Category: Year 2019

Nanoscience and Biotechnology Course

1.Kagoshima University  →North Dakota State University (NDSU) 

From October 3^rd to 10^th, we participated NDSU-KU Symposium on Biotechnology, Nanomaterials and Polymers at North Dakota State University (NDSU) as part of US-KAGOSHIMA-ASIA Triad Program’s Nanoscience and Biotechnology Course. In this time, 22 students from 3 laboratories (Suda Laboratory, Kaneko Laboratory, Niidome Laboratory) participated in it except 4 students from Niidome Laboratory (KU) only attended the Symposium.

 

Schedule:

Day 1	3rd  October	Wed	Symposium
Day 2	4th October	Thu
Day 3	5th October	Fri	Students Exchange (Excursion)
Day 4	6th October	Sat
Day 5	7th October	Sun	Lectures & Laboratory Tours
Day 6	8th October	Mon
Day 7	9th October	Tue
Day 8	10th October	Wed

 

Symposium:

Day 1 (3^rd  October) Welcome Speech was given by Prof. Jane Schuh (Assistant Dean for Academic Programs) and Prof. Mohi Quadir, and Oral presentation was given by Prof. Takeshi Ishikawa and Prof. Hiroyuki Shinchi. Each student explained the poster summary within 3 minutes. Poster session was held in lunch time and in the evening, there was a social and dinner party.

 

Day 2 (4^th October) Oral presentation was given by Prof. Shuhei Hashiguchi and Prof. Yoshiro Kaneko (KU). Poster session was held in lunch time and in the evening, there was a social and dinner party. After dinner party, we held a second party and third party in the hotel lobby.

 

Student Exchange:

Day 3 (5^th October) We went Hamburger shop and Bowling together and made drinking party in the hotel.

Excursion:

Day 4 (6^th October) Home party at Prof. Sibi’s house, hiking at Maplewood and Party after excursion.

Lecture and Laboratory Tours:

Day 5 (7^th  October ) Full Day Workshop Schedule:

Time	Content
9:00 – 10:00	Lecture – 1 Prof. Andriy Voronov,Polymer properties
10:10 – 12:30	Lab -1 Prof. Chad Ulven – Biocomposite
12:30 – 1:30	Lunch Break
1:30 – 2:30	Lecture -2 Prof. Mukund Sibi,
3:00 – 4:45	Lab-2 X-ray crystallography – Angel Ugrinov

 

 

Day 6 (8^th October ) Full Day Workshop. Schedule:

Time	Content
9:00 – 10:00	Lecture – 3 Prof. Dean Webster
10:10 – 12:30	Lab -3 Scott Payne (Electron Microscopy)-USDA
12:30 – 1:30	Lunch Break – Pizza
1:30 – 2:30	Lecture -4 Alexey Leontyev
3:00 – 4:45	Lab session -4 Amber Chevalier-QBB (Core Biology Facility)

 

Day 7 (9^th October ) Full Day Workshop Schedule:

Time	Content
9:00 – 10:00	Lecture – 5 Prof. Seth Rasmussen,
10:10 – 12:30	Lab-5 (Chem): Small molecule-Angel Ugrinov
12:30 – 1:30	Lunch Break
1:30 – 2:30	Lecture -6 Prof. Bakhtiyor Rasulev,
3:00 – 4:45	Lab -6 Prof. Bakhtiyor Rasulev, Computation lab-

Day 8 (10^th October) Full Day Workshop. Schedule:

Time	Content
9:00 – 10:00	Lecture – 7 Ghasideh Pourhashem
10:10 – 12:30	Lab -7 Shane Stafslien [Microbiology]
12:30 – 1:30	Lunch Break
1:30 – 2:30	Lecture -8 Prof. Alex Parent, Solar Cell
3:00 – 4:45	Lab -8 (Chem) – proteomics-Angel Ugrinov
End of program

After the program, KU students organized ‘Farewell Party’ in the evening.

