Tokyo Tech News
Tokyo Institute of Technology merged with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) on October 1, 2024.
Over time, content on this site will be migrated to the Science Tokyo Web. Any information published on this site will be valid in relation to Science Tokyo.
Tokyo Tech News
Published: June 29, 2015
Tokyo Tech's ongoing education reforms toward the implementation of the new education system in April 2016 include the improvement of the educational environment. As part of this effort, Tokyo Tech Lecture Theatre, a completely refurbished lecture room in the West Building 5, was unveiled on April 3.
West Building 5 at the Ookayama Campus
Lecturers invited to the Lecture Theatre will include leading-edge Tokyo Tech researchers and internationally renowned scientists and inventors from home and abroad. Their lectures will feature open experiments and debates primarily targeting 1st-year undergraduate students.
The Theatre provides students a place to experience advanced science and technology firsthand, rediscover the depth and joy of learning, and develop enthusiasm for pursuing their fields of expertise.
President Mishima at the preview of Tokyo Tech Lecture Theatre
3D video viewing
The goal of the refurbishment was to create a venue very different from a traditional Japanese lecture hall while making lectures on advanced research with open experiments possible. This was achieved with an amphitheater-like design and a spacious stage area.
One of the challenges during the renovation was the creation of a vast lecture hall with pitched seating within the limitations of the existing structural space. Now the Lecture Theatre seats a maximum capacity of 274 persons all with a clear view of the stage.
The wide stage at the foot of the Theatre allows for open experiments and demands the full attention of the audience. It is equipped with two large screens and three projectors, a ceiling visualizer allowing detailed viewing of experiments, a 360-degree HD camera, an electronic blackboard, and a state-of-the-art benchtop scanning electron microscope with EDS analysis capabilities.
The simple wooden design of the fixed seats and the Theatre as a whole sets a comfortable atmosphere. All seats are equipped with fold-away desks for note-taking, and two flat screens on the ceiling allow better visibility for participants in the back rows. Barrier-free access and wheelchair seating are available.
Light fixtures in the Theatre are designed to produce various patterns of light appropriate to each individual lecture, experiment, or presentation. In order to avoid interruptions, all lighting, sound, and other equipment can be controlled from the operating booth at the rear of the Theatre.
This article has been updated to correct a grammatical error on June 29.