国際高専:国際高等専門学校

Hakusanroku Journal 白山麓ジャーナル: 2019年度の記事

March 23, 2020 Extracurricular Activities

Hello, Jonathan the camera man here. Today I would like to introduce the special workshops we held here at ICT Hakusanroku campus. Students have their final exams in the end of January. However, they do not go home for another month. What do they do? During the month of February, students participate in various activities and workshops. Some of these workshops are held by special teachers we invited from various fields of the business world. Here are a peek into what we did this year. For last year's workshops, check the journal entry here.

こんにちは、ジョナサンです。国際高専の白山麓キャンパスでは、授業が終わった2月に特別講師による課外活動が行われます。

PR Video Editing Workshop Using Adobe Ai and Premiere (Feb.7)

The first workshop was the "PR Video Editing Workshop Using Adobe Ai and Premiere" conducted by Mamoru Yoshida of Yoshita Design Planning Co. In this workshop, students were divided into groups of three and given the task of creating an ICT promotion video. They also created a logo for their team and a thumbnail for their video. Yoshida-san showed several examples and methods to create effective images and explained that dividing the workload among the team members was key. Below are the results of each group. During reflection, Yoshida-san said "ICT students had a unique point of view and I learned a lot. I hope that you tackle each obstacle from multiple angles and use teamwork. Seeing other people's ideas is always worthwhile."

27日(金)、「Adobe Ai及びPremiereを活用したPR動画作成ワークショック」が(株)ヨシタデザインプランニング代表取締役 葭田護氏の指導のもと行われました。この活動では、学生がグループに分かれて国際高専のプロモーションビデオを制作しました。終了後、葭田氏は「国際高専の学生は発想が独特で勉強になった。これからもチームで協力して課題に取り組んで欲しい」と語りました。

Lecture about studying abroad (Feb.8)

On February 8 (Sat), students listened to a lecture by Gen Ueda, a graduate of ICT from 2011. Ueda-san participated in most of the oversea programs including a year in New Zealand. Following his passion, he created the company ENGLISH CORES (English Consulting & Resources) and helped many Japanese students study abroad in the United States. In the lecture, Ueda-san spoke about his experience with helping students studying aboard, and gave advice based on what he had learned.

The story he told was of a high school student that homestayed in the United States. After a while, the student called Ueda-san saying that his elderly homestay parents did not talk much or take him out on the weekends. It turned out that the student's family normally went out together every weekend and therefore the student felt robbed of this entertainment. Hearing the student's complaint, Ueda-san gave him the advice to talk to the homestay parents and find out what they are interested in. It turned out that the father was a sports enthusiast and they began to watch games together on TV and go out to stadiums on the weekends.

The moral of the story is that every homestay student Ueda-san has setup always encounters some form of distress sooner or later. However, instead of falling into depression or giving up, it is important to "find positive aspects of what you think is a negative situation." Ueda-san explained this as having a "Plan B".

The second and third pieces of advice Ueda-san gave the students was from his personal experience studying English in school. The first he titled "I CAN AND I WILL". This was a reminder that you need to put effort into something if you want to achieve a high goal. "Effort may not always pay off. However, successful people are always the ones that put in the effort" he explained. He also warned the students about overdoing it. Ueda-san spent a lot of time studying English in his student years, which sometimes lead to him burning out. He recommended finding a hobby or something enjoying to do to avoid this.

The final piece of advice was to help each other. Ueda-san observed many examples of students who are trying hard being pulled down by other students who did not take a liking to their effort. He emphasized the importance for supporting each other for a better future, not only for oneself by also for mankind.

28日(土)、国際高専を2011年に卒業した上田源氏が「英語学習と海外でのキャリアについて」と題して講習を行いました。上田氏は卒業後、海外留学コンサルティングや英会話教室を行うENGLISH CORESを設立、講習ではニュージーランド留学前の後輩に対して体験談をもとにアドバイスを送りました。「ホームステイをすると必ず不満が出てくる。しかし、人生はネガティブの状況からポジティブ要素を見つけることが大事だ」と語りました。さらに上田氏はライブラリーセンターに籠って猛烈に勉強していた学生時代を振り返り、「高い目標を達成したければ継続力が必要だ」「努力が実るとは限らないが、成功している人は少なからず努力している」と述べました。しかし、反対に自身の経験から燃え尽きることを避けるために趣味の時間の大切さにも触れました。また最後に、卒業してからも協力し合える仲間でいて欲しいと訴えかけました。

SDGs Lecture and JICA Report (Feb.13)

On February 13 (Thu), Students listened to a lecture by Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT) professor Yasuhide Suzuki, Satoshi Kato, and JICA oversea volunteer Kazuha Tamba. KIT is conducting a project to create a sustainable source of oil from Jatropha plants in Mozambique. You can read more about the project here. Professor Suzuki explained the history of the oil crisis in the 1970's and how various resources became more valuable. The Jatropha project aims to turn deserts into Jatropha fields, which they can harvest and create oil. The merits are that Jatropha will not damage the environment since the land it grows on is starting out as a desert. Other plants are quickly eaten by roaming animals. However, Jatropha is poisonous so it is left to grow. Currently they are researching how to efficiently remove the toxin, produce fuel, and sustain the business with local workers.

Next, professor Kato introduced the Mozambique culture and his experience there. Mozambique is a small country east of South Africa. The KIT group built a shop to sell the fuel they created from the Jatropha plants and generators that use it to create electricity. The village where this shop is located has no electricity so people are dependent on such generators to use electronic devices such as cell phones. Professor Kato explained how they developed an affordable lease system to adapt to the needs of the local people.

The final speaker, Kazuha Tanzawa served as a volunteer for one year in the Jangamo district of Mozambique helping the local people starting new businesses and farms. Kazuha-san explained that the people of Mozambique are very kind but also lazier compared to people in Japan and take a lot of coaxing. Projects she started or helped out with include several farms, the making and selling of soap, beeswax cream and honey, and a general store.

