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

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

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

 

皆さん、こんにちは。S科2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

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

国際理工学科一年の佐藤　俊太朗です。

10月頃に綺麗な紅葉が見れたと思っていたら、既に白山麓キャンパスでは雪が降っているのを確認でき、家で食べるみかんが美味しい季節になってきました。

先日、金沢工業大学が白山麓キャンパスで実験を行っているバイオマス発電と、バイオマス発電の際に発生した熱を利用したイチゴのビニールハウスの見学に参加しました。バイオマス発電には木を粉々にしたチップを使用します。カーボンニュートラルという考え方をもとに木製のチップを使用して発電を行っています。カーボンニュートラルというのは、「二酸化炭素の排出量と吸収量が同じであればエコ」という概念です。二酸化炭素吸収量が少なくなった古い木を燃料に発電し、二酸化炭素吸収量の高い若い木を植林するサイクルを作ります。これによって、森や林で人の手が入った部分が境界線となり、最近白山麓キャンパス周辺で目撃されている熊などの野生動物が人里に下りて来なくなります。今回は実際にキャンパス近くの山に入り、すでに切ってある杉の木から小さく細いものを伐りだして粉砕機に入れてチップを作製しました。木を切るときに初めてチェーンソーを扱わせてもらいました。使用したのは電動のチェーンソーで、これも環境に配慮してのことです。このバイオマス発電が広まれば環境もよくなり、林産業の活性化も見込めます。さらに、山に囲われた地域では地域活性化も見込めると思います。

次にイチゴのビニールハウスです。このビニールハウスの骨組みは保温に優れた木製の物を使用しています。保温にはバイオマス発電で発生した熱を利用しています。このビニールハウスでは受粉を蜜蜂で行っている以外の温度、水量、肥料の量の調整だけでなくLEDを使用して日射量の調整をAIを利用して行っています。実際に今回ビニールハウスに見学に行った際にイチゴ第一号を見せてもらいました。将来、AIやロボットに仕事を任せる時が待っていると改めて実感しました。しかし、AIなどに完全に頼るのではなく技術や知識を絶やさずに記録を残しておくことで数百年後に誰かが気づいて改良、効率化できる方法を探す事が重要だと思いました。今回の見学会で新たな技術に触れられて良い経験になりました。実際にエンジニアリングコンテキスト1Bの授業で習った内容が出てきて理解がより深まりました。

佐藤　俊太朗

Hello, I am Shuntaro Sato who is first year student of department of science and technology.

I thought that I could see beautiful autumn leaves in October, then suddenly I could see snow at the Hakusanroku campus. It has become the season for eating mikans indoors.

The other day, I went on a tour of the biomass power generation that is researched by Kanazawa Institute of Technology. The heat generated during the biomass power generation is sent to a strawberry green house. Biomass power generation consumes a lot of chips of wood. We use it based on the concept of carbon neutral. Carbon neutral is the idea that “if carbon dioxide emissions and absorption are the same, it is eco-friendly”. We make a cycle of planting young trees with high carbon dioxide absorption and generating electricity using old trees with low carbon dioxide absorption. By this, areas of forest which the part where human have touched becomes the border between humans and animals such as bears, monkeys and boars. In addition, we can expect activation of local forestry.
This time, we actually entered a mountain near the campus, cut small thin pieces from the already cut cedar trees, and put them in a crusher to make chips. This was the first time I saw a chainsaw cutting a tree. I used an electric chainsaw, which is also environmentally friendly. If this biomass power generation spreads, the environment will be better and the forestry can be activated. In addition, I think that regional revitalization can be expected in areas surrounded by mountains.

Next is the strawberry greenhouse. The frame of this greenhouse is made of wooden materials with excellent heat insulation. The heat generated from biomass power generation is used for heat insulation. In addition to adjust the temperature, volume of water, and amounts of bees, this greenhouse uses LED lights to adjust the amount of solar radiation. When I went to the greenhouse this time, I was shown the first strawberry. In the future, I realized again that it was time to leave AI and robots to work. However, instead of relying entirely on AI, I thought it was important to find a method that could be recognized and improved by someone after hundreds of years by keeping a record of the technology and knowledge. It was a good experience to be exposed to new technologies at this tour. The contents learned in the class of Engineering Context 1B actually came out and deepened my understanding.

Shuntaro Sato

白山麓ジャーナルのトップに戻る

　こんにちは。1年生担任の木原です。今年も早いもので、あと残りわずかとなりました。学生のみんなが心待ちにしている冬休みが終わると、あと一か月ほどで授業が終了します。学生の皆さんはここでの寮生活の間、授業以外にも放課後の部活動や課外活動を通して様々な経験をしてきました。今日は2019年1年生にとっては最後の課外活動となった加賀友禅体験について紹介します。

　本校では最先端の科学技術を学ぶだけではなく、古典的な芸能や美術にもふれあい、優れたイノベーターの育成を目指しています。その一環として本年度は9月24日に加賀友禅の工房久恒を工場見学させていただきました。そこでは加賀友禅が持つ優美な世界観や巧みな技法、また着物の伝統を守っていく大変さや新たな市場を開拓する工夫など、様々なお話をうかがいました。学生はその後、それぞれに感じたことや考えたこと、また伝統工芸が現在直面している問題に対する自分なりの解決策をまとめ、久恒さんにレポートを提出しています。

　そして今回、12月21日に実際に加賀友禅の絵付けを体験させてもらいました。学生の皆さんはそれぞれが気に入った図柄に、思い思いの色で絵付けをしていました。同じ図柄を選んでも、学生によって全く違った色付けが生まれ、みんなの個性やセンスがよく表れた作品が完成しました。工学を学ぶ学校の中で、一生懸命真面目に美術に取り組んでいる1年生。担任としてみんなの将来がとても頼もしいと感じた時間でした。

　Hello, this is Kihara, the first-year homeroom teacher. Time flies and this year is almost over. After the long awaited by students winter break, classes will finish in almost one month. Students have grown from their experience living here, not only through classwork, but also through club activities and extracurricular activities. In today's journal, I would like to talk about the first-year student's last event this year.

　At ICT, we aim to foster exceptional innovators not only through high tech science and technology, but also through classical and traditional art. Following this objective, we visited the Kaga-yuzen Hisatsune Kobo workshop on September 24. There, we learned about the graceful world of Kaga-yuzen, its craftsmanship, the difficulty of protecting traditional kimonos, and the ingenuity put into cultivating a new audience. We also discussed possible solutions to the issues traditional art faces and presented them to Mr. Hisatsune.

　On December 21, I finally had my chance to try Kaga-yuzen dyeing. Each student chose a picture of their liking and colored it. Even if the students chose the same picture, the finishing result was totally different depending on the colors and pattern they used. Each piece of work reflected their taste and personality well. We spend most of our time studying engineering here at ICT. Therefore, the pleasant sight of our first-year students engrossed in art gave me a feeling of confidence for their future.