On November 2023, 11, Hachinohe Institute of Technology and the Shintaro Yamada D&I Foundation signed a partnership agreement to comprehensively cooperate in the development of STEM (science) human resources among junior high and high school girls.
The Shintaro Yamada D&I Foundation aims to "realize a society where each person can pursue what they like according to their interests, regardless of gender or background." We are promoting activities to eliminate the gender gap in (science) fields.From 2023, we will collaborate with universities and technical colleges across the country to support the cross-sectional support of junior high and high school girls in choosing science and engineering fields. ~University/Technology College Support Platform~ has been launched and has collaborated with 13 universities to date.
At Hachinohe Institute of Technology, we have launched an organization called ``HIT Rikejo LABO'', which is made up of female faculty members, and has been working since 2020 with the aim of increasing the number of female students in the northern Tohoku region choosing science careers.So far, we have held hands-on public lectures, workshops at commercial facilities, and lectures at affiliated schools. In 2023, it was selected as part of the Japan Science and Technology Agency's ``Science Career Selection Program for Female Junior High and High School Students,'' and the program holds lectures, experiments, and hands-on experiences for female junior high and high school students.
This time, Hachinohe Institute of Technology and the D&I Foundation believe that by collaborating more comprehensively, more female junior high and high school students in the region will become aware of the appeal of STEM fields and have the opportunity to consider further education and careers. It was decided that a cooperation agreement would be concluded.
Eri Ayukawa, associate professor of the Faculty of Engineering at Hachinohe Institute of Technology and head of HIT Rikejo LABO, said, ``Female students studying not only in Aomori Prefecture, where Hachinohe Institute of Technology is located, but also in a wide range of regions, are choosing science courses and are becoming ``the person they want to be''. "I will work with the Shintaro Yamada D&I Foundation to provide support so that I can pursue what I want to do," he said of his aspirations.