 

2 .Kagoshima University (KU)→ Taiwan National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)

From September 15^th to September 23^rd, 2019, 26 students from 3 laboratories (Suda-Laboratory, Ueda-Laboratory, Kaneko-Laboratory) of Kagoshima University (KU) participated in the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Workshop 2019 at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan as part of US-Kagoshima-Asia Triad Program. Most of the participants were 1^st and 2^nd year Master’s degree students and very few had ever been abroad. Besides KU students, Osaka University students also participated in the workshop.

 

After arriving in Tainan (Taiwan) NCKU students and Professors threw a big welcome party for us. There were so many Taiwanese foods that it was a feast for both our eyes and our mouths. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves with our hosts.

During our 8 days stay, we conducted a workshop in the first half. Professors and students from each University made a presentation or some short speech and then discussed it in English.

 

We were taken to a local restaurant by Taiwan students and professors to eat delicious Taiwanese cuisine. It was a great night and we managed to forge strong bonds between our universities.

Day 4: We had student interaction and participated in a culture tour. We visited a historical town and a local large temple, and we shopped together at a large market nearby.

In the later half, a chemistry lecture in English was given by a professor of Taiwan. Although it was the first time for Japanese students to sit through such a long lecture in English, the presentation was easy to understand. At the end of the lecture, the students asked so many questions which showed that they were so interested in the topic.

After the lecture, we were taken for a tour around some famous places and historical buildings in NCKU and then we took a group photo together for posterity. In the evening, after the lectures, we were taken to a large-scale night market called “Hanazono Night Market” and a local restaurant. We had a great time learning all about Taiwanese culture.

Day 7: We were given a laboratory tour by NCKU students. The facilities were very well equipped, and the students were working diligently on their research, which shows the high standard of NCKU.

Day 8: We visited Tainan’s daytime market and history museum for a culture and history tour. Everyone was enjoying themselves as they walked around.

 

In this international training and student exchange, not only did we have the opportunity for academic exchange and learning, but we were also able to deepen our cultural understanding and international exchange.

Schedule

Day 1	15th September	Sun	Depart Kagoshima – Taiwan Arrival & Welcome Party
Day 2	16th September	Mon	Workshop (presentation & discussion)
Day 3	17th September	Tue
Day 4	18th September	Wed	Students’ Field Work (Excursion)
Day 5	19th September	Thu	English lecture
Day 6	20th September	Fri
Day 7	21st September	Sat	Laboratory Tour by Taiwan students
Day 8	22nd September	Sun	Students’ Field Work (Culture & History Tour)
Day 9	23rd September	Mon	Depart Taiwan – Arrive in Kagoshima

Regarding meat production in Asia and America, especially beef production, Dr. Sanchai Jaturasitha and 2 students from Chiang Mai University (CMU) in Thailand and 2 students from Kagoshima University (KU) travelled to Texas (USA) and visited Dr. Stephen Smith’s research office at Texas A&M University (TA&M).

 

They discussed and exchanged ideas about American beef production with each other, and they inspected an actual livestock field. Finally, students from Japan and Thailand made a summary about the content of this training and their own research and made a presentation in English. They then discussed about differences of beef production systems in Japan and Thailand with Dr. Smith and Texas A&M students.

Japanese students were impressed by the large-scale system in the US, supported by its extensive land and rich feed production, on the other hand, the students learned that in the US, Wagyu like Japanese Black and Japanese Brown, are stably being produced and has being doing well in terms of business. They felt that it presents a risk for Wagyu market as the US would become a strong competitor for Wagyu beef market share since Japan wants to export more Wagyu beef to the US. They would not have been aware of this growing situation if they didn’t go to Texas and see for themselves how Wagyu is being produced in the US. This made them really think about the future of Wagyu production in Japan.

University of Wisconsin La Crosse（UWL）→ Kagoshima University（KU）

From January 14^th to January 21^st, 2020, students from University of Wisconsin La Crosse came to Kagoshima University to participate in the US-Kagoshima-Asia Triad program’s Education, Culture and Identity among the Minorities Course.

