This is Apirak Sang-ngenchai, and I am currently a lecturer at ICT. As an alumnus of Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (RMUTL), Thailand. I feel fortunate to have witnessed and contributed to the development of the relationship between RMUTL and ICT.
　My journey began as a student at RMUTL, studying Technical Education in Electronic Engineering. I participated in the Learning Express (LeX) program with Kanazawa Technical College (KTC), which became ICT, Kanazawa. I learned Design Thinking and worked with Japanese students on community projects. This enhanced my problem-solving skills and introduced me to international collaboration.
　In 2017, I visited Japan through the Sakura Science Project at Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT), gaining exposure to Japanese educational practices, research, and innovation. It deepened my understanding of the friendship and cooperation between RMUTL, KIT, and ICT.
　These exchanges laid the foundation for stronger academic ties between our institutions. Over the years, faculty members, staff, and students from both sides continued to build mutual trust and understanding through educational activities, research discussions, and cultural programs. When I joined ICT in 2020, I was pleased to contribute to this longstanding relationship　from a new perspective as a faculty member.
　A significant milestone was achieved on September 15, 2026, when RMUTL and ICT officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). For me, this was more than just a formal agreement. It reflected years of collaboration, exchanges, and shared experiences between our institutions. I was honored to support this important event and to witness the beginning of the next chapter of our partnership.
　The MoU provides a framework for future cooperation in several important areas, including student exchanges, joint academic activities, collaborative research, and cultural and experiential learning programs. We hope to create more opportunities for students to study and learn from each other's cultures, while also encouraging faculty members to work together on educational and research initiatives.
　Looking ahead, I would like to see the partnership develop through activities such as short-term exchange programs, international project-based learning, Design Thinking workshops, collaborative research in engineering and technology, and cultural immersion programs for students from both countries. These activities will not only strengthen academic cooperation but also help students develop global perspectives and lifelong international friendships.
　As someone who has benefited greatly from the relationship between RMUTL, KIT, and ICT, I am proud to have been part of this journey. I sincerely hope that the MoU signed this year will serve as a foundation for many new opportunities and meaningful collaborations in the future, bringing lasting benefits to students, faculty members, and both institutions for years to come.

Apirak Sang-ngenchai

 

Hello. My name is Michihiro Hayashi, advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club.

On September 12 and 13, we participated in the 31st J-FACE Annual Conference of the Japanese Academy of Facial Studies, “Forum KAOGAKU 2026,” held at Kanazawa Institute of Technology.

The forum featured a wide variety of research and exhibits related to the human face. Topics included makeup, facial impressions, facial recognition, the faces of robots and animals, and portrait illustration. The conference included 29 oral presentations, 25 poster presentations, six demonstrations, and five corporate exhibits, with a total of 175 participants from across Japan.

From ICT, fourth-year student Rinse Okiyama gave a poster presentation on gaze perception and the Mona Lisa effect. The title of the presentation was “Facial Image Synthesis Inducing the Offset Mona Lisa Effect (oMLE) from Stereoscopic Photographic Images.”

To briefly explain the research, when we look at a person in a photograph or painting from different angles, we may sometimes feel as though the person’s eyes continue to look directly at us. This phenomenon is commonly known as the “Mona Lisa effect.” In this study, differences between images that produce the Mona Lisa effect and those that do not were experimentally examined by processing photographs of real people.

During the summer vacation, Rinse Okiyama worked intensively on preparing for the presentation. She served as the model for the images and took part in repeated photo sessions over several days, as well as image evaluation experiments.

She presented the results in a poster session at the conference. Many participants came to hear about the research, and lively discussions took place in front of the poster. In everyday research activities, students mainly have opportunities to discuss their work with their supervising teachers. At the conference, however, Rinse Okiyama was able to exchange ideas with faculty members from other universities, researchers from companies, illustrators, and many other people with different perspectives.

At the closing ceremony, Rinse Okiyama received the “Suganuma Award,” named after a former president of the Japanese Academy of Facial Studies.

She also had the opportunity to have her portrait drawn by an illustrator at the venue.

This year’s conference was held locally, but I hope that in the future she will continue to take on new challenges and actively present her research not only throughout Japan, but also internationally.

Design & Fabrication Club
Advisor: Michihiro Hayashi

 

Hello! I’m Rintaro Kamoshita, a fourth-year student at the Kanazawa campus, also known as the “walking speaker.” Recently, I’ve expanded my range of activities all the way to Akihabara, where I performed my signature talk-style comedy routines with the electric town as my backdrop.

