Joint science festival with Ota City back after three-year break

The Institute and the Ota City Board of Education teamed up to host the 2022 Tokyo Tech – Ota City science festival on August 22. The popular event was back after a three-year break due to cancellations in 2020 and 2021 caused by the effects of COVID-19.

This festival is one of several initiatives that Tokyo Tech and Ota City in Tokyo carry out jointly to share the joys of science and technology with younger generations and allow them to experience the facilities on Ookayama Campus. This summer, a total of 412 Ota City elementary school students from grades 3 through 6 applied for the event. Seventy-two lucky participants were selected after a lottery.

Under the theme of "transforming liquids through chemical reactions," the event included three experiments. By reacting water and purple cabbage extract with various compounds, the students observed exothermic and endothermic chemical reactions, and various color changes during these reactions. Throughout the experiments, the young participants answered questions and spoke to their instructor enthusiastically while observing the chemical reactions happening in front of their eyes. At the end of the class, the youngsters also used what they had learned during the experiments to create original cold packs and bath salts that they can enjoy at home.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, it was another special day for both the children and adults present at the event. Despite the continuing challenges posed by COVID-19, Tokyo Tech continues to seek ways to share science and technology knowledge safely with the broader community.