Their program is outlined as follows:

	Date	Day	Activity
1	14 January	Tuesday	Arrive in Kagoshima Welcome & Lunch at Kagoshima University Campus Tour Welcome Party
2	15 January	Wednesday	Board the KU Nansei-Maru training vessel to go to Takeshima Island. Arrive at Takeshima/ Walking Island Tour by Takeshima Elementary School Students American Style BBW dinner / Djembe African drum session
3	16 January	Thursday	Takeshima Island tour by car Field work visiting elementary school classes and junior high school classes Farewell / board Nansei-maru ship to go back to Kagoshima
4	17 January	Friday	Field work: Visit Mishimamura Kagoshima Office and meet the village Mayor, Oyama Tatsuo Visit Meizan Elementary School
5	18 January	Saturday	Sushi making course Meet and Greet Host Families Overnight Homestay
6	19 January	Sunday	Return from Homestay
7	20 January	Monday	Chiran Peace Museum Chiran Samurai Village Shochu Brewery Tour
8	21 January	Tuesday	Preparation for Final Presentation COIL Class (summary and discussion) Final Presentation

 

 

Welcome to Kagoshima University Briefing

UWL Students and Professor Heather Linville were welcomed and KU Global Center Chief Professor Unedaya and ‘US-Kagoshima-Asia Triad Program’ Manager Professor Nakatani.

 

Visit to Takeshima Island

Along with the inhabited islands of Iōjima and Kuroshima, Takeshima belongs to Mishimamura (or Mishima Village). Takeshima is a long and narrow island with a very small population. The residents depend on agriculture, fisheries and seasonal tourism for their livelihood. Although small in size and population, the island maintains an elementary school, and this is the main reason that the UWL students visited the Takeshima.To reach Takeshima island, UWL & KU students and staff boarded the KU Faculty of Fisheries training vessel ‘Nansei-maru’. Upon arriving at Takeshima island’s port, we were welcomed to port by all the students and teachers of the local elementary school who sang and played their African Djembe drums.

After the greetings and welcome address at the port, students were divided into smaller groups and were taken on a walking tour of the island by the Takeshima elementary school students. Various points of interests (Shinto shrines, bamboo shoot factory, the original port of Takeshima etc.) as well information about nature, wildlife and life on Takeshima, were explained in English by our student guides. After the island walking tour, KU and UWL students and staff gathered at Takeshima Elementary School Hall where the school kids were waiting with their Djembe drums ready to teach eager us how to play. It was a really good time for UWL and KU students to get acquainted with the children in an informal setting. Meanwhile, the teachers and also Nansei-maru crew were busy preparing an American style BBQ with the main meal being genuine American Hamburgers. Before eating however there was a circle Djembe class with all students joining in to learn a traditional song from start to finish. After dinner, the KU/UWL students returned to the Nansei-maru to sleep for the first time on-board a small ship docked on the harbor.

The following morning at 7:00 am, KU/UWL students and staff were picked up by two teachers from Takeshima school and taken to the island’s main cow farm and shed. Here we learned that raising cattle brings important money to the economy of Takeshima. The next stop was a beautiful clifftop view of Iōjima island in the distance. After the car tour of the island, we returned to Takeshima Elementary School to observe how classes are taught at this school. It was interesting to learn that most of the students at the school are not Takeshima born. Most come from bigger towns like Kagoshima City, or other prefectures such as Kumamoto etc. These students are known as ‘sea breeze’ students. Children of different ages are mixed in the same class since class numbers are quite low. We were permitted to observe and English class and Japanese class in progress. It was a real eye-opener for UWL students who are going to be teachers in the future. They have never seen such a class conducted in this way. After the morning classes finished, there was chance for the students to have a cultural exchange with UWL and KU students by giving a presentation about themselves and their lives, African Djembe connection to Takeshima, as well as their future ambitions. It also turned into a great Q&A session and exchange in English for everyone.

Everyone was really touched and moved by this visit to Takeshima. It fulfilled the COIL objectives of the course by having a first-hand experience of education issues facing young students who have some form of difficulties in adjusting to school life or facing some learning issues. UWL students later found out that Djembe drums go back 25 years with Djembe drum teacher bringing it to the island from Guinea. The mayor of Mishima Village later explained to UWL students that djembe has a very important role to play in education on the island. As most of the ‘sea breeze’ students have some form of learning difficulties or problems with social interaction, it was discovered that playing djembe drums gave those students a ‘voice’ to express themselves through music and rhythm.

