“The Fuji Electric Facility Technology Center had previously been involved with various regional activities, such as regional and prefectural cleaning efforts, cooperative efforts in park greening, and support during fireworks events. We were thinking of how we could conduct a science classroom—something we’ve never done before—as Fuji Electric as a whole attempts to expand support for developing the next generation. I mentioned this to a city councilor I met through our regional activities and he suggested conducting the class during Kinder-Uni, so he introduced the Konosu Board of Education to us as a point of contact.”

So explains Hiroe Niijima, a Supervisor in the Saitama Region Administration Section who was responsible for this plan in the Center. Kinder-Uni is an event that includes classroom lectures and hands-on activities held in cooperation with Saitama Prefecture and each city/town/village or municipality, with the goal of developing intellectual curiosity in children. Classes are conducted by university professors and other experts in university campuses and other locations. In only its fifth year since being established, the Facility Technology Center has plenty of technology as a manufacturing location, and is also used as an educational site for technical skill training. It therefore seemed to be most suitable as a location for Kinder-Uni.

Mr. Suda explained his role.

“I performed my role as science doctor complete in a white lab coat (laughs). I was told by some coworkers to make it fun for the kids, so I made sure to keep smiling. The kids were really serious about learning, and the reaction was great. I thought it might be difficult for them to understand environmental issues, but all the kids seemed really interested to hear what we had to say.”

Mr. Suda was concerned about the lack of interest in science among children—even his own. He went on to explain the significance of conducting experiments in which students actually get to use instruments.

“When I was a kid, I used to take apart anything I could get my hands on, including my toys. I often got yelled at by my parents! But I think doing that helped make me the engineer I am today. I think it’s important to actually get your hands on things and see how they work.”

Mr. Hori also feels that the good reactions from the children helped make the class a success.

“During the rehearsal, I was really nervous because the adults didn’t look like they were having fun. I honestly felt a bit embarrassed when it came to the real event, but seeing the lively expressions on the kids’ faces helped get me through it.”

Mr. Kariya also shared his experience.

“I was friendly with the kids and tried to get them to have fun. Of course, I’m normally strict when training students at the Training Dept. (laughs). I was most concerned about safety. Kids these days don’t really play much with physical toys, so I was worried that they might get hurt handling the laboratory instruments. We decided to assign a staff member to each group to keep things safe.”

Takuro Kajiwara, Saitama Region Administration Section Manager, had the following to say about the methods they developed during the first science classroom.

“We first wondered how it would go. This was our first time meeting all these kids from schools in areas throughout the city, and we were worried that everyone would be nervous and sit in absolute silence in the classroom. Instead, the kids were friendly right off the bat and actively worked with us during the experiment. It was like the adults were energized by the kids. I was truly pleased when reading the feedback to see that some kids wrote that they wanted to become engineers when they grow up. I hope they really will become engineers... and come work for Fuji Electric!”