Kazuha-san continued to share some of her hardships. When Kazuha-san introduced herself to the local people as a volunteer, many of them expected she would simply give them money. It was difficult for her to explain that she wanted to help them in a sustainable way. Most of the local people were unfamiliar with farming and needed a lot of coaching. Also, language and cultural differences, such as the Mozambique people's belief in witchcraft were matters that needed special attention.

In return, volunteer work is a good opportunity to experience starting a business with limited money. Also, it felt great when the projects took off successfully and the local people could sustain them. Kazuha-san recommended applying for an oversea volunteer as there is always something you can do and the experience is worth it.

213日(木)、金沢工業大学の加藤聰先生と鈴木康允先生による「モザンビークの無電化村におけるジャトロファバイオ燃料を活かした小規模電化プロジェクト」とJICA海外協力隊の丹澤一葉氏によるボラインティア体験についての報告が行われました。ジャトロファの植物はバイオ燃料の原料となり、エネルギー問題の解決策として期待されています。金沢工業大学は東京大学、久留米大学、日本植物燃料、アフリカ開発協会、モザンビークのエドワルド・モンドラーネ大学と協同してモザンビークの砂漠地帯にジャトロファの栽培と継続的にバイオディーゼル燃料を作る試みを続けています。通常砂漠を農地化しようとすると野生動物に食べられてしまいますが、ジャトロファは毒素を持っているため食べられません。収穫したジャトロファは現地の施設でバイオ燃料に変えて、発電機と一緒に販売しています。加藤先生は現地を視察して住民のニーズに合わせて技術者を育てたり、リースシステムを導入した体験について話しました。

丹澤一葉氏は2018年にモザンビークへ一年間のJICA海外協力隊として、現地住民と一緒に事業を起こしたり、畑を作ったり、お店を開いたりするなどのボランティア活動を行いました。丹澤氏は苦労した点として「ボランティアだと伝えるとお金がもらえると思われることが多い、理解してもらうことが大変」「モザンビーク人は優しいが、のんびりした人が多い、指導しないと動かない」「黒魔術や女性に対する価値観など、日本との文化の差がある」と振り返りました。逆に得たものとして「少額のお金でビジネスを起こす経験」「事業が軌道に乗った時の達成感」「他ではできない体験」を挙げ、参加を勧めました。

Performing Arts Workshop (Feb.18)

On, February 18 (Tue), we held a Performing Arts special session in the Maker Studio 3 area in front of the big staircase. Daikoku-sensei, our Performing Arts teacher and jazz singer invited two professional musicians for this special occasion. Chirori is the leader of the Beat Box Academy, and a beatboxer himself. He hosts the "BeatBoxBattle", the first beatbox tournament in the Hokuriku region, performs regularly, and opens workshops for kids, old people's homes, and on television. Yuhi Taka is professional pianist who both performs and writes. His style is unique with its foundation in jazz, adding elements from all sorts of music genres. After apprenticing to renowned pianists such as Takashi Mizoguchi from age fourteen and Hiroshi Tanaka from age twenty, he began his carrier as a university student.

During this special workshop, the first and second-year students listened to solo and collaborative sessions by Uozumi-sensei, Chirori-san, and Yuhi-san. Afterwards, they each received an instrument and we held a grand finale concert together. Most of the students were shy and needed some coaxing, but began to enjoy themselves as soon as the session began. Here are some pictures of the one and only "ICT Band".

218日(火)、パフォーミング・アーツの特別活動として「ビートボックス&演奏実習」が行われました。特別講師として普段学生たちを教えている大黒友理先生に加えてBeatBoxAcademy代表のちrori氏、フリーランスのピアニストの高雄飛氏をゲストに呼びました。ちrori氏は北陸初となるBeatBoxBattle大会を主催した富山県を代表するヒューマン・ビート・ボクサーです。また、テレビ、ラジオ、教育現場や福祉施設などでワークショップを開いています。高雄飛氏は金沢を代表するピアニスト溝口尚氏や世界的ピアニスト田中裕士氏に師事するなど、若い時から演奏活動を始め、ジャズを土台にあらゆる音楽を取り込んだ独特のスタイルで演奏、作曲、編曲を行っています。現在は演奏活動、福祉施設での音楽教室、CMへの楽曲提供などをしています。学生たちは演奏家たちの奏でる音楽を聴いたのち、それぞれ楽器を持って講師たちの指導のもとセッションを楽しみました。

Future Insight & Design Library Workshop (Feb.21)

The workshop on February 21 (Fri) was "Future Insight & Design Library Workshop" led by Naoki Yamamoto of Kawai-jyuku. Yamamoto-san is a specialist of books and libraries. He works for the Future Research Program at Kawai-jyuku, writes monthly articles on the book review website "HONZ", and is a designer of libraries and bookshelves.

First, Yamamoto-san gave a lecture about the history and current state of books in Japan. Books have lost their popularity due to the accessibility of the internet. Less and less books are selling and books stores are going out of business all over the country. Yamamoto-san lamented this movement. However, he also described it as an opportunity for innovation. Writers and publishers are finding clever ways to sell books such as designing new book covers by famous artists, and opening bookstores with stylish cafes.

When asked if they used the Hakusanroku library regularly, none of the students raised their hands (much to the grief of the teachers in the room). Yamamoto-san explained that ICT had a wonderful library and asked the students to go and find three books they had never read before. After their exploration of the library, students returned with several interesting books each. They showed their findings to each other and talked amongst themselves.

The next task was to design new methods to draw people and books together. Each group began brainstorming and designing a new service using the format provided by Yamamoto-san, which they gave presentations about at the end of the workshop. After the students had left, Yamamoto-san remarked that he was pleasantly surprised with ICT students' creativity and their experience with the design process.

