Awards ceremony held for the "Learning Research Activity Grant Program" where a wide variety of Research results shone

The award ceremony for the Learning and Research Activities Grant Program was held on February 5th at Mizuta Memorial Hall on our Chiba Togane Campus. This program is a unique system Josai International University that solicits organizations seeking grants each year, with the aim of encouraging students to identify their own challenges and take a proactive approach to Research.
Selected groups will carry out their activities throughout the year and present the results at a presentation. Many students participate every year as this is an opportunity to deepen their learning by exchanging opinions with other groups and gaining inspiration from different fields of expertise. This year, Research activities of 25 groups were selected, and approximately 400 students have been working on this project.

University President Kurabayashi giving his comments

Group photo of all participants at the award ceremony

At this awards ceremony, the organizations selected from the poster presentation and oral presentation categories were awarded certificates and prizes based on the voting results at the "Learning Research Activity Grant Project Results Presentation" held at Chiba Togane Campus on November 29th last year and the evaluation results of the final reports submitted by each organization. The organization with the highest average score was awarded the Grand Prize, and the next two organizations were awarded Excellence Prizes.
In the poster presentation category, the top prize was awarded to Research by the Nursing and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Collaboration Disaster Shelter Management Research Seminar entitled "Implementation model for elderly support activities in collaboration with other faculties at Josai International University evacuation shelters - Towards building a disaster prevention support system led by students from Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences."

Comments from the winning students

•  Haru Fujishiro, Representative of Yu Hang Seminar
  

  Mr. Fujishiro giving his acceptance speech

   

  We chose this theme because we felt that value lies not in special tourist attractions, but in everyday life. The location for this workshop was a strawberry farm in Kujukuri, my hometown. We believed that even in ordinary places, new tourism value could be created depending on how people interact with them. The most difficult part was figuring out the content of the workshop. We wondered whether the participating children would truly enjoy it, and whether we could create a design that would be fun even if it was made using recycled materials. International students in the seminar came up with ideas, and after numerous prototypes and discussions, we finally settled on a whale, reminiscent of the JIU mascot character and the Pacific Ocean facing Kujukuri Beach. In preparation for a large number of participants, all seminar students practiced crafts for several months, preparing for the workshop. As a result, natural connections were formed through crafting, and we realized the great potential for community interaction.
  Tourism is not just about creating a system to attract people, but also about narrowing the emotional distance between people. I would like to continue working hard to apply this type of activity to other regions.

•  Akari Ominato, Director of the Disaster Shelter Management Research Seminar, Collaboration between the Nursing and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  

  Ominato giving his acceptance speech

  

  Presentation at Research results presentation

   

  We are extremely grateful for receiving this highly prestigious Grand Prize. As disasters have become more prevalent in recent years, we began Research by thinking about what we can do to protect lives and livelihoods as people involved in medical care and welfare in the future. This Research was undertaken in collaboration between Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Faculty of Nursing Research and we brought together our respective expertise and perspectives to seriously consider how we, as a university and as students aiming to become medical professionals, can support local communities in the event of a disaster.
  Originally, I thought that the most important thing in the event of a disaster was to escape first, but as I studied nursing and exchanged opinions with students from the Faculty of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, I began to think, "If there is a life in front of me that can be saved, I want to go beyond the boundaries of my faculty and protect it with my own hands."
  For Research, we conducted surveys simulating actual designated evacuation shelters, catching the first train in the morning in the intense midsummer heat to get to the site, and on some days we continued our surveys right up until the last possible moment to catch our return Shinkansen train. After returning to university, we continued to hold discussions with our professors until late into the night, and even after returning home, we kept in touch online and revised Research many times. Each and every moment has become an unforgettable part of our university life, as we supported each other across departments.
  Through this Research, I came to realize that while evacuation shelters are safe, they can also be extremely harsh places where people have to face anxiety, heat, and loneliness, and that for the elderly in particular, the combined physical and mental strain caused by changes in physical condition, medication management, and changes in environment poses a risk of disaster-related death.In this context, I gained an important realization that rather than responding after a disaster has occurred, it is important to anticipate evacuation shelter operations and prepare support systems in advance to prevent disaster-related deaths.I also felt that students with different specialties working together, learning from each other on a daily basis, and connecting with others can be a great force in saving lives in emergencies.
  This Research has only been possible thanks to the support of the Study Research Activities Grant Program, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Kobe and Noto who cooperated with the survey, the staff of our university's General Affairs Department, the Togane City Fire and Disaster Prevention Department, the professors who guided me, and my colleagues from Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Faculty of Nursing who worked on Research with me. With this experience in mind, I would like to connect people beyond the boundaries of our faculties and save lives as a JIU team. Thank you very much for today.

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  Commentary

  •  Comment University President Kurabayashi

    Not only the recipients of today's awards, but also the organizations that unfortunately did not receive an award, have worked sincerely on Research from their own perspectives. The time and energy that you all poured into this process will not be wasted. I hope that you will use this experience as inspiration for your future endeavors.
    I am delighted that a variety of themes have emerged from the intersection of the wide range of academic fields that is unique to our university. Without being bound by existing classifications, students are posing questions from multiple perspectives and undergoing repeated trial and error. These experiences, which hone the perspectives and ways of thinking typical of university students, will surely produce visible results that will empower you in the future.
    The founding spirit of "character development through learning" does not end with graduation. In this era of 100-year lifespans, we continue to live our lives making responsible decisions and having a positive impact on those around us. I hope that you will continue to be happy that you can now see a different landscape than before, and never forget to be grateful to those who have supported you, and that you will continue to engage in meaningful activities.

The award-winning organizations are as follows:
 

Poster Category

Grand Prize
Supervisor: Professor Yu Hang Faculty of Tourism Department of Tourism
Name of organization: Yu Hang Seminar
Theme: "Building local ties through upcycled handicrafts by tourism students - Towards realizing a CSV (Co-Creating Value) society"

Excellence Award
Supervisor: Professor Takenosuke Mishima, Department of International Exchange Studies Faculty of International Humanities
Organization name: Takenosuke Mishima Seminar (History of International Relations)
Theme: "Learn about John F. Kennedy's judgment and decisiveness through a film screening depicting his response to the civil rights movement"

Supervising teacher: Professor Chika Nakamura, Department Department of Management Sciences Faculty of Management and Information Sciences Science
Name of organization: Fragrance and Odor Research Seminar
Theme: "The best way to improve your sleep quality - Using smartwatches and smartphones"

Oral Presentation Category

Grand Prize
Supervising teachers: Ms. Mieko Yamamura, Faculty of Nursing Department of Nursing Kensuke Sakai, and Dr. Masanori Yoshikubo, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Clinical Pharmacy
Organization name: Nursing and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Collaboration Disaster Shelter Management Research Seminar
Theme: "Implementation model for elderly support activities in collaboration with other faculties at Josai International University evacuation shelters - Toward building a disaster prevention support system led by students from Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences"

Excellence Award
Supervising teacher: Professor Yoko Kunitake, Department Department of Management Sciences Faculty of Management and Information Sciences Science
Organization name: Kunitake Seminar/Area Studies Collaborative Creation Project I (Bamboo Utilization Project Team)
Theme: "Practical attempt to solve local bamboo forest problems by utilizing bamboo"

Supervising teachers: Professor Eriko Kobayashi, Professor Carmen Saito, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Professor Yasushi Kurihara, Department of Physical Therapy Faculty of Social Work Studies
Group name: Social Pharmacy Research x Kurihara Seminar
Theme: "Doping Prevention Awareness Activities - Hidden Risks in OTC Drugs"