Visit to Mishima Village Office in Kagoshima

After the field trip to Takeshima, the UWL students visited the Mishima Village Office in Kagoshima city. There they were greeted and welcomed by Mishima Village’s mayor, Mr. Oyama Tatsuo. It was such an informative meeting with the students and mayor engaging in  an open discussion touching on subjects including: the current challenges of Mishima Village;  focus on island settlement and incentives for people to come and make a sea-change; the importance of keeping the schools open on the islands; and how djembe drumming is a form of therapy for the ‘sea-breeze’ students of the school (students coming from outside of Mishima).Currently there are 25 sea-breeze students studying with the 4 schools in the three islands with a goal of having at least 30 ‘sea-breeze’ students from 2020 onwards.

Students learned that in order to bring new settlers into Mishima, it is important that there will be work available for them, and that there be adequate housing for them to move into. People with skills in Livestock grazing / Animal Husbandry / Fisheries / Nursing and looking to start a new business in Mishima Village are sought after.From this April, they will teach Geoscience as one of the main subjects at school in Mishima. Since Mishima is part of an active volcanic chain of islands it is the only place where one can learn this both at school and on site.

Mayor Oyama says that although Mishima Village is a small chain of islands, he would like to make it well known in the world!

Meizan Elementary School (MES)

KU & UWL COIL class was mainly focused on the themes of: Identifying influences of globalization on education / Japanese educational issues from a global perspective / compare and contrast educational issues faced by migrants in US and Japan / Analyze the role of education in building a multicultural society etc.

Meizan Elementary School located in the center of Kagoshima City has implemented a Japanese Language Class to help children from different foreign backgrounds enrolled in surrounding schools to learn intensive Japanese language catch up to their classmates and be able to attend Japanese elementary grade classes. At MES there are a total of 23 students from different background studying Japanese language for foreign students. 13 are elementary students and 9 are junior High School grade students. Except for 4 elementary students the rest of the students (19) come from surrounding elementary and junior high schools. It is an ideal place to study and observe how such a school deals with their multicultural community.

After arriving, there was a briefing session in the morning and the KU &UWL students were divided into two groups. Each group were rotated visiting Japanese language class and a music class in progress (see photos below).

 

After this, there was lunch break followed by free time with the getting to know the children in the playground. KU and UWL students were warmly welcomed by children of all grades and ages in the playground. MES students really did their best to chat to our American guests in English! Both UWL and KU students were in high demand from the children.

The KU and UWL students participated in a Q&A session with the MES Japanese language teachers and they were very surprised to find out that foreign languages are not used to help teach Japanese. The Japanese language is taught using only Japanese. Sometimes, very rarely will the teachers use any words in the students’ mother language. This is very different from the way English is taught in the United States where teachers would use translation tools to help teach English. This encourages everyone to speak Japanese quickly.

We then met with the Principal of MES and gave a formal thank you from both the KU student representative and Professor Sumie Nakatani, the UWL student representative and Professor Heather Linville.

 

Sushi Making Course

Sushi Madoka is a sushi train chain restaurant in Kagoshima. At its Frespo store, they offer a Make your own sushi / sushi chef experience. UWL and KU students took part in learning how to make sushi and afterwards eating the sushi they made for lunch. The students were also joined by one of the homestay host (Ms. Fukuzaki) from Ibusuki city.

After making the sushi the all 7 UWL students and 1 KU student waited for their respective host families to come and pick them up for their overnight homestay experience with a Japanese family.

 

Homestay

Prior to the UWL students joining the COIL class on Education, Culture and Identity, Kagoshima University’s ‘US-Kagoshima-Asia Triad in a Multi-Polar World’ project office established a ‘Host Family Bank’ of which members from the community have volunteered to host the UWL students for one night to give them an authentic experience living with a Japanese family.

