Hello, this is Ayane ito, a 2nd year student. Let me begin with a quick question — have you ever heard of DMG MORI?
 In short, DMG MORI is one of Japan’s leading machine tool manufacturers with a strong global presence. My name is Ayane Ito. I am a 2nd year student, and during the summer vacation, I participated in the Digital Manufacturing Hands-on Seminar hosted by DMG MORI during this summer break. I would like to share what the experience was like.

 First, a brief introduction to DMG MORI. As mentioned above, it is a major manufacturer of machine tools, and many of you may already be familiar with the name. The company designs and produces tools such as Numerical Control lathes, 5-axis machining centers, and milling machines, which are used worldwide thanks to their outstanding practicality and precision.
 The Digital Manufacturing Hands-on Seminar organized by DMG MORI offers participants the opportunity to learn about the latest machine tools and automation systems. The program is open to technical college students and includes both online lectures and a two-day in-person practical session. Participants can observe real, working industrial machines up close — close enough to touch them. For me, the highlight of the program was being able to operate the machines myself.

The machine we used during the workshop was the 5-axis machining center “DMU50 3rd Generation.”
 It moves the drill and the workpiece along the X, Y, and Z axes, combined with two rotational axes, to create complex shapes with remarkable precision. The drill head moves freely, almost like a robotic arm straight out of a science fiction film. It was incredibly satisfying to see it move precisely to the programmed coordinates and cut the metal exactly as intended.


 As for the automation systems we learned about — I won’t spoil too much here. I highly recommend experiencing it for yourself by joining the Digital Manufacturing Hands-on Seminar. What’s more, participation is free of charge, with transportation and accommodation expenses covered. The seminar is held in various locations across Japan, making it accessible for students nationwide. It is also a valuable opportunity to interact directly with professionals working in the manufacturing industry.

 That concludes my inside report on DMG MORI.

 Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing more next time!

Ayane ito

 I am Michihiro Hayashi, advisor for the Design & Fabrication Club. This year, as part of the summer vacation assignment, students worked on 3D CAD modeling. The theme was “Things to Take on an Outing”. There were more than 30 submissions from 1st and 2nd year students. The submissions covered a wide range of genres—if you took all of them on a trip, it would surely be a fun and convenient excursion! After careful evaluation by the judges, four outstanding entries were selected for awards.
 Let’s take a closer look at the award-winning pieces.

2nd year student Madoka Nakazawa: My Smartphone

 Although the geometric shape of a smartphone is simple, this model is highly decorated. Using a combination of arcs and straight lines, the student skillfully recreated a cute character. The bead strap is well represented, and even the shining sun—usually difficult to model in CAD—was given a hand-drawn look. The cracked screen detail was an impressive touch.

Comment from Madoka 
Production time: Worked a little each day, about a week in total.
Focus points: Paid attention to details like the camera lens area and the character’s facial expression. The cracked screen is definitely the highlight.

1st year student Taiki Sasaki: My Glasses

 This model of eyeglasses is extremely realistic—almost like something from an optical shop catalog. Not only the overall shape, but also the rims, bridge, end pieces, nose pads, hinges, and temples were faithfully reproduced. Even the complex curved surfaces were carefully modeled. Wearing these glasses might make you feel smarter—perhaps reflecting the creator’s intention.

Comment from Taiki 
Production time: About 6 hours.
Focus points: Closely observed my own glasses, especially the three-dimensional feel of the rims that hold the lenses.

1st year student Reo Sakai: My Lantern

 The overall shape is well balanced, and the model includes functional details such as the mechanism for lighting and extinguishing the lantern, the fuel compartment, and the screw-on lid. These were created so their functions could be explained clearly. If the flickering flame inside a dim tent were rendered in CG, it would make a stunning video—possibly even a top entry in a CG contest.

Comment from Reo 
Production time: Worked 2–3 hours a day for 2–3 days.
Focus points: Paid attention to texture settings and the screw shape of the lid. The lid could probably be 3D printed and used in real life.

1st year student Hiroki Yatsuo: My Bag

 This piece features many curved surfaces, which are difficult to model, yet they are well balanced. Details such as zippers and metal buckles were carefully crafted. Modeling the parts where the belt passes through the buckle and attaches to the bag required complex operations. There were likely many functions and techniques not taught in class, so the student must have researched and learned independently—a valuable experience for future projects. If the belt were bent three-dimensionally (with depth), the model would look even more realistic, so I encourage trying that next time.

