Sakura Science High School Program students visit Kyoto University (18 May and 6 July 2015)

Selected Asian high school students participating in the Sakura Science High School Program (Special Invitation for High School Students under the Sakura Exchange Program in Science, organized by Japan Science and Technology Agency <JST>) visited Kyoto University on 18 May and 6 July 2015. This program invites excellent Asian high school students in order to provide them with opportunities to experience advanced Japanese science and technology, and to encourage them to undertake future study at Japanese universities. JST asked universities in the Kansai Region to host the 2015 programs alongside universities in Tokyo and its neighborhood that hosted the 2014 programs.

The invited students and their supervisors (36 from India and 20 from Malaysia in May, and 30 from China and 10 from Singapore in July) visited Kyoto University to take part in a general briefing, lectures, a lunch meeting and an exchange meeting with KU international students, and to tour some research laboratories.

In the general briefing session, following a welcoming address by Professor Toshio Sugiman, Executive Vice-President for Student Affairs and Library Services, the KU Research Administration Office (KURA) gave an overview of the university and its services for international students, and Professor Chul-woo Kim of the Graduate School of Engineering delivered a presentation introducing the Undergraduate School of Global Engineering. Then, Professor Kenji Matsuura and Professor Jun Ogawa of the Graduate School of Agriculture delivered lectures on their studies. This was followed by a lively exchange between the lecturers and participating students in a Q&A session.

In the lunch meeting and the exchange meeting, KU international students from the same countries as the participating high school students joined in to answer younger students' questions and to explain the benefits of studying at the university and residing in Kyoto, generously sharing their views on a wide range of topics.

Each program concluded with a tour of world-leading research laboratories. Professors hosting the participants were: Professor Naoshi Kondo of the Graduate School of Agriculture, Professor Hiroshi Sugiyama of the Institute for Integrated-Cell Material Sciences (iCeMS), Professor and Dean Shigeo Fujii, Professor Yoshizumi Kajii, and Professor Takeshi Katsumi of the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (Professor Katsumi hosted only the May program). Students, who were divided into groups of about 10, saw and experienced cutting-edge science and technology at first hand.

The programs provided high school students who are interested in studying abroad or considering how to decide on which course to take, with great opportunities to enhance their understanding of science, increase their knowledge of the university, and get an idea of what it would be like to live and study in Japan.