The Center for Collaborative Study with Community kicked off a "Space Engineering Seminar 2019" for senior high school and technical college students within Gifu Prefecture at Gifu Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum on June 8, 2019. Ninety-four students studying space engineering participated in the seminar.

This Space Engineering Seminar is a part of "Senior High School & University Partnership Program" of COC+* projects, and is jointly organized by Gifu Prefecture, Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefectural Board of Education, Gifu Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum and National Institute of Technology, Gifu College. The seminar includes lectures at each high school by teleconferencing and visit to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tokyo. The students are given an opportunity to receive the most advanced space education during this seminar.

At its opening ceremony on June 8, a video message from President Hisataka Moriwaki was shown to the students as he was not able to be present due to the Gifu University 70th Anniversary events. "Scientific experiences you will have, especially scientific thinking will go a long way toward attaining your goals in life. I hope such experiences will be used for the development of aerospace and many other scientific fields extensively in the future," said President.

Mr. Kenji Mikami from the Manufacturing Industries Bureau, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry was invited as a keynote speaker and he spoke about the future of Japanese manufacturing (title: "Future of Japanese manufacturing: endeavor for a flying vehicle"). All students listened to his speech with great interest. Nine sessions taught by Gifu University teaching staff and officials from JAXA, and a tour to JAXA are scheduled in Space Engineering Seminar 2019.

*COC+: Center of Community Program for Local Revitalization of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)