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Second-year students from the Science Class of Kawasaki City High School for Science and Technology visited iCONM
On June 2nd, approximately 40 second-year students from the Science Class of Kawasaki City High School for Science and Technology visited iCONM. At the beginning of the visit, Dr. Makoto Shimazaki, Communications Manager, gave an overview of iCONM and the CHANGE initiative. After that, the students were divided into four groups and toured each floor of the iCONM facility. Their enthusiastic questions to the staff on each floor reflected their high level of interest and awareness.
In the afternoon, a networking event where participants could actually speak with researchers was carried out. The interaction centered around pre-prepared questions such as “things we want to ask” and “things we want to learn,” including inquiries about research careers, working styles, and the content of the researchers' work. One student commented, “I would like to use today’s experience as a reference when making decisions about my future path.” The students have a wide variety of dreams, but it seems that this event has served as a helpful step toward making future career paths.
We hope that the students who participated in this visit will, through the upcoming outreach class at their school in September and the joint workshop with the Welfare Class of Kawasaki Municipal Kawasaki High School in November, begin to envision a future shaped by the effects of a declining birthrate and aging population. By imagining an ideal society—one where people do not have to worry about illness—we hope they will develop a sense of responsibility and intention to actively create the future themselves.