As much as possible we tried to match each student to a host family to ensure suitability. The UWL students were looking forward to staying with a real Japanese family and didn’t know what to expect. Below are just a small sample of some of the activities that their host families had been so kind to give each of them.

 

Here are some student’s impressions of their homestay:

Student Voice 1: “Staying with a host family provided such a unique opportunity, and I am so thankful I got to wear a Kimono, learn traditional Japanese dance, went to a shrine, learned Kendo, and experiences a hot spring! I will never forget my trip to Japan, and I am so thankful for everyone who helped make this possible!” (Lindsey Strzyzewski – UWL)

 

Student Voice 2: “My name is Colm Alba, my host family was the Asamatsu family. Yoshitake and Toshiko …. they were super super nice. They were incredibly incredibly nice to me. Toshiko is an extremely good cook, so she made all the greatest cuisine and food in the world! Yoshitake is really into American pop-culture so we talked a lot about Star Wars, and we watched Transformers together, it was actually pretty cool. All in all, I had a great time and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.” (Colm Alba – UWL)

 

Student Voice 3: “I will never forget the host family experience. I could write 7 novels on how I lucked out with THE BEST second family ever. They were so sweet and kind and welcoming to me from the second they picked me up. Getting to wear a traditional kimono, doing calligraphy, origami, having my family facetime my host family, and visiting the most beautiful shrine i’ve ever seen with the Arima family are all unforgettable experiences i will tell my kids someday.” (Ally Gesteland – UWL)

 

Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots / Chiran Samurai Residence and Garden / Satsuma Musou Shouchu Factory

UWL and KU students took part in a field trip to Chiran.

The first stop was the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots (Chiran Tokkō-Heiwa-Kaikan), which has one of the most comprehensive exhibits of personal possessions and letters from deceased soldiers who fought for Japan during the final moments of World War II.

UWL students were surprised to learn that some of the Japanese Imperial Army Tokkō pilots were even younger than them when they died. It was a touching and moving experience for all. Everyone agreed that the museum is very important in showing the sacrifice and tragic loss of young lives so that we may never allow such incidents to be repeated. UWL student, Colm Alba is specializing in History Education and Social Science and he found the historically important information to be useful for his World War II history teaching plan.

After a wonderful traditional Japanese lunch, the students took a walking tour of the famous Chiran samurai residence and gardens. For most of the UWL students it was their first time abroad, and all of them have never been to Japan. To come and experience walking though a real preserved samurai village was totally impressive to them.

One student was surprised to find out that the same families have lived in these house

from the Edo period until now!

 

COIL Class summary and final presentation

The Education, Culture and Identity Among the Minorities course was conducted using COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) classes. KU in collaboration with UWL used both Mediasite (video recording and storage) and the CANVAS course management system to post comments and create discussion groups.

KU class members were each given an iPad to use for creating and editing video content for the course.

ZOOM meeting was also used by the professors from both KU and UWL to plan and coordinate classes.

The table below sets out the lesson plan for the course.

1	Orientation: What is COIL? Topics to be learned, class outcome, requirements, evaluation, how to edit a video.
2	COIL Ice Breaking: Watching UWL introduction video-flips and make comments on CANVAS. Think about a relevant response to each of the videos and then introduce yourself by preparing video-flips with a self-introduction, including family background and educational background.
3	Watching introduction videos by UWL students and make discussions in Japanese about the difference in educational background. Then hear a lecture by KU Professor about increasing numbers of non-native Japanese children and educational issues among the minorities in Japan.
4	Educational Issues in Japan: Japanese Students’ Group Presentation (English and Contents check).
5	Educational Issues in the US: Hearing the comments of UWL students about educational issues in Japan as a response to KU videos. Viewing US presentations about educational issues in the US.
6	Comparison between US and Japan: Group discussion and analysis to compare educational issues in US and Japan. Based on analysis, decide a topic for online group discussion with UWL students.
7	Online group discussion in English about their findings based on comparison between US and Japan.
8	Special Talk by Tsukada Tomomi “Support for foreign residents in Kagoshima”
9	Lecture: Ethnic / Regional Culture and Identity in France (in Japanese)
10	Special Talk by Yue Horinouchi “Technical Intern Trainee System and situation in Kagoshima”
11	Drafting of the students’ project on Education, Culture and Identity among the Minorities and presenting in English (video) to UWL side. Comment session
12	Global teaching plan presentation video by UWL team
13	Collaborative workshop with UWL students
14	Collaborative workshop with UWL students
15	COIL Summary

