Illustration by Prof. Michihiro Hayashi (used with permission)イラスト：林 道大先生（掲載許可済）

Hello. I am Sakuichi Ohtsuka from the Department of Science and Technology. At the conclusion of my five-year tenure at the International College of Technology, Kanazawa, having joined in April 2021, I have had the honor of being the chief of the editorial committee of ICT Progress as my final assignment.

ICT Progress is an annual report compiling practical examples of educational improvement initiatives by faculty and staff at the International College of Technology, published each year with the aim of enhancing the quality of education. Last year, we revised the publication format to include updated regulations and made the report publicly available online. For this second edition, we have further revised the regulations and enriched the content.

While this article may be somewhat unconventional and formal for the “ICT Kanazawa Journal,” I hope it will serve as an opportunity for the general public—the readers of this journal—to gain a concrete understanding of how the International College of Technology, Kanazawa, implements STEAM education (*see note).

* Note: An educational approach that integrates Arts (Liberal Arts) into "STEM Education" (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

While this may go without saying, quoting the key characteristics of KOSEN (The National Institute of Technology) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s website (https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/kousen/index.htm): “Like high schools, these institutions admit students who have graduated from junior high school. After enrollment, students follow a five-year integrated curriculum that balances general and specialized subjects, enabling them to acquire the broad general knowledge and systematic specialized expertise necessary for engineers.” As for the unique nature of the education that is inextricably linked to these characteristics, the most significant factor is likely that students are classified as being in "primary and secondary education" upon admission but are treated as being in "higher education" upon graduation. Due to this unique nature, although the phrasing differs, the curriculum is described as a pair of items requiring collaboration: "general and specialized subjects" as the syllabus, and "a rich general education and systematic specialized knowledge" as the learning outcomes.

Next, when we compare this content with the aforementioned STEAM education, “T” and “E” clearly belong to the latter, “S” and “M” are intermediate, and “A” belongs to the former. Therefore, in educational practice, the curriculum cannot be easily separated, and I believe you will understand that meticulous attention is required regarding coordination between subjects and timing.

Consequently, it is crucial for faculty and staff to accumulate their own “individual case studies of educational improvement.” Here, practice and presentation/documentation (information sharing) go hand in hand. Similarly, in the documentation platform “ICT Progress,” the quality content of the articles and readability are equally important. Additionally, within the school, we hold an annual “Educational Research Presentation Session” (scheduled for March 26 this year) as a forum for mutual presentations and discussions among faculty and staff. These activities can also be viewed as a mirror reflecting the practice of STEAM education for our students. In that sense, we would be delighted if this published article catches the attention of the general public who are considering enrolling in a National Institute of Technology (KOSEN).

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude to everyone who, under the leadership of President Masaaki Shikada, took the time to write these articles despite their busy schedules; to everyone who assisted with the peer review process (especially Ms. Stephanie Reynolds, who helped with the English proofreading); and to Ms. Hitomi Nanto of the Administrative Office, who meticulously formatted the articles. I also wish the International College of Technology, Kanazawa, continued success in the future, building on its unique strength of diversity from various perspectives.

Below is the table of contents and foreword for this year’s ICT Progress. Please take a look once the digital version becomes available in April (the URL will be added later in April). Additionally, as a photo posted at the end, I have included a snapshot from last year’s 1st Inter-Team Ekiden Relay Race (held on November 8, 2024), which symbolizes the diversity that goes beyond the “going hand in hand”—a concept often associated with the International College of Technology, Kanazawa. We hope that even those viewing this for the first time will sense the unity between students and faculty, as well as the rich international spirit that lives up to the name of the International College of Technology, Kanazawa.

Photography: Sakuichi Ohtsuka (retouched by the photographer)写真撮影：大塚 作一（本人のレタッチによる）

Sakuichi Ohtsuka

 Hello, this is Justin Han. December is the time of the year when many cultures celebrate their holidays, whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just beginning of a new year. Although each person and culture celebrate differently, the end of the year remains a time for celebration with friends and family.

 Since December 2022, teachers at ICT Kanazawa Campus have volunteered their time and efforts to host an annual Holiday Party for students. Held during the last week of December, the party offers students and faculty a chance to celebrate together in a relaxed setting, enjoying food, drinks, and snacks while unwinding from the year’s challenges. In the spirit of international exchange, all participants are encouraged to speak English during the event.

 This year’s Holiday Party was held on Friday, December 19th, after classes ended with students and faculty enjoying a simple spread of pizza, potato chips, soda, and cake alongside holiday music playing in the background. As Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in many cultures, a Christmas tree, tinsel and other Christmas decorations adorned the room to create a festive atmosphere. 

