Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE Japan Student Conference Held in Tokyo
The 8th GLOBE Japan Student Conference was held from 12 -14 December 2014 at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Tokyo. Students from sixteen GLOBE schools took part in this event supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT).
During the opening ceremony, participants were greeted by Mr. Hideki Fujieda, a School Inspector of MEXT, Prof. Toshisada Deguchi, President of Tokyo Gakugei University, and Dr. Shuji Yamashita, GLOBE Japan Country Coordinator. In addition, Mr. Seiya Shimizu, a student of Hachiman Technical High School, and his teacher, Mr. Shigenari Akiyama reported on their participation in the GLOBE Learning Expedition (GLE) in Delhi this summer.
Student representatives from each school reported on investigative activities into research in their local and regional environment using GLOBE protocols. They shared ideas about their methods, experiences and challenges. Following the student research presentations, junior and senior high school students also demonstrated scientific experiments and craft work to participants.
An evening highlight was a GLOBE Alumni Presentation by Ms. Reina Sugiura, a student of Tokyo Gakugei University. She spoke about her early involvement with GLOBE, and in in particular with phenology studies, during her junior and senior high school days, and how those studies influenced her career path. Ms. Sugiura is presently studying environmental education at the university. Following Ms. Sugiura's presentation, a GLOBE staff and a specialist at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan spoke about GLOBE@Night an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution.
On the final day, Tokyo Gakugei University faculty members shared insights into their particular scientific specialities. Soil explorations were held at near the Meiji Shrine area and at Yoyogi Park. Other programs included fish scale art, heat island phenomenon, tree weight measurement, tree buds in winter, optics experiment, and other investigation areas. The conference provided a wonderful opportunity for all the students to share the results of their research activities and to realize how students at other schools are similarly involved in GLOBE. Students who have an interest in environmental conservation realized their opportunities to expand beyond the scope and reach of their research, and they were encouraged to continue their daily observations and measurements.