Thanks to the support of the Sakura Science Program, eight students and two accompanying teachers from La Unión and Jose Galvez Schools in Peru participated in a seven-day training program from February 25 to March 2, 2024. During the training, participants learned about cutting-edge disaster mitigation and disaster prevention science and technology, research, and initiatives in Japan, visited Japanese universities, and broaden their options for future career paths, including studying abroad in Japan.
The group arrived in Tsukuba City on the evening of February 25th and began their stay in Japan at the University of Tsukuba Global Guest House.
The opening ceremony was held with the presence of the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Peru to Japan, Mr. Roberto Seminario and the attendance of six faculty members from University of Tsukuba, including Professor Osamu Oneda, Director of Bureau of Global Initiatives and Dr. Tadachika Koganezawa, Associate Professor, as well as Professor Yasunori Takemura, Assistant Professor Moeko Tominaga from Nishinippon Institute of Technology, and Associate Professor Andrea Urushima from Kyoto Seika University, which were the host universities for this training program. Additionally, parents of participating students from Peru attended online. After the ceremony, a meeting was held between the participating students and the Ambassador Seminario.
Following the ceremony, Assistant Professor Sandra Puentes introduced the university’s Bachelor’s Program in Interdisciplinary Engineering offered in English, followed by her own volunteer activities after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. In the afternoon, Associate Professor Michitaka Umemoto of the University of Tsukuba’s Urban Disaster Prevention Laboratory gave a lecture on “Urban Planning and Disaster Management in Tsukuba Science City,” where participants learned about the cycle of disaster risk and “disaster prevention,” “disaster mitigation” through urban planning approaches, and construction and disaster prevention in Tsukuba Science City. On February 27, the participants visited “Michino-Eki Joso,” which opened in April 2023 in Joso City, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience in Tsukuba City, and the Metropolitan Area Outer Discharge Channel, one of the largest underground discharge channels in the world, developed by integrating the most advanced Japanese civil engineering technologies in Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture.
The delegation was split into two groups, with one staying in Kyoto and the other in Fukuoka from February 28 to March 2, for training sessions at Kyoto Seika University and Nishinippon Institute of Technology, respectively. The closing ceremony and certificate distribution took place on March 2, after which the students returned to Peru.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the JST Sakura Science Program for offering us this invaluable training opportunity. We aspire for the participating students to revisit Japan as international scholars, fostering continued exchange between our university and La Unión School and Jose Galvez School.
For more information, please refer to the Sakura Science Activity Report.
https://ssp.jst.go.jp/report/2023/