221日(金)、「Future Insight & Design Workshop」と題して河合塾未来研究プログラムの山本尚毅氏による特別活動が行われました。山本氏は河合塾のプログラム開発担当として人材育成に努める他、本のスペシャリストとしておすすめ本を紹介するサイト「HONZ」で数多くの書評を行っています。このワークショップでは、まず日本における本の歴史と現状について説明しました。現在、インターネットを通じて情報が入手しやすくなって本の需要が落ちています。その結果、年々閉店する本屋が増えています。山本氏はこの現状を嘆きながらも、生き残るために、表紙を有名なイラストレーターの絵に変えたり、おしゃれなカフェを設置した本屋など、クリエイティブな手法もたくさん生まれていると伝えました。

「白山麓キャンパスの図書館を使っていますか?」と聞かれると、学生の手は上がりませんでした。山本氏は続けて「白山麓キャンパスの図書館は素晴らしい。とてもこだわって本を選んでいる」「これから普段手に取らないような本を3冊取ってきてください」と指示しました。戻ってきた学生たちは自分の興味に合わせて選んだ本をお互いに見せ合って話していました。

ワークショップの後半は「どうやったら、人と本の関係をもっと身近にすることができるだろうか?」というテーマでデザイン活動が行われました。学生たちは山本氏が用意した形式にとってブレインストーミングし、グループで発表しました。終了後、山本氏に話を聞くと「こういうワークショップは普通デザイン活動を理解するために時間がかかってしまうが、国際高専の学生はものづくりに慣れていた。また、アイデアがどんどん出てきて驚いた」と振り返りました。

Branding Workshop by DMM.com (Feb. 25)

The last workshop was titled "Branding Workshop" by Yurie Maruyama from DMM.com. Yurie Maruyama is a graduate of ICT and one of the first students to join the one year program at Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand. In this workshop, students were divided into groups and given the task of creating a catchphrase for the ICT open campus. Maruyama-san explained the importance of developing a "concept", especially when working with other. A concept is an idea or direction when creating something new. Different people have different images of words such as "cool" or "cute". Therefore, at DMM.com, teams create a cluster of pictures that match the concept so that all team members share the same image. Also, Maruyama-san emphasized the importance to create a customer persona in order to have a clear picture of who the product is aimed for. Students used the methods Maruyama-san uses in her work and gave a presentation of their results at the end.

225日(火)に行われた最後の特別活動は2008年に国際高専を卒業したDMM.com企画開発部の丸山祐里恵氏による「ブランディング・ワークショップ」でした。このワークショップでは学生がグループに分かれて国際高専の学校見学会のキャッチコピーを作りました。丸山氏は「複数人でものづくりを行う場合は「コンセプト」を決めることが重要です。『かわいい』『かっこいい』は人によってイメージが違うので、全員が同じ感覚を持たないとチグハグになってしまう」と説明しました。このイメージを統一するためにコンセプトと合った複数の画像を並べたムードボードを制作する方法や、商品のターゲットとなる顧客に狙いを澄ますためにユーザーペルソナを作ることを学びました。これらの手法は丸山氏がDMM.comの企画開発で実際に使っている生きた技術です。

Conclusion

I enjoy this final month perhaps more than any other in the school year. Students are learning different things, using their free time to work on personal projects, and winding down for the end of the year. This year's extracurricular classes were unique, educational, and a good opportunity for students to notice their growth over the year. It is also a chance for first and second year students to work together. This is something I believe we need more of in the future. Thanks for reading this long report, see you all again next year.

Jonathan

2月に行われた特別活動はバリエーションにとんでおり、教育的効果に加えて学生たちが1年間培ってきた能力を発揮する場として効果的だったと思います。また、1年生と2年生が一緒に学ぶ機会も少ないので、良い刺激になったと感じました。

大脇 ジョナサン・幸介

February 25, 2020

こんにちは、国際理工学科二年 瀬戸悠華です。今回はEngineering Design IIでの活動内容をみなさんに紹介したいと思います。

私たちTeam Event は、東二口文弥人形浄瑠璃に関する活動を一年間にかけて行ってきました。地域活性化というテーマのもと、私たちは「ミニ人形製作体験」、物語の「四コマ漫画化」を企画しました。東二口文弥人形浄瑠璃は、担い手の減少、観客の年齢層の固定化が指摘されていました。そこで私たちは、東二口文弥人形浄瑠璃について知らない方々を対象に、興味を持ってもらう入口を提供することを目標に、これらの企画を提案しました。

私は主に、東二口文弥人形浄瑠璃の特徴に関するポスター制作や、ミニ人形製作体験を中心に活動しました。第一回ミニ人形製作体験は、道の駅瀬女の二階をお借りして実施しました。参加者との会話やアンケート結果を通して様々な意見をいただきました。実際に私たちが見落としていた点など多くの意見を聞くことができ、とても参考になりました。二回目は、文弥まつりで実施しました。私も実際に人形浄瑠璃を拝見し、350年以上の歴史や、演じ手の皆さんの人形浄瑠璃に対する熱い思いが伝わってきました。また、いくつかの資料の作成中に、先生方や東二口文弥人形浄瑠璃保存会の方々からご指摘いただき、だれに向けてのメッセージなのか、収集した情報をどのようにまとめ、可視化させるかなど、資料制作において自己成長につなげることが出来たと思います。ありがとうございました。

 地域活性化プロジェクトは、今まで行ってきた校内のプロジェクトとは違い、多くの人々が強く関わってきます。失礼な態度はもちろん、無責任に終えることは許されません。これらは私にとってすごくプレッシャーで、プロジェクトが進むにつれてそのプレッシャーはさらに大きくなっていきました。この負担も地域活性化プロジェクトの一部であると同時に、Engineering Design IIでは、地域活性化プロジェクトの難しさを改めて実感しました。

 今回の一年間のプロジェクトは多くの方々のお力添えをいただいたおかげで成功に終えることが出来ました。多くの人々が関わることで、自分たちが気づけなかったことや地域の方々の率直な意見を得ることが出来ました。この繋がりを通して、多くの方々に白山麓地域の伝統や魅力が発信できればいいなと思います。東二口文弥人形浄瑠璃保存会の皆様、イベント実施の際に関わってくださった皆様、Team Eventのメンバーのみなさんありがとうございました。今後も今回の経験を活かし様々な問題解決活動に取り組み、責任感を養っていきます。

S207 瀬戸悠華

 Hi everyone.  My name is Yuka Seto and I am a second-year student of the Department of Science and Technology. Today, I would like to introduce our project in Engineering Design II.

