"To Students Considering a Course of Study in Science: Let’s Take a Look! The Current State of Women in Science -SciTech Girls in Handai-" held

On Saturday, June 3, from 13:00 ~ 17:00, a seminar entitled “To Students Considering a Course of Study in Science: Let’s Take a Look! The Current State of Women in Science –SciTech Girls in Handai-“ was held at the Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences on Osaka University’s Toyonaka Campus.

This event was held for the first time at OU, with the aim of portraying the enjoyment and appeal of studying science and careers in the science field, as well as encouraging junior high school and high school girls to pursue a career in a scientific field. Over 180 junior high school and high school girls and over 60 parents, guardians, and supervising teachers were in attendance, hailing from as far away as even Kochi and Aichi prefectures. Osaka Gas, Panasonic, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, Daikin, NTT West, and Hitachi Zosen, all cooperating corporations in the Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment, set up corporate booth at the seminar.

There were 5 events for students at the seminar, each of them a big hit.

・Listen up! Girl Talk

Junior high school and high school students and their parents/guardians listened intently to talk about student life and research activity from students in the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, female technicians at Daikin, and Associate Professor UMEDA Junko of the Joining and Welding Research Institute.

・Get a Closer Look! Girls in Science (Corporate Booths)

At each elaborate booth, female researchers spoke about the appeal of research, career paths of female technicians, and support from corporations regarding life events. Even after the event ended, female students listened passionately to the female technicians.

・Get a Closer Look! Girls in Science (OU Booths)

14 female graduate students from 13 laboratories in the Schools of Science, Engineering, and Engineering Science participating in this event introduced research in their laboratories as well as everyday life. Female universities students could be seen interacting positively with female junior high school and high school students at each booth.

・Let's Talk! University and Career Counseling from Current Female University Students

One hundred and forty-five junior high school and high school students and 29 guardians and faculty attended this event. Eighteen graduate students in science, engineering, engineering science, health sciences, dentistry, and pharmaceutical sciences spoke about various topics, such as how to take entrance examinations, career choices, the characteristics of each undergraduate school, and classes and student life at Osaka University.

・Try it out! Experiment Demonstration

In this event, entitled “Observing the microscopic form of minerals in the earth’s crust,” students used a polarizing microscope and a scanning electron microscope to control experimental equipment and observe a surprising side to the rocks we see every day. Attendees felt the enjoyment of controlling the equipment themselves, and were able to experiences the true depth that science has to offer.

There were a number of positive reactions from attendees seen on the post-seminar surveys. “It was a very worthwhile experience,” “My perception of OU is different now,” and “I’m more interested in my path for the future” were just some of the responses that were received. However, some feedback, namely that “there wasn’t enough time to participate in all of the events,” addressed issues that must be improved in the future.