(Dean's Log) Lecture report: Mito First High School and Affiliated Junior High School

On 8 August 2024, a lecture was held at Engineering Building 2 of the University of Tokyo Hongo Campus.  
The lecture was attended by about 340 people, including third year junior high school and first year senior high school students.  Many voiced their gratitude for having been able to gain a new perspective on setting goals for the future in words such as, "Before attending the lecture, my only image of engineering involved machines, and I thought it was a Faculty that had nothing to do with me. But after attending the lecture, I felt that the Faculty of Engineering was an attractive Faculty that could contribute to society by clarifying the things I was wondering about and "I was surprised that there were students who had switched from the Humanities to the Sciences and were able to achieve such great success in research. I also strongly felt that I wanted to study in an environment where I could challenge myself by believing in my own potential".   
During the Q&A session, there were many questions about Dean Kato's research.  Professor Kato answered the students’ questions while showing that he understood their feelings—in this respect, one student commented, "I had a completely different image of professors before, as I had never imagined that they would be so friendly. I wanted to hear more about his research." Overall, the lecture was a moving experience for many of the students.  

Midori Aoki (Metaverse School of Engineering)