  We, Team Event, worked on a project about Bunya Ningyo Joruri for a year. Bunya Ningyo Joruri is one part of the culture of the Hakusanroku area. It started more than 350 years ago. Recently, the number of successors decreased and the age of the audience is stable. Under a theme of regional revitalization, we planned to hold mini doll making events and make “4-block manga” of the stories. We planned that because our purpose was to provide chances for people who do not know about Bunya Ningyo Joruri to become interested.

 Mainly, I worked on making posters about the characteristics of Higashi Futakuchi Bunya Ningyo Joruri and the doll making events. We held the first event at the second floor of Sena road side station. Through the conversation with participants and surveys, we got a lot of opinions. Their opinions were so helpful for improving our project. We held the event on Bunya festival. I watched the play of dolls, called Ningyo Joruri. I noticed the puppeteers’ passion and history of Ningyo Joruri. During making several documents, some teachers and puppeteers gave me advice. It was a nice opportunity to think about who I make documents for, how I should summarize information that I correct and how I should visualize them. I am grateful for their valuable advice.

 Regional revitalizations are different from the school projects that we did in Engineering Design I. It is related strongly to a lot of people. Rude and irresponsible attitudes are not allowed. Because the project affects people’s lives, I felt a lot of pressure not to make mistakes. I noticed that this burden is a part of a regional revitalization. In Engineering Design II, I understood how difficult regional revitalizations are.

 We couldn’t finish up this project without people’s help. Having relationships is so important to get advice and opinions that we cannot notice. I hope this wonderful tradition and culture spread more and more. People from Higashi Futakuchi Ningyo Joruri, people who helped us to hold events and members of Team Event, thank you so much. From now on, I will try more problem-solving and take responsibility for being more involved in the community.

S207 Yuka Seto

February 25, 2020 In Engineering Design IIB class

Hi, I am Issada Pracharktam, the student from Thailand who’s now come to study abroad in Japan. I will write about the reflection for the Engineering Design class.  In Engineering Design IIB class, we have done the project under the topic of doing something for the Hakusan area. It was a one year long project, where we had to start from researching the area, finding and narrowing the problem, and think of the solution. My team did work under the topic of event, which focusing on Ningyou Joruri (one of the Hakusan traditional culture). Our goal was to keep and spread the culture to others, especially children. We held a doll making event that has a purpose of letting more people, focusing on children, to know more about the culture. For this project, I have created the 4-blocks manga with the simpler and easier to understand version of the Ningyou Joruri story. This were displayed in the event for the visitors to understand the story too. In total, we have held the event for 2 times, the first one held on 23rd November 2019 and second time on 9th February 2020.

Both events went on smoothly than we had expected. The first event was held at the Michi-no-eki’s second floor. We held the event from 13 to 16 pm. People continued coming one after another for some time. This was something I didn’t expected, I thought people would hardly come. This is the event which we just start, and the culture itself isn’t that famous. So this part we could say that we archive the goal. The event was more tired than I thought. The unexpected amount of visitors and for talking endlessly was quite exhausting.

For the second event, it was the same day as the “Bunya festival”. This day is the day the Ningyo Joruri would be played for once a year. We decided to do a little event for visitors who came to see the play.  This time we held for much shorter time and it was much smaller than the first time, so it wasn’t that tired. After the event, we had a chance to see the play too. Many things in the show were unexpected, the props, like the door sign, the door, were there and easy to recognize what is it. I thought that it would be like impossible to understand the story, but it is not that bad. It is still hard for foreigners to understand, since it was all in Japanese. Maybe we should add some English translated story for foreigners to read.

In overall, it was a good opportunity to be able to experience the Japanese culture. The Ningyou Joruri culture is full with Japanese style, which is not similar to Thai’s at all. There is also some kind of this culture in Thailand, it is called “Nang Talung”. However, Thai’s would use the shadow instead, not the real doll to show. The doll will be behind the screen, and the light will be shine from the back of the doll so that the doll’s shadow would be shown for the audience to see. The first time I heard about the Ningyou Joruri, I reminded of this Thai’s culture. For this project, I felt that I can do something for the local people. I have more confident in myself; especially communication skill. I need to communicate with the local people using Japanese, which help me realize my level of Japanese skill. This is the thing that the more we do the more we improve, so I am glad to have this kind of opportunity.

Issada Pracharktam

こんにちは、プラチャクタム・イッサダーです。タイから日本へ留学してきました。エンジニアリングデザインの授業について振り返ります。エンジニアリングデザインIIBの授業では、白山麓の地域のために何かをすることをテーマにプロジェクト活動をしました。一年間のプロジェクトで、地域のリサーチするところから始まり、見つけた課題を絞り込んで解決法を考えました。私が参加したチームはイベントをトピックに挙げ、白山麓の伝統芸能のひとつである人形浄瑠璃に的を絞りました。私たちのゴールはこの文化を保守し、もっと多くの人に広めることです。特に若い世代に広めることを目標にしました。そのために人形作りのイベントを行いました。このプロジェクトのために、私は人形浄瑠璃の物語を分かりやすくした4コマ漫画を作りました。この4コマ漫画はイベント参加者にストーリーを理解していただくためにポスターにして掲載しました。2019年11月23日と2020年2月9日の計2回のイベントを行いました。

どのイベントも思っていたよりスムーズに進みました。ひとつ目のイベントは道の駅の2階で行いました。13時~16時の開催で、途切れることなく人が訪れてくれました。ほとんど人が来ないと思っていたので、驚きました。人形浄瑠璃はあまり認知度が高くありませんし、初めて開催したイベントだったからです。ですので、このイベントは予想を超える成功だったと言えます。しかし、予想以上の数の方々と話をするのは思っていたよりも大変で疲れました。

ふたつ目のイベントは文弥まつりの当日に行いました。年に一度の人形浄瑠璃上演の日です。この日は演目を観るために来た方々に小さなイベントを開催しました。前と比べて規模が小さかったので、それほど疲れませんでした。イベントの後、私たちも演目を観ることができました。演目の中には想像していないようなものがたくさんありました。様々な小道具や、扉のしるし、扉などがすぐに何かわかりました。物語を理解できるとは思っていませんでしたが、思っていたほど難しくはありませんでした。ですが、すべて日本語で行われるので外国人には難しいと思います。外国人のために英訳した物語を用意したほうが良いかもしれません。

