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- Participated in the National Science Koshien Competition as a collaborative partner company
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Participated in the National Science Koshien Competition as a collaborative partner company
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About National Science Koshien* Competition
*Koshien originally means a baseball stadium in Hyogo prefecture or Japanese High School Baseball Championship held at the stadium. By extension, it is also used to mean a national tournament.
The National Competition of Science ‘Koshien’, was held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center in Ibaraki Prefecture from March 15th to 17th in 2024.
The National Science Koshien Competition has been held annually since the 2011 fiscal year by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) with the aim of “expanding the base of science enthusiasts and nurturing top talent.” This year marks the 13th edition of the competition. It has been covered by the media as a tournament where science-loving high school students from across the country gather, compete, and excel.
There are two types of competitions: a "written competition" that tests knowledge and a "practical competition" that tests thinking ability, and one team of about 3 to 6 people competes. Preliminary rounds are held nationwide from around October every year, and representatives from each prefecture advance to the national tournament.
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation has been cooperating as a collaborative partner company since the 7th edition.
Details of the competition
The competition consists of a total of points in the written competition and the practical competition (the point distribution ratio is 1:2).
Written competitions
The competition included questions that challenged participants to apply their knowledge in science, mathematics, and information technology. Teams of six students each collaborated to solve interdisciplinary problems.
The problem is available here (in Japanese only)
Excerpt of the problem
Practical competition
Students compete in problem-solving skills using their manufacturing skills and communication skills. A total of three questions were asked in this tournament.
Practical Competition (1) Appin* Geological World
*Appin: mascot character of National Science Koshien Competition
At the venue, "Appin Geological World" appeared in the image of a coast with exposed rocks (geological formations). At this location, the players took on three challenges related to the field of geology.
[Question 1] Measure the direction and inclination of the strata exposed on the coast and clarify the geological structure.
[Question 2] Investigate the tunnel with AR "Augmented Reality" and create a model of the geological structure.
[Assignment 3] Produce specimens of rocks that can be collected in the geological world.
The problem is available here(in Japanese only)
Practical competition (2) Palm metal mine
The task was to unravel the identity of unidentified reagents and metals using a method called qualitative analysis using known substances. Relying on the smell and litmus test strips when mixed, we proceed with the discussion as a team.
The problem is available here(in Japanese only)
Practical Competition (3) "Balloon Festa in Tsukuba" Science of the lifting and lowering movement of hot air balloons!
This competition differed from others as part of the questions were released before the event.
The contestants competed to see if they could land as close to the starting point as possible while carrying as heavy a weight as possible while keeping the flight time close to the target flight time announced on the day of the competition, by filling a hot air balloon made of a predetermined material within the time limit and in a predetermined manner.
Pre-competition materials are available here (in Japanese only)
The problem is available here (in Japanese only)
Awards Ceremony
The awards ceremony has finally arrived. While a tense atmosphere pervaded the venue, the "Special Corporate Award" was announced by the sponsoring companies before the overall rankings. The SKY Perfect JSAT Award will be given to the high school that placed first in the writing competition.
The winner of the SKY Perfect JSAT Award was Eiko Gakuen Junior and Senior High School,
representing Kanagawa Prefecture! Congratulations!!
Representatives from our company also attended the ceremony to present the certificate and prize.
Finally, the overall rankings are announced. The first place went to Eiko Gakuen Junior and Senior High School, representing Kanagawa Prefecture. Coincidentally, Eiko Gakuen Junior and Senior High School l, which won the SKY Perfect JSAT Award, also ranked first in the overall ranking. It became the first team in history to win two consecutive championships following last year's title, leaving a big mark on the history of National Science Koshien Competition.
Our Booth Exhibition
After the awards ceremony, there was a time for booth exhibitions by the sponsoring companies. Each company offered hands-on experiences and lectures related to their field of science, and the students were highly engaged.
At our booth, we hosted a lecture on artificial satellites and a quiz competition for the students. During the Q&A session, we received very advanced questions about satellite engine thrusters, among other topics.
A total of 120 students and teachers visited the exhibition booth.
Participants were given paper crafts of satellites so that they could deepen their interest in space and satellites, as well as leaflets with interviews with our employees who had participated in science Koshien in the past.
In addition, we distributed information to the teachers of all participating schools to tour the facilities for junior high and high school students at our Yokohama Satellite Control Center and SKY PerfecTV! Tokyo Media Center.
A digest version of the 13th National Science Koshien Competition
is available on YouTube, so please take a look.
The 13th National Science Koshien Competition Digest Movie (youtube.com)(in Japanese only)
We also co-sponsored the junior high school version of the National Science Koshien Competition in Himeji, and exhibited a booth in the same way.
We have set " Development of Local Areas and Communities" as one of our materiality themes, and we believe that it is also important to support the education of the next generation. We will continue to contribute to the sustainable development of society through educational support for the next generation, including the National Science Koshien Competition.