Due to the time difference between the US and Japan we could not make the COIL synchronous learning. In order to facilitate the COIL classes, KU used Mediasite servers to upload both KU and UWL student created videos. The UWL team was given access to KU Mediasite servers. Once a student or group creates a video, the video is then uploaded to the Mediasite server and a link is generated. The link to the video is then posted on UWL’s CANVAS course management system for ‘on demand’ viewing by students. Students from KU would watch UWL videos and share their thoughts and feedback by leaving comments on the CANVAS discussion under each video, and UWL students would do the same for the KU videos they watch.

 

Below is a flowchart for the COIL class implementation:

At the end of the field work, KU and UWL students working in groups, summarized what they learned from their field work in Takeshima and created a poster to present to Takeshima Elementary School students as well as the mayor of Mishima Village.

The UWL group then made a group presentation via PowerPoint slide summarizing everything that they learned in the COIL class lectures, videos, and from their field work to Takeshima Island, Meizan Elementary School and Chiran Peace Museum. Individual UWL students also presented an outline of their individual educational study plans and how it is relevant to what they learned in this COIL class.

 

Finally, here are some of the students’ impression of the COIL course & Education, Culture and Identity Among the Minorities Inter-University Exchange between KU and UWL.

 

Student Voice 4: “Thank you so much to everyone from Kagoshima University and UW La Crosse for making this trip possible! This was a once in a life time opportunity for me, and it was the most amazing 10 days of my life. Everyone we met in Japan was so welcoming and kind which definitely made my first time traveling abroad a lot easier than I thought it would be! I learned a lot about Japan, the culture, and the school system. Once again, thank you so much to everyone who made this trip possible and I can’t wait to visit Japan and Kagoshima again in the future!” (Emma Hedding –UWL)

 

Student Voice 5: I can’t even begin to put into words how amazing our experience was in Kagoshima. This trip and collaboration with Kagoshima University was an amazing opportunity filled with new friendships, experiences, and places. I feel so lucky to have been able to learn about Japanese culture and connect with the people and students of Kagoshima. Not only were our activities and research exciting and interesting, but the people here were so kind and welcoming. We have made so many new friends and have learned so much from this study abroad program. Many thanks to all of the students, professors, and faculty who made this trip possible!” (Veronica Eilers – UWL)

 

Student Voice 6: Honestly, I am beyond grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to study in Kagoshima. The people, the places, and the experiences I had while in Japan were amazing and I will forever be thankful for it. I think one of my favorite parts, which is really hard to choose because it all was amazing, was the trip to Takeshima Island. The sights were amazing but so were the people, the students, and the school. This was my first trip abroad and everyone was so nice and welcoming which helped me as I went through it all. I would not change anything that happened on the trip. Thank you again Kagoshima University and all the staff that helped us during the trip and the members who planned it!” (Kambrie Haas – UWL)

 

Student Voice 7: “I am still so thankful for the opportunity I had to go to Kagoshima and meet all these wonderful people!! We had such a great time getting to go to Takeshima island, going to different schools and experiencing Kagoshima University. We met so many amazing people along the way. I didn’t know what to expect going into this trip, but I was blown away by how much I learned and how much fun I had. I can’t thank everyone enough for making this such a wonderful experience and I hope to be back some day!!” (Abby Stellmacher – UWL)

 

CONCLUSION:

 

From the educator’s point of view, the US-Kagoshima-Asia Triad Program’s Education, Culture and Identity Among the Minorities Course inter-university provided the opportunity for KU and UWL COIL class participants to meet and work together in person. Besides achieving all the COIL class objectives, the inter-cultural exchange experience was life-changing for most of the UWL students.

 

It was also valuable learning experience for all the educators and support staff.

