REPORT

High School/University Joint Program supported by the Boeing Company in 2015 summer August 20, 2015

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　On Thursday 20th August, 25 students from 5 high schools in Saitama Prefecture accompanied by 10 teachers gathered in Hongo campus to discuss their own versions of “future aircraft”.
　This was a part of the 5th Boeing High Scholl and University Collaboration Cours, a course, supported by the Boeing Company’s Boeing Higher Education Program, ran by the University of Tokyo since 2013 aiming to develop leading scientists or engineers of the future. The key characteristic of the course is in how the courses are designed: the courses are designed based on high schools’ demands for courses that emphasize on learning after university entrance exams, and are made sure that they are not merely a unilateral communication of university’s resources. Some topics were covered in previous courses, and this time it was “aeronautics”. With the main topic being “aeronautics”, the course was organized by Division of University Corporate Relations, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Global Center for Innovation in Engineering Education.
　The course started off with an opening speech by Prof. S. Suzuki (Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also leader of the Course). The course was then followed by an online questions and answers session with a Japanese engineer currently developing a new Boeing aircraft in Seattle, WA, a tour of laboratories in the Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and group work where the high school students discussed and presented their own versions of “future aircraft”. Some of the topics discussed during the questions and answers session were; what made the engineer pursue a career in the aircraft industry, and the advantages about working abroad. During the lab tour high school students visited labs majoring on 4 basic aspects of aeronautics: aerodynamics, structures and materials, propulsion, and control. The experiments and explanations during the lab tour were carefully planned out so that it built on ideas learnt during science classes in high school. During the group work, the high school students combined what they learnt during the lab tour using the jigsaw method, and with some help from faculty members, came up with extremely unique ideas. The groups then presented their ideas, and voted for the best idea.
　The course, by focusing on the relationship between university’ research society, and high school education, was successful in attracting students’, especially those who were not so enthusiastic about engineering, interest in engineering. Comparison of questionnaires taken before and after the course clearly showed this. The average score given for “interest in engineering” (with 5 as highest and 1 as lowest) rose from 4.5 to 4.6 for male students, whilst the average score for female students leapt from 3.8 to 4.8.

Takuma Hino
Aerospace Company, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (Loaned to CAESCO)
Yasuko Nakamuta
School of Engineering,
Institute for Innovation in International Engineering Education (IIIEE)

　8月20日（木）に本郷キャンパスにて第5回高大連携ボーイング講座を産学連携本部、航空宇宙工学専攻と国際工学教育推進機構バイリンガルキャンパス推進センターにより開催しました。東京大学は、2013年より米国The Boeing Company （以下Boeing社）が世界的に展開する教育プログラムBoeing Higher Education Programのサポートを受け、「世界の将来を担うべき優れた科学者・エンジニア」を育成する事業を共同で実施しています。第5回の今回は「航空工学」をテーマとして開催し、講座には埼玉県立浦和高校、浦和第一女子高校、大宮高校、川越高校、川越女子高校から25名の生徒と10名の先生が参加しました。
　この講座の特徴の一つは、一方的に大学のリソースを高校生に提供するのではなく、「工学部についての情報が少ない」、「大学受験がゴールでないことを伝えてほしい」などの高校側の要望も汲み取って講座をデザインしている点にあります。今回の講座では、本プログラムの代表である鈴木真二教授（航空宇宙工学専攻）による挨拶のあと、Boeing社で航空機開発を行う日本人技術者とスカイプでつなぎ、航空機開発の魅力や海外で仕事をする楽しさ、苦労を語ってもらい質疑応答も行いました。また航空宇宙工学専攻の４つの研究室訪問により「空気力学」「構造と材料」「推進」「制御」の側面から航空機について学びつつ高校の授業とのつながりも知ってもらいました。その後は高校生が学んだ知識を持ち寄って、ジクソー法による未来の旅客機の提案に取り組みました。航空宇宙工学専攻の学生や先生からアドバイスを受けながら大変ユニークな未来の旅客機が提案されました。
　高校生へのアンケートを男女別に集計したところ、工学への関心についての5段階評価では、男子は受講前後の平均値の変化が4.5から4.6だったのに対し、女子は3.8から4.8へと変化しました。受講前に関心が2以下だった女子生徒3名は4又は5へと変化していました。講座の中で、高校の授業と大学での研究、社会とのつながりを見せることで、工学をより身近で役立つものと感じてもらい、工学部を敬遠している高校生へも魅力を伝えることができました。

川崎重工業株式会社　航空宇宙カンパニー（CAESCO出向中）
日野 琢磨
工学系研究科国際工学教育推進機構
中牟田 宴子


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