On Thursday, February 13th, 2025, special World Language classes were held. Students could choose two of the following five languages to study: Arabic by Alaa Hussien sensei and Nagwa Fekri Rashed sensei, Chinese by Fumi Kuroda sensei, Thai by Apirak Sang-ngenchai sensei, French by Dorsaf Gatri sensei and Filipino by Krishia Atillo sensei and Domyson Abuan sensei.
 Students practiced simple greetings and pronunciation, and learned about the culture and music of different counties. In addition, teachers prepared snacks or drinks from their countries allowing students to experience and enjoy new tastes and learn about other cultures.
 Usually, students take most of their classes in English, so this was a good opportunity for them to learn about different languages and cultures.

@ictkanazawa

2025年2月13日（木）、白山麓キャンパス（1・2年生）で「特別外国語講座」が開催されました！学生たちは、アラビア語、タイ語、中国語、フィリピン語、フランス語の5つの言語の中から2言語を選び、挨拶の仕方や文化などを学びました🌏✨ #国際高専

♬ original sound - Music Lover - It's Aadil

Arabic by Alaa sensei and Nagwa sensei

Chinese by Kuroda sensei

Thai by Apirak sensei

French by Dorsaf sensei

Filipino by Krishia sensei and Domyson sensei

Yuri Makada

 

Hullo, I’m Ian Stevenson, an English teacher here at ICT.

 Like the jack-o-lanterns , the tie-dye t-shirts have become an annual event at ICT. Unlike the jack-o-lanterns, the tie-dye t-shirts don’t happen at a fixed time. In the past tie-dye t-shirts have been made during Golden Week and September. This year it happened on Monday the 17th of February and Thursday the 20th February, 2025, when 13 students and 3 teachers came together at the Project Booth to make tie-dye t-shirts.

Once people began to arrive at the Project Booth, they chose what size t-shirt they wanted (S, M, L or XXL), made an apron from a garbage bag, got a pair of gloves and got ready to make their tie-dye t-shirt. Before beginning their t-shirt, a few different styles of tie-dye were explained (dot, stripe, spiral, tape and crumple) in case they wanted include them in their own design. After that it was time to tie-dye the t-shirt.

 Different people took different amounts of time to finish their t-shirt. As they finished, people hung their t-shirts up to dry and in one case, a student went off to wash their foot since they had accidentally dyed their toes green. By Wednesday, the t-shirts were dry and I washed out the excess dye from the t-shirts. If you don’t do this, then when you wash the t-shirt it will make all your white clothes multi-colored.

 On Thursday, people came back to the Project Booth to pick up their t-shirts. At this point, they had the option of further customizing and personalizing their and others’ t-shirts with fabric markers. Some people were happy with the t-shirt as it was and took their t-shirt back. Some people wanted to add more to their t-shirt and either drew characters or emphasized patterns on their t-shirt, or asked someone else to do so.

 It was a very messy, colorful and enjoyable time.

@ictkanazawa

2025年2月17日（月）、イアン先生主催の「タイダイ染めTシャツ作り」が開催されました！学生たちはTシャツをねじったり、くしゃくしゃにしたり、結んだりして、様々な模様に染めました。カラフルで個性的なデザインに仕上がりました🎨👕💫💕 #国際高専

♬ I WANT YOU BACK - TWICE

Ian Stevenson

Hello. This is Meguru Ito, one of the physics teachers at ICT. I am going to write about the illustration workshop held on Friday, February 14th and Tuesday, 18th, 2025. In February, Hakusanroku Campus has a special period called “Extracurricular Activity Period”. During this period regular classes aren’t held and various extracurricular activities are offered instead.
 For the last 2 years Mr. Ibuki Rev, an illustrator has led this workshop. Thank you Mr. Ibuki!
 The theme of this year's workshop was self-published comics, and students created self-published comics on the theme of “Kurihara Akane chan,” an original character created at last year's illustration workshop.
 On the first day, Mr. Ibuki gave a lecture on being an illustrator, developing characters, and the self-published comics medium, after that, each students created an illustration for the comic. On the second day, they compiled the date, printed the pages, and carried out the binding process. The students used a manual binding method, cutting the pages with a cutter and then stapling them together. Although they struggled with the process, they managed to create a high-quality booklet.
 Many of the students who participated in this workshop enjoy drawing, and they seemed to enjoy the process of completing their illustrations as a self-published comics. Although I myself do not draw, seeing the students' eyes light up makes me glad that I organized this workshop.
 Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Ibuki for his lectures over the two days! I truly appreciate his meticulous, engaging, and informative slides, as well as his kind guidance. Now, what shall we do next year?

