Kyoto University holds the 2014 High-School Student Forum in Tokyo (7 November 2014)

Kyoto University's High-School Student Forum in Tokyo is an annual event co-organized by Kyoto University and the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, inaugurated in 2011 as the first university-high school collaboration project to be implemented under an agreement signed by the two parties. The 2014 event -- the fourth High-School Student Forum in Tokyo -- was held at Yurakucho Asahi Hall in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and attended by around 500 students from national, public, and private high schools in the metropolitan area.

The Forum presents lectures on the latest research findings with the intention of encouraging attending high school students to envision what they want to gain from higher education, and how they want to spend their years at university.

This year's event began with opening addresses by Professor Masao Kitano, Kyoto University Executive Vice-President, and Mr Keizo Takano, Deputy Director General of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. After these speeches, KU students who had graduated from Tokyo-area high schools came on stage to share their views on the benefits of studying at Kyoto University and living in the city of Kyoto, as well as their experiences as university students.

A lecture was then given by Dr Kazuyuki Hirao, Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering and Director of the Nanotechnology Hub. In his talk, entitled "Developing Nanotechnologies by Learning from Nature: Hydrogen-Fuel-Cell-Powered LED Lamps Modeled after Fireflies", Dr Hirao described various efforts aimed at minimizing the ecological and environmental impact of human activities, emphasizing that scientific and technological innovation requires energy and ingenuity of young people. The capacity audience listened with rapt attention.

Next an actual LED lamp powered by hydrogen fuel cells was brought on stage for a demonstration. As two members of the Hirano Laboratory -- Associate Professor Masahiro Shimizu and Researcher Koji Nagashima -- provided commentary, the light came on to enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

This presentation was followed by an enthusiastic question-and-answer session, during which participating students continued raising their hands well past the closing time. Finally, a representative from the audience delivered an address of thanks to Professor Hirao, and presented him with a bouquet of flowers, bringing the dynamic event to a close.