振り返ると、日本の文化に触れる良い経験となりました。人形浄瑠璃はとても日本らしい文化です。タイにも「Nang Talung」という似ている文化がありますが、これは本物の人形ではなく影を使います。人形はスクリーンの裏にあって、観客に見えるように人形が光に照らされるのです。初めて人形浄瑠璃の話を聞いた時、タイのこの文化のことを思い出しました。このプロジェクトを通して、地域の方々のために何か自分にもできることがあると感じました。前よりも自信がつきましたし、特にコミュニケーション能力が伸びました。地域の方と話す時に日本語を使う必要があったので、自分の日本語のレベルを知ることができました。こういうことはやればやるほど上達するので、このような機会があって嬉しかったです。

プラチャクタム・イッサダー

February 17, 2020 The Giving Table

It is almost two years now since our ICT new educational program has started. It felt good to move to the new office at Hakusanroku Campus; everything was brand-new, in the middle of the beautiful seen. New campus, new program, new students, and new challenges! All felt as exciting as an adventure. One challenge was to build up our school community, and connect to people within and outside of ICT. The campus is rich with students, educators and school staff from various backgrounds and cultures within Japan or overseas. One custom or tradition gradually appeared at the center table at the front entrance of the staff room on the 2nd floor.

As we are in Japan, Omiyage, or souvenirs, were brought by staff who have been to a conference or spent a weekend or a vacation at a different city or country. I am not sure who chose that table for that mission, but it is interesting to see how the story did not end at that normal Japanese tradition. It developed and with time, that table became the place where people also shared their especially home-made food, sweets, bread, and ice-cream. We were lucky to have professor Edward Basquill, or Mr.B as he likes the students to call him. Mr. B loves baking. He bakes all kinds of cakes, muffins, bread, sometimes pizza and bread. He shares all of the high-quality food by putting them on that table. In summer, he also makes ice-cream. Everything is so tasty!

Not only him, other professors share some food they buy at the supermarket, that they think is new and good to share with all, for example, Costco seasonal items. Interestingly, all of those items put on that table do not have the name of the person who brought them. You can find a post-it that says, from Thailand, from Tokyo, from Okinawa and so many other places. But, it rarely has the name of the person who brought them in.

One day, someone brought in a bottle of coffee, that was really nice and kind, strangely, no one helped themselves for that coffee, no one even opened the bottle. Until that one day, I told myself, I will open that bottle and help myself for some coffee, as I ran out of my coffee stock. Yes, after the class I will do so. However, on my way to the class, there was that whole new coffee corner with a fresh brewed coffee maker, by the Big Stairs on the second floor. The left-up coffee bottle was like a seed that grew into a whole coffee maker. I was happy!

I call that table the Giving Table, the name come from the Giving Chair, orどうぞのいす , a Japanese children story book written by Yoshiko Koyama, It talks about that chair made by a rabbit to put in the woods for passersby to sit on, the rabbit made a sign on the chair that says HELP YOURSELF. One day the donkey passed by and put up his heavy bag loaded with chestnuts, and took a nap under the close by tree, while he was napping, all other sort of animals came by gradually, each time the animals left other food on the chair, instead of what they ate. By the time the donkey woke up he found his bag full with chestnuts that were brought by the squirrels.

Now both, the Giving table and the Coffee Corner are full of not only food and drinks, but lots of nice conversations, and unforgettable memories between all of ICT Community people.

I learned later that the coffee corner was the idea of Mr. Rikichi Izumiya. A great one, and is surely to strengthen our ICT community.

Enjoy the pictures! 

Nagwa Fekri Rashed

国際高専の新しい教育プログラムが始まってもうすぐ2年が経とうとしています。美しいロケーションに立つ新校舎の白山麓キャンパスで働くのは気持ちが良いです。新しいキャンパス、新しいプログラム、新しい学生、そして新しい挑戦!まるで冒険に出るような興奮がありました。課題のひとつはスクール・コミュニティを構築して、国際高専の中と外の人間を繋げることです。キャンパス内は国際色溢れる個性的な学生と教職員がたくさんいます。そんな中、教員室の入口付近のテーブルに新しい伝統が生まれました。

日本の伝統に見習って、先生が旅行や学会などで市外や国外に行くとお土産を持って帰ってきます。誰がそのテーブルを選んだのかわかりませんが、気付けばただのお土産置き場ではなくなっていました。いつの間にか先生たち自家製の料理、スイーツ、パン、アイスクリームも置かれるようになりました。ここで大活躍するのが学生に「Mr.B」と呼ばれているエドワード・バスクェル先生です。Mr.Bは焼き物が大好きです。ケーキ、マフィン、パン、時々ピザまで焼いてくれます。そして、上手く焼けたものはテーブルに置いて皆に分けてくれるのです。夏には美味しいアイスクリームも作ってくれるんですよ!

他の先生もスーパーマーケットで買った食べ物で気に入ったものをシェアしています。コストコの季節限定品などです。そして、誰が置いたものなのか名前は書かれていません。ポストイットで「タイから」「東京から」「沖縄から」など様々な場所は書いてあるのですが、置いた人間の名前が書かれていることは稀です。

ある日、誰かがコーヒーのボトルを置いてくれました。大変親切なことなのですが、不思議と誰もそのコーヒーには手を付けませんでした。それどころかボトルを開けることすらありませんでした。私は毎日自分のコーヒーが無くなったら次はそのコーヒーをいただこうと思っていました。授業が終わったらそうしよう、と。しかし、なんということでしょう、授業へ向かう途中で真新しいコーヒーメーカーを備えたコーヒーコーナーが大階段の2階に出来ているではありませんか。まるで、その残ったコーヒーのボトルが種となってコーヒーメーカーに成長したようでとても嬉しかったです!

