As part of the Global Science Campus ELCAS ("Experienced-based Learning Course for Advanced Science") program, the High School/University Liaison Unit for Science Education carried out a workshop in Vietnam 11–18 August. The workshop was held in association with the international exchange/fieldwork course, "ILAS Seminar (Overseas): Livelihood, Environment and Peace -- Studying in Vietnam", which was organized by the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES). It was focused on the exploration of issues such as peace, affluence, and regional development in an industrializing country. Twelve high school students and three KU faculty took part. The faculty members included Professor Shinya Funakawa and Associate Professor Misuzu Asari of GSGES, and ELCAS coordinator Yuji Watanabe.
During the first two days, participants visited the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City to learn about the Vietnam War and its current state as a major industrial city.
On day three, the group moved to the city of Hue to take training sessions with students from Quoc Hoc–Hue High School and Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry (HUAF). In one session, participants visited the mountainous Hong Ha commune to see its community house, built with the support of Kyoto University, HUAF, and other organizations. There, they learned about the local ethnic group's culture, changing livelihoods, and adaptation to changes, recognizing the importance of cultural heritage and international cooperation in the process.
On the final day, the ELCAS students delivered their final presentations, attended by more than 50 students from Quoc Hoc–Hue High School and HUAF, along with 14 KU students and faculty who were in Vietnam for the ILAS Seminar. Topics included culture, education, and labor in Vietnam. They also reported the results of the water quality tests conducted on the samples collected from Ho Chi Ming City and urban and rural Hue, sparking lively discussion in Japanese, English, and Vietnamese.
At the Reunion Palace
Cultural exchange meeting
At the field investigation site
Presentation session
Results of the workshop presented at the session
Related links
- Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES)
http://www2.ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/ - About Kyoto University's ELCAS program
http://www.elcas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ (in Japanese) - About JST's Global Science Campus initiative
http://www.jst.go.jp/cpse/gsc/ (in Japanese)
