[Osaka-Kansai Expo] International students volunteer to support the exhibition booth at the "Connecting Me and My Future, Science Exhibition"

At the "Science Exhibition Connecting Me and the Future," held at the EXPO Messe "WASSE" from Thursday, August 14th to Tuesday, August 19th at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, five international students volunteered from Otemae University to help run the booth for Keio University's exhibit, "Thinking about inclusiveness through experience value - inclusive play equipment made from recycled materials," thanks to a connection with Associate Professor Tomomi Takezawa of the Faculty of Faculty of Modern Social Studies at our university, who is also conducting research in the same group. Organized by the Science and Technology Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, this experiential event, with the catchphrase "Experience changing the world through science," features exhibits from over 20 domestic universities and research institutes.

Keio University's booth was themed around the relatively new concept of "inclusiveness." First, participants experienced inclusive playground equipment created with a 3D printer using plant-based plastic, and then answered questions in an AI interview about their impressions. The results were then displayed on a monitor as the participant's "evaluation structure diagram." This was then displayed as part of the "evaluation structure diagram of all participants (everyone's evaluation structure diagram)." By visualizing their own impressions and those of others, participants were encouraged to have a fun experience while reconsidering what "inclusiveness" means.

The international students from Otemae University provided energetic support for the foreign participants throughout the event, including interpreting. For them, interacting with diverse people at the Expo was a great opportunity to think about what inclusiveness means.

(Source: School Public Relations)