Kurita took part in planning classes for elementary, junior high, and high
schools conducted by the Space Education Center of Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA), and conducted on-site classes.
This year’s
event was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students who
participating in the course shared various comments including that they had
had no idea that reusing water in space was so difficult.
Activities policy in This Area
The Kurita Group will foster awareness of water-related issues and stimulate interest in science among children and students who will lead the next generation by holding hands-on learning events, providing on-site classes, and sponsoring contests.
Achievements in FY2021
Contest Sponsorship
18th Japan Science & Engineering Challenge (JSEC 2020)
The students of Ichinomiya High School (Aichi Prefecture) received the Kurita Water Industries Award (from left: Mr. Kazuki Toida, Ms. Nanami Kanzaki and Ms. Yuri Muto)
The Japan Science & Engineering Challenge (JSEC) is a free-study research
contest in science and engineering for high school and technical college in
Japan that has been held annually since 2003.
Following on from 2019,
Kurita sponsored JSEC 2020. At the event, Kurita presented the Kurita Water
Industries Award to Ms. Yuri Muto, Ms. Nanami Kanzaki, and Mr. Kazuki Toida of
Ichinomiya High School (Aichi Prefecture) for their research project
"Improvement of Hydrolysis Efficiency of Cellulose Using Ionic Liquids for
Efficient Bioethanol Production."
This was followed by an online exchange
meeting between Kurita Global Technology Center (Japan), Kurita R&D Asia Pte.
Ltd. (Singapore) and Ichinomiya High School. In the meeting, three winners of
the Kurita Water Industries Award presented their award-winning research in
English as preparation for the international competition ISEF*1.
At
ISEF, which was held online from May 16 to 21, the students’ research also
received a Certificate of Honorable Mention from the American Chemical
Society*2, one of the sponsors of ISEF.
- *1 ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair): Organized by the Society for Science & the Public, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, ISEF is one of the world’s largest international competitions of free science-related research, involving approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 80 countries and regions.
- *2 The American Chemical Society: Founded in 1876, the American Chemical Society is one of the world’s largest academic organizations with 155,000 chemical professionals from 150 countries.
<Comment from Ms. Muto on receiving a Certificate of Honorable Mention from the American Chemical>
I am very honored to receive this prestigious award at the international
competition. While it is unfortunate that we were not able to win the Grand
Award presented by the organizers, we are deeply honored just to be able to
compete on the big stage of ISEF.
This has been a valuable experience. It would not have been possible without
the support of our teachers and seniors at school who have supported us so
far, or without the people at Kurita Water Industries, who gave us this
opportunity to take part. I cannot express in words how grateful I am. I hope
to use this experience toward the next step in developing my career on the
international stage.
On-Site Classes
JAXA Space Education Center’s Support for Formal Education Program
Taking part in class at Shimonoseki-Nishi
High School (Yamaguchi
Prefecture)
The “Future Academy” STEAM Library Project of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
Kurita collaborated with JAXA on the creation of online content “STEAM
Series: Water.” The content was produced by the creative agency Barbara Pool
Ltd. (STEAM JAPAN) for METI’s “Future Academy” STEAM Library Project.
Based
on this content, the Oita Prefectural Board of Education participated in the
“STEAM Festa” (managed by Barbara Pool Ltd.), an online lecture series on
space and advanced technology for high school students in Oita Prefecture.
Kurita employees taught classes together with instructors from the JAXA
Space Education Center.
Logo for METI’s “Future Academy” STEAM Library Project, a platform for learning how to solve various social issues through STEAM education
Original STEAM library content based on the SDGs “Water” theme, “STEAM
Series: Water” icon (developed by Barbara Pool Ltd.)
https://www.steam-library.go.jp/content/30