Meguru Ito

Hello, I am Michihiro Hayashi, advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club. Since the 2nd semester final exams have ended, I was looking for an interesting activity to help students pass the time. Breaking things can be a good stress reliever, and coincidentally, I had two printers that I was planning to dispose of because they could no longer be repaired. So, I decided to hold a "Printer Disassembly Contest." Rather than simply destroying them, I thought it would be more meaningful to turn it into a competition, evaluating the beauty of the disassembly process. The two printers were A3-size inkjet printers. Printers are excellent machines to disassemble, as they incorporate a well-balanced combination of various elements: "Machine Elements" for paper feeding mechanisms, "Electrical Circuits" for driving motors and printheads, and "Electronic Circuits" for controlling touch panels and other components. Taking them apart offers a great learning opportunity.
 The contest was held on the afternoon of Saturday, February 1st, 2025. A total of seven students participated. They were divided into two teams, one with four members and the other with three, and the contest began.
 First, the students began by observing the exterior of the printer, checking for any visible screw threads and identifying which parts could be opened. Since home printers are often designed to hide screws for a cleaner appearance, the students initially had difficulty locating them. However, through careful observation and examination, they managed to find the screws that could be removed and proceeded with the disassembly, starting with the outer casings.
 As the disassembly progressed, various internal machine elements of the printer, such as shafts and bearings, gears, and belts, began to emerge. Since these components required the correct tools for proper disassembly, the students learned about different types of tools and their safe and appropriate usage from the instructor as they worked. Along the way, there were unexpected incidents, such as lubricant grease and ink splattering, but after two hours of hard work, they had managed to disassemble the printers down to the component parts.
 Finally, the students neatly arranged the disassembled parts, marking the end of the disassembly process. At this stage, they discussed various ideas on how to organize the parts—whether by material, function, or size. In the end, both teams primarily sorted the parts by material, likely because it would make disposal and recycling easier. After a thorough evaluation of tool usage, safety considerations, and overall technique, the winning team was determined. The champions were a group of three 1st year students, who demonstrated excellent skills throughout the contest. As their prize, they received a box full of snacks.
 Meanwhile, the snowfall outside the window was remarkable. Our school offers various indoor extracurricular activities like this one, but we also have many outdoor activities, such as skiing and snowboarding. I look forward to seeing students continue to participate in a wide range of activities with enthusiasm and energy.

Michihiro Hayashi

Michihiro Hayashi

Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Office. This time, I would like to talk about the ICT Startup Competition 2025 held on Friday, February 21st, 2025.

 In order to nurture global innovators, ICT has established maker studios on the Hakusanroku and Kanazawa campuses, where students can give shape to their business ideas. In addition, ICT also focused on fostering a business mindset by offering classes such as Fundamentals of Innovation and Fundamentals of Business Management.

 Continuing from last year , the second edition of the ICT Startup Competition 2025 was held at the KIT Innovation Hall. The entire event was conducted in English, including the Q&A sessions.

 In the morning, a panel discussion was held, featuring Fumihiko Uchida sensei, Research Professor, Headquarters for Promotion of Future Innovation at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Mr. Matas Danielevicius from Knowledge Exchange, a startup support organization in Thailand, Mr. Kittinand Pithayapriechagul, Vice President (Head of Crowdfunding) Thailand Securities Finance Corporation (TSFC) Securities Public Company Limited, and Mr. Daiki Masui, Promotion Association Startup Weekend Kanazawa Lead Organizer. They took the stage for a lively discussion on the startup scene in Japan and abroad.

 Compared to other countries, the startup industry in Japan is still in its early stages. Recently, the Japanese government has introduced a five-year plan and has actively promoted the creation of startups within the country, including substantial financial support.

 In the afternoon session, a pitching event was held featuring students from universities and technical colleges in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan. This event brought together students from across the Asia region and was conducted in a hybrid format, combining both online and in-person participation.
 During the pitching session, each team gave a three-minute presentation followed by a nine-minute Q&A session. The presenters faced sharp questions from the panelists, and although some appeared momentarily taken aback, they responded with sincerity and determination, creating a truly inspiring atmosphere.
 Three teams from ICT participated, delivering confident and impressive presentations despite their initial nervousness. Their efforts were highly praised by the judges.

 The second edition of this event marked the first international gathering with participation from overseas students. Many of the student teams from different countries introduced business ideas aimed at solving social issues faced by their respective nations, showcasing a variety of compelling pitches.

 For the students, participating in such a pitching event provided an opportunity to reflect on how their ideas could create societal value and offered a new, real-world perspective on thinking about issues they may not have considered before.

 ICT will continue to foster global innovators who not only acquire advanced technical skills but also develop a business mindset, enabling them to apply their expertise to benefit society.

間加田 侑里