 Different from previous years, this year’s event included 10 students and 2 faculty members from Singapore Polytechnic, visiting Kanazawa for the MILE program in collaboration with the International Program Center. Together with ICT students, they introduced themselves through an icebreaker game, learned about each other’s cultures, and then split into smaller groups to play simple party games.

 Unfortunately, after three hours of laughter and fun, the celebration came to an end as everyone parted ways. We hope that this party, even if only a little, helped everyone face the end of the year and welcome the new year with a brighter spirit.

Justin Han

Hello! I'm Shiyu Sano, a fourth-year student.
I would like to introduce Yumekobo, my favorite place.

Yumekobo is a facility on the Kanazawa Campus where we can work on mechanical fabrication. It is mainly used by students of Kanazawa Institute of Technology, but ICT students like us can also use it.
There is also a place called Maker Studio V on the Kanazawa Campus where we can do mechanical work, but Yumekobo is much larger in scale. In addition, if we have the required license, we can use the facility freely during its opening hours (until 9 PM on weekdays and until 5 PM on Saturdays) even without a faculty member present.

I have been a member of the Design & Fabrication Club since my first year and have been participating in the National College of Technology Robot Contest (Kosen Robocon) project. At first, I didn’t understand anything, but I gradually discovered the joy of machining parts, and I’m still completely absorbed in it today.

At Yumekobo, you can use machine tools and other equipment after completing the safety training and license training. I had also taken similar training at the Maker Studio at the Hakusanroku Campus during my first year, but the license training at Yumekobo is divided into more specialized fields, making it longer and considerably more difficult. In addition, during the first semester—when applications tend to pile up—the training sessions may be assigned by lottery, so there were times when I couldn’t take the courses as planned. Since I was working on building a robot for Kosen Robocon at the time, I felt a bit anxious.

Although this is a bit of a digression, the rules for the Kosen Robocon are announced in mid‑April, the regional competitions are held in October, and the national competition takes place in mid‑November. This year’s Tokai-Hokuriku regional competition was held in Toyama City on Sunday, October 5. In the first match of the preliminary league, our robot passed through the gate without any mistakes and scored 260 points. However, in the second match, the gate collapsed, and we were eliminated from the preliminary league. But incredibly, we received the Technical Award, and thanks to the judges’ recommendation, we earned a spot in the national competition!!!

We decided to improve our robot in preparation for the national competition on Sunday, November 16. I’ll leave the detailed story to the ICT Journal written by Professor Michihiro Hayashi.

Since the building on the Kanazawa Campus where we usually practiced had a low ceiling—so low that the cardboard gate almost touched it—and the space was a bit cramped, our robot sometimes couldn’t make a clean lap around the gate. Because of this, we were allowed to practice at Yumekobo on short notice two weeks before the national competition. We were able to borrow the space normally used by the KIT Robot Project members, which allowed us to practice freely in an environment very close to actual competition conditions. Since the technicians from Yumekobo who always support us, as well as seniors from KIT came to watch, I felt a little nervous.

Thanks to everyone’s support, we were able to win our first match at the national competition!!! Unfortunately, we were eliminated in the second round, but we received the prestigious Design Award. Although our main team had only four members, and we caused a great deal of trouble for our advisor, Professor Hayashi (and honestly, we still are), we achieved a result we could proudly bring home. It’s no exaggeration to say that Professor Hayashi was the one who truly earned the award.

Now, I’d like to explain why Yumekobo has become my favorite place—not just a facility where we can use machine tools. In the fourth year of the ICT program, there is an internship course through which students can gain experience in places such as research laboratories and the Student Station, a hub for student interaction and information sharing at KIT. Yumekobo is also one of the possible internship placements, and I chose it without hesitation. I spent about three months doing an internship at Yumekobo, during which I also had the opportunity to help create manuals for its users. Since almost everything was new to me, it felt like I was finally able to see Yumekobo—not just from the perspective of a user, but also, even if only a little, from the perspective of those who run it. Through this experience, my awareness of machine tools and safety changed significantly. Wanting to be more deeply involved, I decided to apply to become a student staff member at Yumekobo.

Let me also explain a bit about the student staff (on‑campus internship) system. KIT operates a student staff program in which students work on campus. Those who participate not only earn income but also take an active role in improving the campus environment, making it a valuable opportunity for personal growth. There are many places to work on campus, but ICT students can only work at Yumekobo and the Student Station.

Unlike during the internship course, where I worked more like a guest or trainee, I am now working as a paid staff member. Because of that, I’m doing my best not to cause any trouble for the technicians or the senior staff.

Yumekobo student staff members wear yellow jackets while working, so we are also known as the “Yellow Staff.” Our duties cover a wide range of tasks, including reception work, inspecting machine tools, and cleaning—always making sure that students using Yumekobo can work safely and with peace of mind. I’ve also become a bit more knowledgeable about the machine tools than before, and I feel that I’ve been able to grow in my own way.

