Visit to Partner Universities in Europe

Student report by Mr. Hiroaki Ishikawa (2nd-year Master program student)
11 students from the Leading Program visited the L'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Industries Textiles (ENSAIT, France), Ghent University (Faculty of Engineering & Architecture, Belgium) and Manchester University (The School of Materials, UK) from March 7 to 14, 2016. All the universities we visited had many foreign students because of their global sense of values. The campuses seemed very international. The visit was arranged for us to observe their experimental equipment available to use during our Overseas Special Practical Study which we take in the 3rd year of our program. It also gave us the chance to experience the lifestyle at an overseas university, through workshops and classes where we could communicate with many students.

ENSAIT
Day1
At this workshop, Shinshu University students presented about their life at university and introduced the culture of Nagano. Unfortunately, almost all ENSAIT's students were out on internships, so, they couldn't discuss with local ENSAIT's students however, they could communicate with the foreign students at ENSAIT. From the communication, they came to ENSAIT because it is famous for textile technology and some students said they wanted to engage in that field. We were impressed with their strong ambition.
Day2
We attend some lectures. The lectures were for the fashion industry. The contents were mainly about using AI or electric information on the internet as a marketing strategy. For example, students learned about the business that make clothes or interiors using digital formats, which could be ordered on the internet. These topics are also taught in our university however, this lecture at ENSAIT was also analysed what is good and what is weak. So, students could get through the practical lecture. We also got to meet with Kyoko Katayama, a leading student of our university who's currently studying at ENSAIT as a foreign student. She also took part in this event for both days. Students could hear from her about life in ENSAIT and how she has been getting along. It was meaningful for students to know the circumstance and educational system in ENSAIT.

Ghent University
The students attended the lecture and facility tour in Ghent University. The lecture was for about carbon fiber and it was given in English together with bachelor students at Ghent University. The lecture itself was not so different from Shinshu University, but none of the Ghent University's students struggled to understand English. Although Belgium is located in Europe, the students who don't speak English as mother language could still speak English well. It is a great role model for Japanese students. While the break, the Leading program students could communicate with the local students. It was valuable for students to communicate in English. After the lecture, a professor from Ghent suggested visiting a facility which can make nano-fiber. Many program students were interested in this because they are also researching in the nano-fiber field. They also introduced their facilities, mainly for evaluating textile properties. One of the facilities was testing artificial grass to be used as a football ground.

Manchester University
The students did a facility tour at Manchester University. It looked like a factory because there were a lot of machines for making fiber or textile in large space. After the tour, program students gave a presentation to the professors in Manchester about Shinshu University and the culture of Nagano. They enjoyed the discussions that took place. Following that, a local student in Manchester gave us a campus tour. Although it has a long history, the tour helped us understand that this university is very large, with a lot of foreign students to create a real international atmosphere. Moreover, the university was a part of the city because it was borderless and that was very different from our experience in Japan.

Postscript
All cities we visited have museums. Especially the museums in UK, were free because these were maintained by donations. I thought that UK is eager to encourage the sightseeing industry and education and also thought that it is quite different from Japan. However, I remembered that there is also museums or pavilions in Ueda. I realized that I don't know much about Japanese museums. Although this visit was for learning abroad, iI realized that its important to know about our local history deeply and connect to these perspectives from outside more clearly.