▶ AKIBA Re-ROBO FESS 2026 Participation Report

Lately, I’ve been focusing mostly on radio activities, so I’d really appreciate it if you could check those out as well. For more details, please visit our X (formerly Twitter) page via the link below:

▶ After-School Lounge at ICT

Now, that was quite a long introduction, but today I’d like to introduce an event I recently hosted: the “Returnee Presentations: Otago Polytechnic Study Abroad Program 2025.”

This event was an opportunity for all fourth-year students who had studied abroad in New Zealand for a year to share their experiences. They presented their memories, lessons learned, and advice for future students to parents and first and second-year students living in the dormitory in Hakusanroku Campus. The event was held on Wednesday, May 20, at the Kanazawa campus in a hybrid format, both in person and online.

During the presentations, students covered a wide variety of topics, including delicious food in New Zealand, fun travel destinations, the charm of animals such as sheep, and the beauty of the country’s vast natural landscapes. Among them, my personal favorite presentation was by a friend who introduced a Korean restaurant in New Zealand, which got a big laugh from the audience.

All presentations were delivered in English, showcasing the students’ improved language skills after their time abroad. Many of them had made remarkable progress in pronunciation, and listening to them again, I was genuinely surprised by how much everyone had grown. Some students even seemed to slip into a New Zealand accent during their presentations, which added to the atmosphere and made the event enjoyable from start to finish.

Through this event, we were able to share the journey of our one-year study abroad experience with younger students who will carry the future forward. It was truly a meaningful and rewarding time.

P.S. “Walking speaker”… that’s basically just a Walkman, isn’t it?

Rintaro Kamoshita

　

Hello, this is Michihiro Hayashi, advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club.

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, we participated in AKIBA Re-ROBO FESS 2026, held in Akihabara, Tokyo.

This event was organized for the first time by Akiba Tech Connect. It was created with the vision of forming a “chaotic space of technology” in Akihabara—the sacred place of hands-on manufacturing and technology—where people can freely connect and interact through technology. The event aimed to bring together participants from a wide range of backgrounds, including large corporations, startups, small and medium-sized companies, and academic institutions.

At the booth of the International College of Technology, Kanazawa, we introduced our school and the activities of the Design & Fabrication Club. Since the venue was located in the center of Akihabara and the event was held on a Saturday, there were many visitors and the venue was very lively. During the event, we gave presentations about KOSEN education and the unique initiatives of ICT.

We also realized that KOSEN is still not widely recognized among the general public, and some visitors asked us, “What is KOSEN?” On the other hand, among people involved in robotics and drone technologies, KOSEN is already well known. We strongly felt that students educated at KOSEN are highly valued as practical engineers and future leaders in the field.

In addition to exhibition booths, the event also featured a performance stage where we demonstrated our robot. The robot we brought was “Kobako Club,” which competed in the National KOSEN Robocon Competition in 2025.

During the demonstration, the robot carried gates made of stacked cardboard boxes and pulled a cart carrying a person. After the demonstration by our students, children visiting the venue were invited to ride on the cart, and the robot pulled them around the stage.

The children wore slightly oversized helmets and experienced being pulled by a robot while holding onto the cart—something most of them were probably experiencing for the first time. At first, some of them looked nervous, but by the end they were smiling and saying, “That was fun!”

Even after the stage performance ended, many children came to our exhibition booth to see the robot more closely. They touched the robot, looked inside its mechanisms, and asked many questions to the students in charge of explanations.

We believe this experience was valuable not only for children who may become future KOSEN students, but also for our own students.

Design & Fabrication Club
Advisor: Michihiro Hayashi

Hello, this is Alaa Hussien from Egypt. I am a professor in the Department of Science and Technology at ICT. I am writing this article to highlight the contributions of ICT in supporting the establishment of the Egypt–Japan KOSEN (EJ-KOSEN), the first KOSEN institution not only in the Middle East but also in Africa. It was officially launched in June 2024 as a development cooperation project between the Government of Japan, represented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Egyptian partners include the Educational Development Fund (EDF) as the implementing agency, along with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR), the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), and the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE). The overall goal of the project is to introduce the KOSEN education system in Egypt as a new model of higher education. The project specifically aims to ensure that the pilot KOSEN operates effectively using a curriculum translated and adapted from the KOSEN Model Core Curriculum, with the objective of achieving KOSEN International Standard (KIS) accreditation, thereby assuring the quality of Japanese-style KOSEN education.

