. The ecology classes were followed by a classroom food web activity. In this activity, the students, each representing an animal from a particular trophic level, had to draw that animal, hang it on the board and work together to create a food web.

The scientific method is the reliable way towards the solution:

 The students used the scientific method to brainstorm an experimental design to test the air quality of different locations of their choice. They presented and discussed their qualitative and quantitative data. This helped the students to not only learn about the different types of air pollutants and their sources, but also to familiarize themselves with the scientific method and the scientific jargon. 

 The students enjoyed this class and so did I. Next semester we will laser-focus on the most pressing of environmental issues: Climate change.

Dorsaf Gatri

Hello, This is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Office.
 On Wednesday September 25th, 2024, a book review presentation was held for 1st year students. The students presented for up to 3 minutes on the books they read during summer vacation (with no restrictions on genre), sharing what they learned and their impressions. Japanese students read English books and presented in English, while international students read Japanese books and presented in Japanese. The students presented about a variety of genres, including fantasy, adventure, biography, and mystery. Some students created Power Point presentations, others created animations of their books’ story, and one student introduced their book by making a board game based on the book. 

 After the presentations, a voting session took place among the students and faculty to select the best presentations. There were two students chosen as the winners of the English presentations (Japanese students) and one student chosen as the winner of the Japanese presentations (International students). The results are as follows.

English Presentation Winner: Madoka Nakazawa

English Presentation Winner: Kotori Mae

Japanese Presentation Winner: Lapananrat Pantawat

Yuri Makada

Hello, this is Kasumi Ozawa from Study Abroad Section. I would like to share with you about the visit of our valued partner from New Zealand.

On Friday, October 4th, 2024, with a pleasant autumn breeze, Ms. Kerrie Hodgson from Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand, with whom we have a long-standing partnership, visited ICT. The main purpose of her visit was to share information with the students who will be studying abroad next year and to meet the students directly in order to ensure that they have a fulfilling study abroad experience. Our relationship with Otago Polytechnic began in 2002, and Ms. Hodgson has served as a bridge between Otago Polytechnic and ICT from the beginning. We are very grateful to Ms. Hodgson, who has been a trusted partner to us, and we extended our warmest welcome to her.

Otago Polytechnic has campuses in Oakland, Cromwell, and Dunedin, and our 3rd year students are enjoying their study abroad experience in Dunedin, where their headquarters are located. Twenty-one students will be studying abroad next year, and as preparations begin, they are thinking about the life that awaits them in New Zealand. Meeting and talking with Ms. Hodgson must have made their ideas about study abroad more realistic. Ms. Hodgson greeted the students, introduced them to Otago Polytechnic, and told them about New Zealand and Dunedin. The students' eyes seemed to light up when she told them that they could see wild penguins, fur seals, and albatrosses in Otago Bay. I think seeing wildlife and feeling beautiful nature is one of the things that students want to do in Dunedin. I am sure that her important message, “‘Don't be afraid to try things and be proactive’ is the key of studying abroad”, has reached the hearts of the students.

The students moved to the cafeteria for lunch and to have smaller conversations with Ms. Hodgson. Only a few students actively asked questions, which I thought was an issue for the future. The key to a successful study abroad experience is to express their thoughts and feelings to the fullest extent, without hesitation. I hope that the students will make use of what they thought and felt during her visit in their preparation for and during their study abroad.

 

We admire Ms. Hodgson as “She is more Japanese than Japanese”. We have a lot of trust in her because of her sincere hospitality and dedication to our program. We hope that she will continue to act as a bridge between our two schools and enhance our partnership.

Kasumi Ozawa

 

 Hello everyone! The 1st year homeroom and STEM class teacher, Brandon Wohlfarth, here to tell you about our trip with the 1st and 2nd year students on the Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road on Friday September 20th, 2024. For those who do not know, Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road is a famous sightseeing spot in the HAKUSANROKU (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan) area during the fall and summer. It is a beautiful stretch of road with various scenic photo spots where you can experience the wonderful expanse of nature, go hiking, or just enjoy a casual drive through nature. The original plan was to go for a hike through the woods along the White Road; however, due to the chance of rain that was forecasted for that day, we adjusted our plan to be a bus tour along the road instead. Even though we had planned for rain, it ended up being a beautiful, extremely hot day. 

