This year has been a roller coaster for everyone. With the onset of COVID-19, we have all had to make adjustments. At first, I was depressed by the quarantine. It was hard to stay away from people and to stop doing the fun things I enjoyed on the weekend. It made me feel like life changed for the worse. However as time went on, I soon discovered a whole new way to enjoy myself. Long car rides to enjoy the nature of Hakusan, walks around the neighborhood, and a reinvigorated interest in learning to cook better. This time has shown me something very valuable. Change often can look bad but often with change we can find the good. I am going to use COVID-19 as a lesson. I hope I can find the good in the change that comes to my life even when bad comes along with it.   

Edward Basquill

　　　今年はジェットコースターのような一年ですね。COVID-19の感染拡大によってみんなが影響を受けています。私はというと、外出自粛に落ち込みました。みんなと週末に遊ぶことができなくなったのが辛かったです。人生が悪い方向に進んでいるような感覚になりました。しかし、次第に新しい楽しみを見つけました。白山麓の自然を楽しむドライブ、近所の散歩、そして料理の腕を磨くことです。この期間のおかげで大切なことを学べました。一見、変化は悪いことのように感じられますが、変化の中にも発見があります。私はCOVID-19の経験から学ぼうと決心しました。人生が悪い方向に進んでも、その中に良さを見つけられるように頑張ります。

エドワード・バスクェル

新しい学年に入ってからもう1ヶ月がたちましたが、普通の学年と全然違います。新型コロナウイルスのせいで教員と学生は直接会えないので、授業はすべてオンラインでしています。教員と学生にはいろんなことに困ってると思いますが、お互いに頑張って、難しい時期を乗り越えられます。

おかげさまで、国際高専の白山麓キャンパスの周りにある自然にはちょうど色が入ってきました。木や花が咲いて、窓から外に見るときれいな景色を見ながら仕事とお勉強ができます。高い山の上でも毎日緑が増えてきます。下にある写真は5月2日と5月4日の景色です。

白山麓キャンパスの周りだけではなく、キャンパス内にも山の恵みがあります。いろんなところに山菜がとれます。ゴールデンウイーク中に家族で山菜を取りに行って、妻がすごく美味しい天ぷらを作ってくれました。

山のごちそうを食べれるのは嬉しいことですが、今の時期は毎年に行うムカデとの戦いがまた始まりました。毎年家の中の隙間や穴を埋めますが、まだまだグロテスクなムカデが入ってきます。どこから入ってくるかわからないけど、ムカデに負ないです！

ジェームス・テイラー

The Blessing of the Mountain and the Fight against Centipedes

We are now more than a month into the new academic year, and it has been a very strange one. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means that faculty and students are not able to have direct contact, and all lessons are being conducted online. I’m sure faculty and students are having all sorts of difficulties, but if we support each other we will overcome them.

Fortunately, ICT’s Hakusanroku Campus is surrounded by beautiful scenery that has recently burst into colour. Trees are blossoming, flowers are blooming, and every day the trees at the top of the mountains nearby are becoming greener. The photos show the view on May 2^nd and May 4^th for comparison.

It’s not just the area around the campus where we enjoy the blessing of the mountain, but inside campus too. There are several spots on campus where wild mountain vegetables grow, so during Golden Week my family picked some and my wife very kindly cooked a fantastic tempura dinner for us.

Being able to enjoy the scenery and the flavours of mountain life is great. However, this is also the time of year when we renew our annual fight against centipedes. Every year we find and fill in any holes or gaps that we find in the house, but still the grotesque centipedes find their way in. I’ve no idea where they’re getting in, but I won’t be defeated!

James Taylor

白山麓高専事務室の本田です。この白山麓ジャーナル初投稿です。私は片道30km離れた国際高専の金沢キャンパス周辺に住んでいます。通勤には車を使いますが、天気の良い日は早起きをして自転車通勤もします。今年は、暖冬の影響で、例年より早く3月末から自転車通勤を開始することができました。金沢キャンパスと白山麓キャンパスでは、気温差は３~5℃程度あることから、金沢キャンパス周辺ではすっかり葉っぱばかりになった桜も、白山麓キャンパス周辺ではまだ綺麗に咲いているものが見れます。今後は、桃色の景色から新葉の緑の風景に変わり、生き生きとした自然の生命力を貰う事ができるようになるはずです。また、通勤途中にはたまに、野生動物にも出会います。これまでには、ヘビやサル、タヌキなどの小動物の他、カモシカやイノシシも道路脇から出てくることがあり、驚きます。

I'm Hironori Honda from the Hakusanroku campus office. This is my first journal entry. My house is about 30 kilometers from here, near the ICT Kanazawa campus. Usually I commute by car. However, on sunny days I like to wake up early and ride my bicycle to school. This winter was warm and I was able to begin the season early in late March. The temperature difference between Kanazawa is three to five degrees so cherry blossoms are still blooming near Hakusanroku campus. Soon the pink flowers will change to green leaves and gift us with the energy of Mother Nature. I sometimes cross paths with wild animals such as snakes, monkeys, raccoons, and larger animals such as serows and boars. It's quite a surprise when they appear out of the on the road.

 

　このような素晴らしい自然を体感できることも、白山麓キャンパスで勤務する楽しみになっています。ただし、クマには絶対会いたくありませんが・・・。It's exciting experiences like this in Mt. Hakusan's nature that makes riding to Hakusanroku campus worth it. The only animal I never want to meet is a bear….

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."

2月7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.

2月8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.

2月13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".

2月18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.

2月21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.

2月25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

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