On 7 February 2024, a lecture was held for the third-year students and their parents at Isesaki Municipal Yotsuba Gakuen Secondary School in Gunma Prefecture.
As this was the first lecture by a UTokyo professor at that school, it was impressive to see the students, including their parents, listening to it intently and taking notes. After they all listened to Dean Kato’s talk on cutting-edge engineering, with many comments—including "It was stimulating to hear about concrete research that can contribute to society" and "I was surprised to learn that there are a wide range of engineering fields that I had never heard of before"—their impression of engineering was changed. There was also a compliment of "I was wondering what I would do when I became a high school student and had to choose between the humanities and the sciences, but after listening to Dean Kato's talk, I felt relieved to know that I could pursue my interests and choose a career path with an eye to the future, regardless of whether I go on to study the humanities or the sciences."
Midori Aoki (Metaverse School of Engineering)