SAKURA Science Program - ASEAN Science Communication Invitation Program

All knowledge is connected to all other knowledge. The fun is in making the connections.

Arthur C. Aufderheide (1922 – 2013, palaeopathologist and expert on dissecting mummies)

True enough, when you gather a group of science centre/museums staff, it is apparent that even in the same industry, you will find people from all sorts of background with different set of skills and specialization. But finding that connection through similar interest and passion makes it fun, uplifting, even motivating. This is a sharing of the ASEAN Science Communication Invitation Program (Nov 2017), read on if you are interested to know more!

The 2017 ASEAN Science Communication Invitation Program, under the Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science (also known as SAKURA Science Program), took place last November. Although the program namesake makes us picture cherry blossoms flowering in the spring, the program was conducted in Tokyo for a week during winter, from 12th to 18th of November 2017. Minus the travelling days, 5 days went by in a flash when every day is filled with new experiences. Aside from visiting a few places, the major part of the program was to partake in the Science Centre World Summit 2017. The whole experience is enriched as we get to meet the other participants of the exchange program. Our batch consisted of participants from Philippines, Thailand, Macau, Brunei, South Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, Myanmar, China and India. 

Here are some of the highlights of the whole program:

Day 1

Visit to Chiba Institute of Technology (Skytree Campus) – We visited the exhibition arena, and there were so many interesting things to see! This “On the Fly Paper” exhibit was one of the many that caught our attention. The piece of paper seems ordinary, but when it is placed on the display table, images are magically displayed, turning the table into a tablet! You can change the images displayed by covering one of the perforations on the paper.

Day 2

                                                                                     

Visit to National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) – We were given some time to explore Miraikan after we registered for the Science Centre World Summit. True to their name, the exhibits they have address high-level topics, but in interactive, interesting and simplistic manner.

(A) “Hands-On Model of the Internet” exhibit uses white and black balls to visualize how information is delivered over the Internet. (Photo from Miraikan’s website)

(B) In the “No choice? The earth – Sold Out!” exhibit, we can dress up in sushi headgear and take a photo, but turns out, the sushi that we want is sold out! Focusing on the Sustainable Development Goal number 14, which is about conserving and the sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. 

Day 3 – 5 (Science Centre World Summit & End of SAKURA Science Program)

Science Centre World Summit (SCWS) 2017 – The SCWS is a global meeting of professionals of science centres/museums and their networks from around the world, held once every three years. For 2017, the summit revolves around the theme “Connecting the World for a Sustainable Future”. The essence of the summit is Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is a set of goals adopted by UN countries in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. 

(A) In total, 828 participants from 98 countries gathered for the summit.

(B) Parallel Session: Picture Happiness on Earth – A project in which two of our colleagues from Petrosains, Fatin Amira and Bazli were involved with last year. Science centres from 6 countries in Asia and the Pacific region collaborated in this project to find out what happiness is to our teenagers. The end results are videos that will be displayed on the spherical Geo-Cosmos (captured in the background of the photo).

(C) Parallel Session: How are Current Technologies Changing the Way We Learn? – During the ‘Museum with “Living Robot”’ presentation, we were told that ASIMO, the famous humanoid created by Honda, is no ordinary robot, turns out it has been hired as a science communicator at Miraikan since 2012!

(D) Yay! We have completed the SAKURA Science Program, photo taken after we have received our certificates.

Remark: For more materials on SCWS 2017 (photos, presentation pack and videos), please visit https://scws2017.org/archive/

With that, thank you for reading, domo arigato gozaimasu!

Shared by Nurhayati Zulkifli

Guest Blogger