In Egypt, engineering education has traditionally been delivered through two main pathways, each with distinct limitations. University education primarily emphasizes theoretical knowledge, with relatively limited focus on practical skills and minimal connection to industry. As a result, graduates often possess strong theoretical backgrounds but lack real-world problem-solving abilities and hands-on experience. On the other hand, technical and vocational schools focus mainly on the operation of machinery. Graduates from these institutions are typically skilled in operating equipment but have a limited understanding of underlying principles, design processes, or the development of technology. In the last few years, the environment has been shifting toward advanced technological and experiential educations by establishing many technological universities and developing various cooperation programs with successful existing educational systems around the world.

One of these systems is the KOSEN model in Japan, where this model integrates theoretical knowledge with practical application through a well-balanced and industry-oriented curriculum. By incorporating project-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based learning approaches, KOSEN education enables students to develop both analytical thinking and hands-on skills. Furthermore, its strong emphasis on collaboration with industry ensures that students gain exposure to real-world challenges, thereby fostering innovation, design capability, and practical problem-solving skills. In this way, the KOSEN model offers a comprehensive solution that bridges the divide between theory and practice in engineering education in Egypt.

The idea of introducing KOSEN education in Egypt can be traced back to 2016, following the official visit of the President of Egypt to Japan. During this visit, he toured various educational institutions, including kindergartens, elementary schools, and KOSEN colleges, where he was particularly impressed by the KOSEN system as it emphasizes the development of engineers who possess not only operational skills but also strong foundations in design, innovation, and problem-solving. Following this visit, the Egyptian government requested support from the Japanese government to introduce this educational model in Egypt. The project was implemented through JICA, which dispatched Japanese experts from various KOSEN institutions, including myself and Nagwa Fekri Rashed Sensei. Our involvement was particularly relevant as our International College of Technology (ICT) is unique in Japan in delivering education primarily in English, closely aligning with the educational context in the EJ-KOSEN, where instruction is also conducted in English. These Japanese experts have been collaborating closely with the Egyptian team from the Educational Development Fund (EDF), the JICA project management staff, and the newly appointed faculty and staff at EJ-KOSEN.

As a professor at ICT, my role, along with other Japan-side experts—including Nagwa Fekri Rashed Sensei—has extended beyond curriculum support to encompass contributions to the formulation of the school’s vision and the development of key institutional policies. In particular, we have played a central role in designing the diploma policy, the curriculum policy, and the admission policy. In addition, we have supported the design of STEM curricula, have participated in the recruitment and selection of faculty members, have assisted in student admissions processes, and have contributed to the development of entrance examinations and admission procedures.

Prior to the official opening, we conducted an intensive three-week training program in Egypt in August 2025 for newly recruited faculty members. This training introduced the philosophy and structure of KOSEN education, including the KOSEN International Standard (KIS) framework, as well as modern teaching methodologies such as project-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based learning. We also provided guidance on the development and refinement of teaching materials. During that period, we played an active role in the admission process by participating in student interviews and contributing to the selection of the first intake of EJ-KOSEN freshmen. After the program’s launch, our responsibilities expanded to include continuous academic support, follow-up, and professional development for faculty members.

In late January 2026, staff and faculty members from the EJ-KOSEN came to Japan to visit several KOSEN institutions, including Osaka KOSEN, Ishikawa KOSEN, and our International College of Technology in Kanazawa, for further training. During their visit, they explored our two campuses facilities, observed the integration between the college and its parent institution, the Kanazawa Institute of Technology, and participated in a series of intensive workshops. These workshops were designed to provide detailed feedback on all aspects of the first-semester academic program, including lecture notes, experiments, practical applications, worksheets, and final examinations. We also focused on assessment strategies, covering formative assessment, portfolio-based assessment, and the use of rubrics to ensure clarity, consistency, and transparency. In addition, I delivered a presentation on project-based learning, addressing implementation strategies, evaluation criteria, transparency in assessment, and evidence-based evaluation. These sessions aimed to strengthen the pedagogical skills of the Egyptian faculty and ensure that the EJ-KOSEN program maintains high standards of teaching, learning, and assessment aligned with the KOSEN International Standard.

Through these strong and growing collaborations, the Egypt–Japan KOSEN project is well positioned to build a sustainable, high-quality model of engineering education in Egypt—one that not only meets international standards but also directly addresses the pressing challenges facing society in Egypt and the evolving needs of its industry. As an Egyptian, I am truly excited to witness the continued success of this initiative and confident that it will nurture a new generation of engineers who are capable, innovative, and committed to solving real-world problems and contribute to Egypt’s sustainable development.

Alaa Hussien