Comment from Hiroki 
Production time: Worked a little each day, about 3–4 days in total.
Focus points: Focused on the curved zipper and the shape of the belt buckle.

 Although I only introduced the award-winning works, the other submissions were also excellent. Since the theme was “Things to Take on an Outing,” many students modeled bags, glasses, smartphones, and portable batteries. Interestingly, international students chose to model knives, perhaps reflecting humanity’s innate survival instincts and the usefulness of such tools in nature.
 I plan to continue this contest next year and look forward to seeing even greater improvements in students’ 3D CAD skills.

Michihiro Hayashi

 Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Office. The season has turned to autumn, and we can feel the cool breeze in the air. Today, I’d like to introduce some of the extracurricular activities that took place in September.

Not National Language, but Japanese

 On Wednesday, September 17th, 2025, Tsutsui sensei gave a special lecture titled “Not National Language, but Japanese”. Tsutsui sensei teaches a Japanese as a second (foreign) language classes for students whose first language is another language.
 This time, however, the lecture was aimed at native Japanese speakers. It focused on the fact that even the Japanese we use casually every day has complexities in word choice and grammatical structures. The lecture explored these points and examined how the function of words creates meaning.
 Tsutsui sensei commented: “Some students mentioned that they were not confident in Japanese or grammar, but everyone participated actively. I observed students thinking for themselves, gaining insights, and deepening their understanding through group discussions. I also learned new things from their efforts and comments. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and couldn’t cover one of the main topics, the difference between wa (は) and ga (が) so I plan to hold a second session in the next semester. I hope many students will join us again.”

Flower Arrangement and Ikebana Workshop

 On Friday, September 19th, 2025, a Flower Arrangement and Kado Class was held, organized by Takako Utsunomiya sensei and Fumi Kuroda sensei. Kazumi Minamikawa sensei (instructor) led the Flower Arrangement course.
 First, students created flower arrangements using summer tulip, roses, and statice. After learning from Minamikawa sensei how to use scissors and cut the flower correctly, students completed their own unique works by arranging flowers on special sponges, making the most of each flower’s characteristics and colors.
Next, students split into three groups and tried authentic Ikebana using a flower frog and a water basin, incorporating materials such as beans, lilies, sunflowers, asparagus, hiogi, and pincushions. Referring to Minamikawa sensei’s examples,
 students adjusted the height and angle of the flowers while considering overall balance. Each group had a different theme, resulting in a variety of creative and distinctive works.
 Students commented, “I was happy to learn about so many different flowers and to finish something beautiful.” Their works were displayed in the entrance and common spaces of the Hakusanroku Campus, creating a bright and elegant atmosphere throughout the school.

Career Support for KOSEN Students

 On Friday, September 19th, 2025, a lecture titled “Career Support for KOSEN Students” was held for 1st and 2nd year students. This lecture was giving by Mr. Tatsuya Taian from OLIENT TECH Co., Ltd.
 After graduating from a KOSEN, students generally have two main paths: employment or further education. Traditionally, most students choose employment, but in recent years, the proportion of students aiming for further studies has increased.
 Mr. Taian provided advice on both employment and further education, explaining their respective advantages and disadvantages, as well as how to approach job hunting and academic preparation. He concluded his lecture with the following encouraging words for the students: “Looking ahead to your future, gathering information early, and preparing in advance will lead to satisfying career and academic choices.”

The Secret of the Crest Vault: STEM Themed Escape Room

 On Monday, September 22nd, 2025, Domyson Abuan sensei and Sharmee Abuan sensei hosted an activity titled “The Secret of the Crest Vault: STEM-Themed Escape Room.” Students worked together to solve STEM-related puzzles and riddles in order to escape from a locked room.
 For each challenge they cleared, one digit of a four-digit passcode was revealed, with each digit representing a concept related to Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics.
 Using their knowledge, teamwork, and quick decision-making skills, the students successfully gathered all four digits, completed the passcode, and unlocked the door to escape. Impressively, the winning team solved the puzzles in just 3 minutes and 48 seconds!

Shall We Dance?