Japanese Culture

Students of San Jose State University, U.S. visited Kagoshima University in January 2020, and vice-versa, students of Kagoshima University visited San Jose in February-March 2020.

 

Eight San Jose State University (SJSU) students and their professor visited Kagoshima, Amami, and Okinawa from 5^th to 18^th January 2020 as part of the course: “Local and Minority Culture in Japan” organized by Kagoshima University (KU) in collaboration with SJSU. The course examines how identities and cultures of the ethnic minorities of Japan, such as Okinawans and Amamians, changed over time from Edo era to present, interacting with majority groups in mainland Japan and the U.S. under their political controls.

SJSU students participated in an American literature class in Kagoshima University (KU) and had discussions with KU students. They made research trips to Sakurajima island, Japanese gardens of Sengan’en, and Chiran Samurai Residence Complex. They identified traditional Japanese garden style and enjoyed local foods such as Ramen, Shochu, and the largest radish variety in the world, the ‘Sakurajima Daikon’ grown in ash fields at the foot of the active Sakurajima volcano. Also, whilst in Chiran, they visited the Chiran Peace Museum where they learned about the experiences and memories of the young Kamikaze suicide pilot corps in the second World War. In Amami and Okinawa they discovered how local folk culture differs from “Japanese Culture.” A field research in Amami was made collaboratively with KU students who major in anthropology and archeology. They interviewed local elderly people on whether they identify themselves either as Amamian or/and Japanese.

A month later, a group of Kagoshima University students visited California to participate in a course consisting of a leadership workshop and hands on training at educational institutes and business companies in San Francisco Bay Area. KU students visited SJSU campus where SJSU students made a poster presentation about their research findings during their Kagoshima, Amami, Okinawa trip and shared their experiences in Japan with KU students. It was an exciting event in which both student bodies confirmed their friendships and enjoyed interactions.

Sumie Nakatani

Course Schedule: San Jose University

Date	Topics, activities
1/4(Sa)	Departure from the U.S.
1/5(S)	Arrival at Kagoshima airport.
1/6(M) 9am-6pm	Orientation 09:00-11:30am 11:30-12:30  Lunch at Kagoshima University Cafeteria 12:50-14:20 Discussion and interview with KU students of American Literature course 14:30-16:00 Discussion and interview with KU students of  Comparative culture course 16:00-18:00 Campus tour of Kagoshima University 18:00-20:00 Mixer @Inamori Memorial Building 2F Vege Marché
1/7(T) 8:30am-6pm	Sakurajima Mountain sightseeing 08:30 Start Sakurajima nature and agriculture lecture 10:30 Arimura Lava view point Walking 11:10 Sakurajima Visitor Center (Museum, Foot Bath) 11:40 Radish cooking at Café Shirahama 12:40 Lunch at Café Shirahama 15:00 Reimeikan museum (Kagoshima History and Culture) Dinner: Kagoshima Ramen/Soba/Udon
1/8(W) 8am-6pm	9:00 Start from Kagoshima University 10:00 Chiran Peace museum 11:00 Lecture in English 12:15 Chiran Samurai Residence Garden 13:00 Lunch 14:30 Shouchu, Satumaage and Karukan making and eating at Musouzou and Musouan 16:00 Scholarship procedure
1/9(R) 8am-8pm	09:30 Sengan’en (Garden) & Shuseikan museums* 11:00 Satsuma Kiriko factory and shops 12:00 Shiroyama hiking 13:00 Lunch: Biking restaurant in Reimeikan 14:30 Nanshuu park and Takamori Saigo 16:00 Ferry Port 18:00 Departure to Naze
1/10(F) 7am-5pm	05:00 Arrive at Naze Port, Breakfast, Drop by hotel 08:00 Amami city Naze Elementary school (center of reversion movement), cultural exchange with Naze elementary school kids, Ogamiyama park walk, statue of Yoshiro Izumi and reversion memorial statue, View of Naze city, 10:30 Amami museum (History&culture of Amami) 12:30 Lunch, Keihan at Torisen 14:00-16:00 Yumeorinosato Oshima Tsumugi Kimono wearing or dyeing experience Reading: The Return of the Amami Islands by Eldridge Chapter2
1/11(Sa) 7am-6pm	07:15 Move to Koniya harbor, arrive at 8:45am 09:15 Ferry to Kakeroma Lunch: Umi Yado Kakeroma WWII battle sites visit and talk with elder
1/12(S)	05:30 Ferry From Naze to Okinawa, Naha
1/13(M) 成人の日祝日 8am-5pm	08:30 Shuri Castle*, Benzaitendo, Ryutan, King’s graveyard* 11:00-12:00  Shikina garden* ¥400 13:00 Lunch at Omoshiro machi 14:00-16:00 Okinawa Prefecture museum (Okinawa history and culture)
1/14(T) 8am-6pm	09:00 Namino Miya (Okinawan shrine) 10:00-11:30 Okinawa International Peace Research Institute ¥500 12:00-13:00 Okinawa soba 13:30 Bingata dyeing experience at Kokusai street ¥2570 15:00 Kokusai street walk( Makishi public market, Tenbusu Naha2F Sakurazaka Theatre)
1/15(W) 8am-6pm	09:00-13:00 Gyokusendo and Okinawa world Lunch: Abura somen 14:00-17:00 Okinawa Peace Memorial Park*
1/16(R) 8am-6pm	09:00 Kakazu takadai park(Futenma Base) 11:30 Road station Kadena (Kadena Air base) Lunch: Uchinaa Bento at Kadena Michi no eki 13:30 Goza histreet museum (Free) and Eisaa museum(Free) 03:00 Katsuren Castle(Free)
1/17(F) 8am-6pm	10:00 Yomitan village,  Chibichirigama, Shimukugama, Gosamaru’s Zakimi castle ruin* 13:00 Lunch : Tako rice at American Village 14:00-16:00 Chatan (American Village, Ahama beach, Sunset beach)
1/18(Sa)	Departure for the US.

