Press Releases

Kurita Water Industries ("Kurita"; Head Office: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; President: Michiya Kadota) today announced that it had sponsored the 17th Japan Science & Engineering Challenge ("JSEC2019"), a free-study research contest in science and engineering hosted by The Asahi Shimbun Company and TV Asahi Corporation; and had presented the "Kurita Water Industries Award" to Ms. Ayaka Maeda of Notre Dame Seishin Gakuen Seishin Girls' High School (Okayama Prefecture), for her research project "Water Absorption Mechanisms in Rice Plants: At What Time of Day Can Plants Absorb the Most Water?"

The Japan Science & Engineering Challenge ("JSEC") is a free-study research contest in science and engineering, held annually since 2003 with the aim of improving the level of science and engineering by contributing to the promotion of education in the fields of science and engineering. The contest calls for entries consisting of research work from a wide range of fields, with awards being given for the best entries based on document and presentation-based screenings by expert judges. Kurita supports and endorses the purport of JSEC activities, and sponsored the contest for the first time this fiscal year as one aspect of its corporate citizenship activities, working towards the creation of a sustainable society.

For JSEC2019, a total of 267 entries were received from high schools and technical colleges throughout Japan. After preliminary and primary screening processes, the final screening was held over the course of two days (Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15) at the The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation ("Miraikan"), where the award winners for the Grand Award and other awards were decided. The entrant selected as the winner of the Kurita Water Industries Award was Ms. Ayaka Maeda of Notre Dame Seishin Gakuen Seishin Girls' High School (Okayama Prefecture), for her research project "Water Absorption Mechanisms in Rice Plants: At What Time of Day Can Plants Absorb the Most Water?" Her project examined water absorption mechanisms in plants, as a research project relating to both water and the environment.

Moving forward, Kurita plans to offer opportunities to Kurita Water Industries Award winners tours of the facilities at the Kurita Development Center (Kurita's domestic R&D hub), and opportunities to interact with Kurita's own researchers. Top-placing award winners from JSEC2019 are scheduled to be sent overseas to represent Japan at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), to be held in Anaheim, California, USA in May 2020.

Looking ahead, as one aspect of its corporate citizenship activities, the Kurita Group will continue to contribute to achieving the creation of a sustainable society by supporting the education of young people who will play key roles in the future.