私はそのお土産のテーブルをGiving Tableと呼んでいます。この名前は香山美子さん著作の絵本「どうぞのいす(Giving Chair)」から取りました。これはうさぎが森の中を通る人のために椅子を作るお話です。うさぎは椅子に「どうぞ」という看板をかけました。ある日、どんぐりをたくさん詰めた重い袋を持ったロバが通って、近くの木の下で昼寝を始めました。寝ている間、色んな動物が徐々に集まって食べたものの代わりに別の食べ物を椅子の上に残していきました。ロバが起きてるとカバンはリスが持ってきてくれたどんぐりでいっぱいになっていました。

現在、Giving Tableとコーヒーコーナーは飲食物だけではなく、楽しい会話や国際高専のスクール・コミュニティに不可欠な場所となっています。あとからコーヒーコーナーは泉屋利吉さんのアイデアだと聞きました。国際高専の絆を深める素晴らしいアイデアです!

写真もどうぞ!

ナグワ・ラシィド

 

白山麓ジャーナルのトップに戻る

February 10, 2020 Skiing in Ichirino

Hello, it's Jonathan, the camera man. Finally! We got enough snow to go skiing! This winter has been strange with record-breaking warm weather. However, the skies smiled upon us for this weekend's ski excursion. After morning classes on Saturday February 8, members of  the Nature & Adventure club geared up and we drove to Ichirino Ski Resort, which is about a ten minutes from the Hakusanroku campus. Most of the students were skiing for the first time or had not skied in a while. Owari coach began with some lesson and the members were enjoying zooming down the mountainside in no time. We spent the afternoon enjoying skiing and the students voiced their hopes to go again this season. I'm glad that everyone liked skiing more than they expected. After all, we are living in the Mt. Hakusan foodhills.

Jonathan 

こんにちは!カメラマンのジョナサンです。ようやくスキーが滑れるほど雪が降ってくれました!今年は記録的な暖冬でしたが、先週はようやく雪に恵まれて予定通りスキーに行けました。2月8日(土)の午前中の授業のあと、ネイチャー&アドベンチャークラブのメンバーがスキーウェアに着替えて玄関前に集合しました。行き先は白山麓キャンパスから車で10分ほどのところにある一里野スキー場です。ほとんどの学生がスキー初心者だったので、尾張コーチのレッスンからスタートしました。上達も早く、あっという間に気持ち良く斜面を滑る学生たちの姿がありました。スキーを楽しんだ学生から「めっちゃ楽しい」「来週も行きたい」という声が上がったので嬉しくなりました。せっかく白山の麓のキャンパスに住んでいるんですもの、ウィンタースポーツも楽しんで欲しいです。来週も行けることを祈っています。

ジョナサン

白山麓ジャーナルのトップに戻る

February 4, 2020 English Café

Hello everyone. I’m James Taylor from the English Department at ICT. We’re coming towards the end of our second year at Hakusanroku Campus. The Hakusanroku area is a beautiful and interesting place to live, and we are very lucky that the residents of what used to be known as Oguchi Village have welcomed us into their community.

As a way of strengthening relations between the school and the community, and as a way of thanking local residents for being so welcoming, members of the English Department have engaged in various community outreach activities. Ed and Ian (and Pauline in 2018) go to Hakurei Elementary School to read stories to the children, Pauline teaches an English class to some local residents, and I have been working on translating exhibits at the Hakusan Folk Museum in Shiramine.

Last week, Pauline and I started a new event: English Café, which was held at Oguchi Community Centre. Thirteen members of the community, including elderly residents, mothers with very young children, and staff at the Community Centre, came along to chat, get to know each other, and learn some English over a cup of tea. The hour went very quickly, with much laughter, and everybody left looking forward to the next English Café.

We’re very grateful to the staff of the Community Centre for their hard work in helping to organise the event, and to the local residents who participated. I’m looking forward to the next English Café, too!

James Taylor

こんにちは。英語科のジェームス・テイラーです。いよいよ白山麓キャンパス2年目が終わります。白山麓はとても面白くて、きれいな場所です。そして、この旧尾口村の人たちは国際高専の私たちにとても優しくしてくれます。それを感謝する為に、英語科の先生たちはいろんな地域連携のアクティビティをやっています。イアン先生とエド先生は白嶺小中学校に絵本を読みに行ったり、ポーリン先生は高専で近所の人に英会話を教えたり、僕は白峰にある白山ろく民族資料館の展示している日本語を英語に翻訳をしています。

今月、僕とポーリン先生は尾口公民館で「イングリッシュ・カフェ」という新しいイベントを始まりました。尾口村の高齢者、小さな子供を連れてきたお母さんたち、公民館のスタッフを含めて、13人が参加しに来てくれました。お茶を飲みながら、英語を勉強していました。皆たくさん笑って、そして帰りに「次の楽しみ」って言ってくれました。

尾口公民館のスタッフのおかげで順調にいけました。そして参加してくれた地域の人たちにもありがたいです。僕も次のイングリッシュ・カフェを楽しみにしています!

ジェームス・テイラー

January 28, 2020 Inviting Spaces

Soft music, conversation, and coffee, anyone? Recently, ICT students, faculty, and visitors have been spending more time in the space above the stairs. It’s an inviting space thanks to Mr. Rikichi Izumiya. Now a meeting point where informal conversations happen around 4:30 pm each day, the brand-new coffee corner—with its shiny machine, bar height table and stools, and a pair of comfy seats facing the roadside view of Sena—provides what the water cooler did in most office spaces—a  place to socialize.

It is becoming normal to see several first- and second-year students make and sip their hot chocolate and coffee at leisure, linger over their laptops, seemingly stress-free. Coffee time is an additional time to engage with others over a drink in a place that is not the cafeteria. Students make use of this inviting space after lunch and dinner as well. Some students boast about drinking their coffee “black.” Not a coffee drinker of any caliber, I surmise that drinking black coffee is a marked status in the coffee-drinking world! ICT students have arrived!

While this space on top of the stairs is among the newest addition to our comfort here at ICT, it would be remiss of me not to mention another space that is inviting. It is the small classroom 3, next to the Living Commons. On Tuesdays, each week, members of the Hakusan community can be found there laughing and having fun. It’s been more than a year since the community members have been enjoying English language conversation classes on the Campus. Having community members, of whom two are senior citizens, is a reminder that our learning community is diverse. And local people are a part of our learning community. These citizens certainly demonstrate what live-long learning can look like and what reciprocity by the school can be. I facilitate Life-long learning using stories. The community members and I enjoy reading aloud from children’s books and sometimes accompanying movies. To date, we have finished reading at least eight children’s books. We enjoy learning new words, expressions, and sounds as much as we like to laugh, and talk about holidays, culture, and food!