 

In this course, students from the Faculty of Clinical Veterinary Medicine of Kagoshima University (1~6 grades) were invited to join it and 15 students participated. 2 students were from University of Georgia (USA) and 3 students were from National Chung Hsing University (Taiwan). COIL class were conducted 4 times and we made it possible for the students to attendance it both online and directly. After the lecture, 3 University’s students with focus on 4^th grade of them discussed and made reports with together.

As for actual student exchange program, 2 students were sent to University of Georgia (UGA) and 3 students were sent to National Chung Hsing University(NCHU) from Kagoshima University (KU), and in exchange, 1 student from UGA and 3 students from NCHU were received by KU. All students received hands-on practice and attended classes at each University’s Veterinary hospitals. Each student has got more acquainted through this time.

Although there were not so many participants in this course, most of the students are high academic achievers, therefore were driven and highly motivated to be in this course.

Regarding COIL classes, we have made it possible to listen the class again in a time that suits the student making it possible to understand the content at their own pace. Three faculty professors gave different lectures on themes which differ from the usual lecture program of Clinical Veterinary Medicine courses which made it highly interesting for the students. After listening to the lectures, they discussed them with students in foreign University using Skype etc., and it was a great result that we were able to recognize the different levels of consciousness among each country.

Using COIL, a KU professor gave a lecture about transboundary animal diseases which is especially problem for global veterinary medicine and students discussed comparing actual contents to be studied in each field work. This is important as an education in the concept of “one world, one health”, but it makes more acceptable as a real issue when students from different Asian countries and the United States, which have different environments, actually exchange ideas. As Kagoshima is one of the leading areas of animal husbandry and positioned as the southern entrance to Japan, it is really good region for a veterinary doctor to think about these issues. There is a special disease also in Taiwan and Georgia and therefore students found new experiences by exchanging this information.

In 2019, students from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine took the initiative and held a symposium on US-Kagoshima-Asia Triad Program. Most of the planning and management were left to the students. A guest for a special lecture was invited from NCHU. Planning a symposium by themselves also brought a great educational effect. Especially, it brought some consideration of what goes on behind the scenes in global academia for students who will take part in academic conferences and symposia in the future.