From 1 through 10 August, the International Course Program of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, conducted a summer school program, "Civil Engineering for the 21st Century", for 11 students from four Asian universities -- six from National Chung Kung University, Taiwan, two from Hong Kong University of Science, two from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and one from the National University of Singapore, all 2nd- or 3rd-year undergraduates studying civil engineering, urban planning, or architecture at their respective institutions.
The program was designed to introduce the participants to different fields of civil engineering and examples of ongoing research. Activities included lectures delivered on the Yoshida Campus on a range of topics, structural experiments and a laboratory tour on the Katsura Campus, and a field trip to Kobe with visits to the Hanshin Expressway Earthquake Museum and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution. These activities were organized to provide opportunities for discussing sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems that are based on innovative structural, geomechanical, and water-control engineering and transportation planning.
The summer school also offered cultural experiences, including a trip to Myoshinji Temple in Arashiyama and an English rakugo show (comic storytelling show) and workshop.
Parts of the program included participation by undergraduate and graduate students of Kyoto University to encourage international exchange. On the final day, students from the Graduate School of Engineering presented on their respective research projects and offered information on their programs, giving the participants some idea of what it would be like to pursue their postgraduate studies at Kyoto University.
According to the survey conducted at the end of the 10-day program, all participants appeared to have enjoyed and learned a great deal from both the academic and the cultural activities provided, with some stating that they would recommend the summer school to their junior students should it be held again next year.
Orientation
Examining a Menshin system (quake-absorbing system) installed in the Clock Tower basement
Listening to one of the lectures held on the Yoshida Campus
At the Hanshin Expressway Earthquake Museum
Visiting a laboratory on the Katsura Campus
Cultural activity (English rakugo)
Cultural activity (lecture on Japanese culture and Zen meditation at Myoshinji Temple)