Having the coffee corner and the community conversation class at ICT enhance our ongoing efforts in making our valuable learning community thrive.

Pauline Baird

心地よい音楽、楽しい会話のお供にコーヒーはいかがですか?最近の国際高専の学生、教職員、お客様が大階段の上の空間で過ごす時間が増えています。泉屋利吉さんが作った癒しの空間のおかげです。カジュアルな会話をする場所として毎日16時半頃からこの新しいコーヒーコーナーが利用されています。新品のコーヒーメーカー、バーカウンターの高さのテーブルとスツール、瀬女の景色を望む大きな窓の前の座り心地の良い椅子、一般的にはウォータークーラーだけが設置してありそうなところに複数のサーバー…社会人の憩いの場です。

最近の1~2年の学生がここでココアやコーヒーを飲みながらパソコンで作業をする姿はストレスフリーに見えます。コーヒータイムという時間を追加したおかげでカフェテリア以外の場所で他人と交流できるようになりました。何人かの学生はコーヒーを「ブラック」で飲むと自慢気に言います。コーヒーには詳しくありませんが、察するにコーヒーの世界ではブラックを飲むことはひとつのステータスなのでしょう!

国際高専の真新しい癒しの空間である階段上のコーナーについて話したのですから、もうひとつの癒しの空間について話さないわけにはいきません。リビングコモンズ横のClassroom 3です。毎週火曜日、白山麓地域の方々とここで笑顔の絶えない楽しい時間を過ごしています。白山麓キャンパスでこの英会話教室を始めてから1年以上が経ちました。参加しているメンバーのうち2人は高齢者で、新しいことを学ぶことに年齢は関係ないことを思い出させてくれます。参加しているのは地域の方々です。学校が生涯学習に一役買えることを身をもって証明してくれました。私の授業では絵本を使って英語を教えます。声に出して読んだり、時には映画を使って楽しく勉強しています。現在、8冊の絵本を読み終えました。新しい単語や表現を覚えることも、笑って休日の過ごし方や文化の違い、食べ物の話をするのも大好きです。

コーヒーコーナーと英会話教室のおかげで国際高専での毎日が楽しく、よりよい学びの場を盛り上げていくやる気が湧いてきます。

ポーリン・ベーアド

January 20, 2020 Global Winter Camp

Hello, it's Jonathan, the camera man. Last month we held the Global Winter Camp where fourteen student from Thailand came to ICT to take STEM courses and learn about Japanese Culture. This year's Global Winter Camp was a week long program starting on December 15. During the program, the Thai students stayed in our dormitories at Hakusanroku campus and participated in STEM classes and Japanese cultural classes hosted by ICT teachers, various activities, and visited a local elementary school and tourist spots in Ishikawa prefecture.

Day 1

Sadly there was no snow yet at ICT.

On the first day, students arrived at Hakusanroku campus after a long journey and checked in. We held a orientation ceremony and introduced our school and each other. In the evening we held a mini workshop to make key chains using the laser cutting machine.

Day 2

On day two, students first received a lecture on Japanese culture and language. In the afternoon, we visited the Hakusan Folk Museum in Shiramine, which is a town about fifteen minutes up the mountain from ICT. We also cut and made cups out of bamboo and experienced cooking rice over a bonfire.

Day 3

Group photo with Hakurei six-graders.

Day three was the day we visited Hakurei Elementary School, a local public school about five minutes from ICT. Both students had prepared a presentation of their culture and a kids game that they could play together. The Japanese students introduced the game "Darumasan-ga-koronda." In this game, one person covers their eyes and the other players sneak up on him/her while the person says "Darumasan-ga-koronda", which means "the daruma falls down." When the person opens their eyes, all the other players must freeze and cannot move or else they will be captured. After they are touched, the person has ten steps to tag another player.

In exchange the Thai students introduced a type of stilts made out of two cut coconuts and string. The students practiced walking with these coconuts and finally faced off in a race of Thailand vs Japan. You can see both games in action in the video at the bottom of the article. We also challenged ourselves with cooking some Japanese "dango" (dumplings). Both students mixed, boiled, and covered the dumplings with kinako powder. Afterwards, we ate lunch together in the Hakurei cafeteria.

In the evening back at ICT, the students enjoyed bouldering with the assistance of Philip-sensei.

Day 4

The STEM courses began from the fourth day. These include the Digital Fabrication Introduction by Omi-sensei, Circuit Board Decoration Workshop by Hayato-sensei, Chemistry & Biology Workshop by Nagwa-sensei and Jason-sensei, and the Paper Rocket Design Challenge by Anne- and Ryan-sensei.

Day 5

On day five, students participated in the Design Thinking Workshop by Omi-sensei, Drone Programming Workshop by Maesa-sensei, Laser Cutter Workshop by KK-sensei, and AI & IoT Workshop by Fukuda-san. The students experienced a wide assortment of STEM courses during the span of two short days, hopefully sparking an interest as a engineer of the future.

Day 6

The sixth and final full day was dedicated to sightseeing in Ishikawa prefector. We first departed ICT for Kaga Fruit Land to pick strawberries. There were green houses where you could pick and eat as many strawberries as you want. The strawberries were fresh and delicious and everyone ate their fill.

Next, we moved to Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT) to eat lunch in the cafeteria and take a campus tour. Students especially enjoyed the PMC's (Popular Music Collection) collection of records and special chairs to listen to them. After KIT, we did some sightseeing in Kanazawa city. Kanazawa is often called "small Kyoto" and we made time to visit Nagamachi Samurai District, Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa Castle, and Higashi-chayagai. At Nagamachi, we visited Nomura-ke, which is a samurai residence open to the public. Here, the students had their first taste of Matcha green tea. At Kenrokuen Garden, some students discovered their love for Mitarashi-dango. (dumpling with sweet soy sauce) Finally, we joined a gold leaf experience at the shop "Sakuda." Here, students decorated small boxes with gold leaf. We returned to Hakusanroku and packed our bags for it was our last night at ICT.

