On 18 January 2025, approximately 1,000 first-year junior to third-year senior high school students gathered at the venue to listen to Dean Kato's lecture.
Throughout the lecture, each slide was met with applause. The topics included Dean Kato's clear explanations of his research, slides introducing the Faculty of Engineering, and the sharing of real-life stories of women researchers, all of which generated great interest. The lecture inspired a lot of laughter and enthusiasm, with students eagerly raising their hands to answer questions from Dean Kato.
After the lecture, we received comments such as: "Dean Kato's words 'there is no limit to your potential' encouraged me", "I was surprised to learn how engineering can improve our society", and "Even though I was already interested in engineering, I didn't know what I could do with it in the future, and now the Dean's lecture has shown me many options". It gave the students a new perspective and left them greatly stimulated and moved. We also received comments from teachers, such as: "I was very impressed by Dean Kato's passionate lecture, which reflects his desire to improve Japan's future", and "It was a much more engaging lecture than we expected".
Midori Aoki (Metaverse School of Engineering)