 On Friday, September 26th, 2025, Justin Han sensei and Stephanie Reynolds sensei hosted an activity titled “Shall We Dance?”. On this day, two professional dance instructors and two volunteer dancers were invited, and students learned the basic steps of four types of ballroom dance (Waltz, Blues, Cha-Cha-Cha, and Jitterbug).
 In these dances, the usual roles are that men lead and women follow, each performing complementary movements. The Dance instructors focused on teaching the students the steps in each type of dance that are performed by both the leader and the follower. After learning the fundamental movements and counts, students paired up and practiced to music, experiencing the joy of dancing.
 Justin sensei commented: “At first, the students struggled with the motions and rhythm of the steps, but as they practiced, they greatly improved. The students expressed their enjoyment of the class while some students even asked about making it more permanent!”

Igarashi Takenobu Archive

 On Friday, September 26th, 2025, five 1st and 2nd year students visited the Igarashi Takenobu Archive at KIT. This archive, established in 2023 for the purpose of fostering aesthetic education, houses approximately 5,000 works and materials donated by the sculptor and designer, Mr. Takenobu Igarashi.
 The students toured the gallery and received explanations about the exhibited works and the artist. In the workshop, students brought four small everyday items, arranged them on graph paper, and looked for commonalities. They organized the items by aspects such as color, shape, and chronology, and then summarized differences in thinking within their groups.
 Through this experience, the students cultivated observation and creativity through the act of “seeing.

Soft Volleyball & Volleyball Tournament

 On Monday, September 29th, 2025, a hike to Mt. Hakusan and Mt. Sanpoiwa was originally planned, but due to rain, it was canceled. Instead, a Soft Volleyball & Volleyball Tournament was held, organized by Philip Cadzow sensei, where 1st and 2nd year students and faculty enjoyed playing together.
 The event started with soft volleyball. Seven-minute matches were played one after another, with teams giving their all and cheering each other on. Next came the volleyball matches, where every successful spike or receive drew cheers and loud support. Teachers and students teamed up, encouraging each other and playing with a sense of unity. An original game was also introduced, where all participants split into two large teams and everyone joined the court. This game featured a special rule allowing up to four touches before returning the ball to the opponent’s side, making full use of the large number of players and fostering teamwork to keep the ball in play. Finally, an intense match between 1st and 2nd year students took place! From the start, the 2nd years dominated with strong teamwork and powerful plays. The 1st years fought back bravely, but ultimately, the 2nd years’ coordination and focus led them to victory.

Book Review Presentation by 1st Year Students

 On Wednesday, September 25th, 2025, a book review presentation was held for 1st year students. The students presented for up to 3 minutes on the books they read during summer vacation (with no restrictions on genre), sharing what they learned and their impressions. Japanese students read English books and presented in English, while international students read Japanese books and presented in Japanese. The students presented about a variety of genres, including fantasy, adventure, biography, and mystery. Some students created animations based on the book’s storyline, while others showcased pencil sketches depicting a scene from the story.
 After the presentations, a vote was held among the students and faculty to select the best presentations. Two students were chosen as the winners of the English presentations (Japanese students) and one student was chosen as the winner of the Japanese presentations (International students). The results are as follows.

English Presentation Winner: Taiki Sasaki

English Presentation Winner: Shunta Tamura

Japanese Presentation Winner: Burba Anthony Revatta

Yuri Makada

 Hello everyone, I’m Meguru Ito, a physics teacher. Today, I’d like to talk about our annual STEM Fair, in this case STEM Fair 2025.
 The STEM Fair is a venue for presenting the outcomes of the ICT’s summer assignment, the Summer STEM Project, and it is held every year in late September. Simply put, it’s a showcase for summer independent research. Students choose their own themes, but this year, the ideas from 1st year students were especially unique, with many topics we’ve never seen before. Since ICT was founded eight years ago, this is the eighth STEM Fair (or the fifteenth if we include the 2nd year presentations), and it’s always exciting to encounter fresh ideas every year.
 What stood out this time was how much time and effort many students invested in ttheir experiments and production. For example, some caught dozens of fish to examine their organs for plastic contamination, others jumped about 3,000 times to study the effect on height, created animations by drawing dozens of frames, circled a local peninsula to investigate marine debris, or walked 7 km under the blazing sun.
 Although each presentation consists of just one poster and about ten minutes of explanation, imagining the effort and time behind them is truly moving. 
 Personally, I love these “just give it a try!” projects. Even if they’re not scientifically perfect, I want to recognize that enthusiasm. Of course, for a proper presentation, using charts and tables and drawing conclusions from them is also important, so I made sure to convey that to the students.
 Thanks to the students’ hard work and the teachers’ support, the STEM Fair has become a signature event at the Hakusanroku Campus. While 1st and 2nd year students’ projects aren’t advanced research yet, seeing their ideas and interests take shape is incredibly enjoyable. I hope we can keep this event going for years to come.

