The Center for Collaborative Study with Community kicked off a "Space Engineering Seminar" for senior high school students in Gifu Prefecture as parts of "Senior High School & University Partnership Program" of COC^*1 and COC+^*2 projects.

In this seminar, students can attend classes at their own schools via the teleconference system. They can also visit the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tokyo and get a glimpse of the most advanced space education that the body is offering.
On June 11, 2016, the Seminar's opening ceremony was held at Kakamigahara Aerospace Science Museum at Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture.

At the opening ceremony, President Hisataka Moriwaki first expressed his hopes of cultivating human resources who can contribute to regional businesses and industries. Next, Assistant Professor Hiroshi Sudo of the Faculty of Engineering gave a lecture titled, "Look into Space through Global-Scale Telescope: Searching of a Black Hole" as the first lecture of this Seminar.

The Seminar offers the participants 14 different programs such as studying about artificial satellites and visit to the JAXA. The teaching staff of Gifu University and the researchers at the JAXA give lectures to the participants.

^*1 COC (Center of Community) projects:
projects of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Their objectives include reinforcing university functions to be a core of local communities where people, information and technology are brought together for problem-solving. To achieve these objectives, universities are expected to promote regional-based education, research and social contribution.
^*2 COC+ (Center of Community Program for Local Revitalization) projects:
projects of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Their objectives include assembling people together to regions for revitalization by:
- offering attractive job opportunities to students in collaboration with universities, local governments and businesses and,
- supporting university's curriculum reform efforts necessary to cultivate personnel sought by regions.

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