I simply enjoy machining parts, and with so many machine tools available—and the casual conversations I get to have with the technicians and senior staff—Yumekobo has become a comfortable place for me, almost a part of my daily life.

On Saturday, February 21 this year, the Yumekobo Project Presentation will be held, and the Kosen Robocon team will also have a booth. Yumekobo is also open to the public during the Kosen Festival (the school festival) held in October, so if you’re interested, please come visit. It’s a facility that’s fun to see even if you’re just looking around.

That concludes my introduction to Yumekobo, my favorite place.

Shiyu Sano

I am Michihiro Hayashi, a faculty advisor for the KOSEN Robocon (KOSEN Robot Contest) team. The National Competition of the KOSEN Robocon was held on Sunday, November 16th, 2025, at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Team A of ICT, mainly composed of students from Kanazawa Campus, participated in the event. This was ICT’s first appearance at the national competition in three years, since 2022.

KOSEN Robocon features a different theme every year, requiring teams to design and build new robots from scratch between the theme announcement in mid-April and the regional competition in early October. This year’s theme was “Great High Gate,” where robots had to stack cardboard boxes to create a gate and pull a cart carrying a team member through it. The higher the gate, the higher the score. At the Tokai-Hokuriku regional competition, ICT’s team “Koubako Club” won the Technical Award and advanced to the national competition via the judges’ recommendation.

For more information about the regional competition, please see the article [NHK KOSEN Robocon 2025, Tokai-Hokuriku Regional Competition].

After the regional competition, we worked on improving the robot for the nationals. First, we increased its travel speed by replacing gears and sprockets in the drive mechanism, achieving about 1.7 times faster movement. We also upgraded the claw mechanism for gripping boxes and fine-tuned the control program, doubling its speed. However, the faster movement made operation more challenging, and the student in charge of driving the robot struggled at first. To overcome this, we practiced not only on the Kanazawa campus but also at YUMEKOBO — a makerspace for students to freely create and experiment— simulating real match conditions until the operator became more comfortable with the controls.

At Ryogoku Kokugikan, the venue for the national competition, robots had to be transported between inspection areas, test runs, and waiting zones without elevators, requiring significant manpower. We asked two 5th year students who participated last year to help. Thanks to their willingness, we were able to attend the national competition as a six-member team.

In the tournament, we faced Hiroshima KOSEN’s “Itsukushima” in the first round and won 290–10. In the second round, we lost to Akashi KOSEN’s “Stackmate” 250–375. The Akashi team advanced further but was defeated by the eventual champion from Asahikawa KOSEN in the semifinals.

Roles at the national competition differed slightly from the regional event, so we asked each member for their thoughts.

Comments from Team A Members:

[Haruki Ota]
　

As the team leader and the operator, I found controlling the faster robot challenging. In the first match, I made a slight mistake with left and right, but overall, I managed to control the robot without any major errors.

[Haruto Shiraishi]
I was responsible for situational judgment and giving movement instructions. Using my experience as the operator in the regional tournament, I could make accurate decisions and guide the robot effectively.

[Imaru Oishi]
　

I continued riding the cart at nationals. My costume was upgraded with an original apron, giving me a market vendor look. I was happy to show off smooth movements without spinning around like some other team’s robots.

[Shiyu Sano]
Known as “Prayer Shiyu” from the regional broadcast ending scene, I handled robot maintenance in the pit. With almost no opportunity for test runs at nationals, every adjustment and check required intense focus.

[Ryuto Hashiya]
I assisted in transporting robots and tools inside the venue. My experience from last year’s regional competition was helpful. Sharing meals with teammates in Ryogoku was also a great memory.

[Sansar Sergelen]
I helped in the pit and set up gates during the preparation time. Thanks to my height, I could place the topmost box on the gate. The yakitori in Ryogoku was delicious!

We plan to continue participating in KOSEN Robocon in the coming years. I hope that seeing the seniors’ efforts will inspire younger students to join.

Group photo in the pit after the tournament大会終了後のピットでの集合写真

Scene from the first-round match第1回戦の試合中の様子

Award ceremony表彰式

During the match (robot connected to the cart) 試合中の様子（台車との連結）

Team members gathered before the match試合前の選手集合

Match scene (shrimp receiving instructions from crab)試合中の様子（カニの指示を受けるエビ）

Imaru Oishi posing in the pitピットでポーズをとる大石さん

Opening the robot container upon arrival at Ryogoku Kokugikan国技館に到着したロボットのコンテナを開ける

Sending off the robot from Kanazawa Campus to Ryogoku Kokugikan国技館へ出発するロボットを金沢キャンパスから見送る