Meguru Ito

 Hello! This is Meguru Ito, the advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club. This time, I'd like to introduce a special project we did as part of our club activities called ICT-Collection 2025 Summer.

 At the Hakusanroku Campus, we have a fascinating machine called a garment printer, which allows us to print directly onto items made from fabric, like T-shirts and tote bags. When students said, “We want to make all kinds of things!” I decided to organize an event where they could design and print their own original T-shirts using the garment printer. As summer gets hotter, I thought it’d be fun to make a unique T-shirt that could make school life and summer break even more enjoyable.

 I set a few design rules to guide the creative process:
・Designs must be original (photos, illustrations, logos, etc.)
・No photos or illustrations created by others
・No AI-generated artwork
・Must include either the school or club logo.
These rules are meant to help students develop their creativity and apply the skills they've learned in class and through extracurricular activities. The final T-shirts turned out to be incredibly cool and full of personality! Check out the video to see them in action.

 I’d like to share the unique themes and sources of inspiration that each student used in their design. Here are some comments from the students.

Akira Azuma, a 1st year
While I was playing a game where I operated a tank, I thought it would look cool to put a tank on a T-shirt. That’s how I came up with this design. The tank printed on the shirt is the M1A1 Abrams, the main battle tank of the United States.

Haru Abe, a 1st year
I used my skills in Minecraft to design a magical castle under the summer night sky.

So Kajita, a 1st year
I drew a Reuleaux triangle（ルーローの三角形）. The name “Reuleaux triangle” mixes foreign letters and kanji, and when I was in elementary school, I loved the feeling of knowing something that no one else did — that’s why I became fond of this unique shape.

Sotaro Kato, a 1st year
I created this illustration inspired by the ICT students.

Reika Kubo, a 1st year
Lately, chemistry has become my favorite subject, so I created an illustration inspired by a test tube experiment!

Touna Konno, a 1st year
I personally like how I combined the contrasting elements of mountains and the sea into a single illustration.

Reo Sakai, a 1st year
To express the spirit of ICT, I used multiple languages and an image of the Earth.

Taiki Sasaki, a 1st year
I played the clarinet in the school band during junior high, so I chose this design to reflect that memory.

Akira Terashima, a 1st year
Due to a mistake in the cart's dimensions, this image now serves as its memorial.

Kotaro Higuchi, a 1st year
I wanted to create a beautiful design, so I chose butterflies and roses.

Purba Anthony Revatta, a 1st year
I made this because it was inspired by my Roblox avatar which is a hamster. I also wrote "I need fuud" because hamsters like food.

Hinata Miyazaki, a 1st year
While looking back on my memories of ICT, I added illustrations to photos taken around the ICT area.

Hiroki Yatsuo, a 1st year
I gave the letters 'ICT' a summer vibe.

Soma Ioroi, a 2nd year
I made a delicious-looking steak.

Kaishu Ishiharada, a 2nd year
This design reflects my intention to avoid short-circuiting the circuit.

Ayane Ito, a 2nd year
I fell in love with Tecpatl at the Ancient Mexico Exhibition, and turned it into a cute character design!

Shuntaro Tanaka, a 2nd year
I drew my favorite lathe in a stylish way, using perspective to give it depth and dimension.

Shuntaro Tanaka, a 2nd year
I photographed my painting that was created for an exhibition themed "Deep Sea" at the Platinum Festival, and edited the image to create this T-shirt.

Ikki Hashimoto, a 2nd year
Recently, I've developed a personal routine that brings a strong sense of fulfillment to my daily life, so I created this with the intention of continuing that lifestyle.

　
Chihiro Fukumoto, a 2nd year
I was inspired by the Galatic Empire emblem from my favorite movie, Star Wars, when I drew this. I reimagined the emblem in an ICT style.

Kotori Mae, a 2nd year
I was inspired by summer, so I designed the back with a manga style watermelon splitting theme!

Meguru Ito