 Our first stop along the White Road was a lookout point at the top of a mountain that separated Ishikawa and Gifu Prefectures. There, students could walk around the viewing area, take pictures on a swing that overlooked Gifu, or enjoy a snack or drink at a local shop. Seeing the students chatting, enjoying nature, and taking pictures of the spectacular view was wonderful.

 After this, we returned to the bus and traveled to a waterfall along the road. Here we took class pictures! This was only a brief stop just to see the waterfall, and we then continued to our last stop, the Chugu Onsen Visitor Center. Here, some students looked at the nature of HAKUSAN (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan) exhibits, while others went to the nearby river to play and skip stones. The students here really enjoyed the time they spent outside and playing by the river. Phillip Cadzow sensei even convinced some students to wade into the water with him. After that, the students returned to the bus, and we returned to ICT. I hope that the students were able to have some fun and enjoy their morning in nature, that we get to experience every day here at the Hakusanroku Campus.

Brandon Wohlfarth

Hello, everyone. I'm Meguru Ito, one of the physics teachers at ICT. This year, the STEM Fair was held on Wednesday September 18th, 2024, for the 1st year students, and on Wednesday September 25th, for the 2nd year students. The STEM Fair is an annual event held in mid-September, where students present the results of their Summer STEM Project, which is given as a summer assignment at ICT. In simpler terms, it’s a presentation of their summer independent research, but the students create posters in English and give their presentations in English, making it quite a challenging event. I envisioned it as something similar to a science fair, where students at schools abroad present their research, and hoped we could create a similar festive atmosphere when we started this at the Hakusanroku campus.

 Last year, in the Hakusanroku Journal , I introduced the origins of the STEM Fair and rules of the fair, so this year I would like to give a general review of the 2nd year students' presentations.
 Additionally, this year, we were finally able to reinstate the "Overseas English Program,” a short-term study abroad course for 2nd year students during the summer vacation. Seven students participated in three-week language training programs overseas during their summer break. Since the three-week program uses almost all of the summer vacation period, I thought it would be too difficult for the students to do the STEM Project, so I excused them from STEM projects. Instead, they conducted a “Debriefing Session of the Overseas English Program” at the same time as the STEM Fair. I was a little worried because there would be fewer students presenting at the STEM Fair, but they all gave presentations that blew those worries away.

 For the 2nd year students, I required them to write a proposal, collect data and give a poster presentation. For the presentation, they had to include tables and graphs on their posters as well as explain what they did so that everyone could understand the purpose of their research.
 What struck me the most this time was that many students presented topics and data from fields I wasn't familiar with, which made listening to all the presentations highly engaging. I was particularly impressed by Mitsuki Ohta, a 2nd year student who won the Best Presentation Award, for creating his own wind tunnel experiment equipment. His dedication was truly remarkable. Incidentally, Mitsuki Ohta also placed 2nd last year, and his brother, Haruki Ohta, a 3rd year student, has consistently placed 1st in past STEM Fairs. They are a family of top performers in the competition.

 I was also impressed by the significant evolution of the 2nd year students since last year. It was clear from their presentations how much effort and time they invested in this STEM project. Compared to last year's presentations, many students demonstrated a remarkable improvement in quality. Their familiarity with the tasks and presentations played a role in this enhancement, highlighting the effectiveness of the education at the ICT.

 I may have mentioned this before, but to be honest, I haven't really provided much direct guidance myself. However, thanks to the students' efforts and the support of the faculty, I believe the STEM Fair has become a signature event at ICT. As the number of students increases, we may need to change the way presentations are conducted, which could add to the faculty's workload. Nonetheless, I truly love the students' unique projects, and I hope we can continue this project. In the future, I would like to invite not only some of the faculty members from the Hakusanroku Campus, but also students, teachers and staff from Kanazawa campus as well. (Though the students might not be thrilled about it!)

Meguru Ito