Day 7

On the final day, students gave presentations on their experience at ICT. It was interesting to see how each students had taken alike to a different activities. I am glad that they all have special memories that they will take back to their homes in Thailand. You can see a video of their presentations and some scenes during the trip. I look forward to the next camp and hopefully seeing our friends from Thailand again someday. Thanks for coming and take care!

Jonathan

 

January 8, 2020

皆さん、こんにちは。S2年の鷺島です。今回は私が参加した、プロコンとロボコンに並ぶ高専三大コンテストの一つ、デザインコンペティション(以下デザコン)について書いていきます。

デザコンは幾つかの区分に分かれていますが、私たち白山麓キャンパスの学生が参加できるのは、プレデザコン(高専1から3年生対象)となります。プレデザコンと言っても、分野が空間デザインフィールド(建築の透視図)、創造デザインフィールド(ロゴデザイン)、A Mデザインフィールド(3Dプリント)の3つに分かれており、それぞれの学生の得意分野で取り組むことができます。私自身は創造デザインフィールドを選択して今年の東京大会に参加しました。

今回のテーマは「名取市において、自然がもたらした試練を乗り越える力となった人と人とつながりを、次代へと継承してゆくこと」で、これを題材にしたロゴを作成しました。ここからは、簡単に何を経て完成へと至ったのか書いていきたいと思います。まず最初にしたのはテーマの咀嚼です。とくに今回のテーマは複雑で、最終的には「震災を乗り越えた人のつながりを示す」という一文に縮めました。次がアイデア出し、続いてブラッシュアップに入ります。ここが一番時間がかかる工程で、それぞれ1週間以上かかります。特にブラッシュアップに関しては、1つのロゴの些細な表現の差異を比べながら作業していくので、かなり疲れました。最後に提出資料にまとめれば完成です。どんどんアイデアが形になっていき、最終的に想像以上の作品が完成するのはとても壮観です。この活動を通して、アイデア創出の楽しさを再確認することができました。結果としては特別賞(審査委員会から頂ける賞)を獲得することができて嬉しく思います。

この分野は、アイデア勝負の部分も多く、サポートして頂ける先生たちも付いているので、初心者でも気軽に始められます。気になる人は是非最初の一歩を国際高専で踏み出してみてください。

S科2年 鷺島悠人

Hello everyone. My name is Sagishima and I am a second-year student of the department of science and technology. Today I would like to write about the Kosen Design Competition (DezaCon), which I participated in and is counted as one of the three big Kosen Contests along with the ProCon and RoboCon.

The DezaCon is divided into several divisions. The division that students from the Hakusanroku campus can participate in is the Pre-DezaCon (first- to third-year students). This Pre-DezaCon is further divided into three fields: the Space Design Field (architectural perspective drawing), Creative Design Field (logo design), and AM Design Field. (3D printing) Students can choose which fields they wish to compete in. I selected the Creative Design Field and entered this year's Tokyo tournament.

This year's theme was to create a logo based on the concept "Passing down the bond between people of Natori city who overcame the trial of nature." I would like to briefly describe how I reached my final product. First, I broke down the theme. This year's theme was complex, so I simplified it to the sentence "Display the bond between people who overcame the earthquake." Next, I brainstormed and began the brushing up process. These took the longest amount of time; about one week for each stage. The brush up stage was especially tiring because it was an intricate process of comparing the effects of tiny differences. Finally, I submitted the necessary documents. It was an amazing experience to see my ideas take shape and exceed my expectations. I was able to rediscover the joy of ideation through this experience. Also, my efforts were happily paid off as I received the Special Award. (award from the judging committee)

I recommend this field to newcomers because good ideas can carry you far and there are supporting teachers at ICT. If you are interested, why not test your design skills here at ICT?

S2 Sagishima Yujin

白山麓ジャーナルのトップに戻る

January 7, 2020

Hello everyone! The Christmas and New Year’s holidays are coming soon which means that the current year is coming to an end. From this year, the schedule of Hakusanroku campus matches the schedule of KIT, which means that students will finish their classes and final exams for the term at the end of January, at the same time as the university students, which is very soon! This is even more significant for the second-graders since this is in fact their last term on the Hakusanroku campus. Starting from the next term in April, they will embark on a one-year journey in New Zealand to continue their studies. It is interesting to see students looking forward to spring vacation now while it is still December!

On a different topic, in my biology class, students will have to do a presentation at the end of the term about a topic related to what they have learned during the term. First-graders’ topics are related to genetics and plants, so some students chose to do their presentation about genetic medical conditions like albinism and heterochromia and other students chose to do their presentation about staple crops among other topics. On the other hand, second-graders’ topics are related to evolution and the phylogeny of the main kingdoms of organisms on earth, so some students chose to do their presentation about cephalopods, felines and jellyfish among others. I am looking forward to listening to their presentations next month!

Jason de Tilly

皆さん、こんにちは!まもなくクリスマスと冬休みがやってきて、1年が終わろうとしています。今年から白山麓キャンパスのスケジュールがKITと同期され、学生たちの期末試験が1月末に変更されました。これは大学の学生と同じタイミングです。すぐですね!2年生にとっては白山麓キャンパスでの最後の学期となります。来年の4月には日本を飛び出して学びの舞台をニュージーランドに移します。まだ12月ですが、すでに春休みを楽しみにしている学生を見るのは新鮮です。

話は変わりますが、私が担当している生物の授業では学生たちが選んだテーマについて発表する期末プレゼンテーションがあります。1年生のテーマは遺伝学と植物からの選出となります。学生たちが選んだテーマの中には白皮症や異色症などの遺伝性疾患や主食作物などがありました。2年生のテーマは進化論や地球上の主要な生物の系統についてから選出され、頭足類、ネコ科、クラゲなどの発表がありました。来月のプレゼンテーションが楽しみです!

ジェイソン・デ・ツィリー

白山麓ジャーナルのトップに戻る

HOME Campus Life Hakusanroku Journal 2019年の記事

PAGETOP