On December 22 and 25, the School of Engineering at Okayama University conducted the "SDGs Seminar 2023 Winter". This seminar has been held since the academic year 2020, promoting international collaboration in various fields beyond research, including lectures in English, lectures on technology in Japanese, cultural exchanges, and discussions on careers. This marks the fourth iteration of the seminar. Lectures and demonstration experiments were conducted both in person and online, with a total of 196 participants, including high school and university students from Malaysia, university students from China, and high school and university students from various regions in Japan. Some participants from Japan joined online from places such as Ishikawa Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture.

Before the opening, there was an address by Professor GOTO Tanjuro, the Dean of the School of Agriculture, followed by words of encouragement from NANKO Makoto, Director of the SDGs Promotion Office at Nagaoka University of Technology, and Abdul Halim Mamat, a teacher at Malaysia's INTEC Education College.

On the first day of the seminar, lectures were given by lecturer YAMAGUCHI Yuki from Nagaoka University of Technology, and participants also engaged in creating accessories using UV resin, containing glass caskets and microplastics. Glass caskets were created with the cooperation and support of Nihon Yamamura Glass Co., Ltd. On the second day, Dr. Liu Xingzhu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who earned a doctorate from Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology at Okayama University, delivered lectures in English. Various programs related to "natural chemistry" were offered, including laboratory tours in the School of Engineering and the School of Agriculture. The seminar was organized with the support of Okayama University SDGs ambassadors, a group of students mainly from the School of Engineering and the School of Agriculture, known as "Chem.-Agri.es." Through these two days, connections were made with the natural science departments at Okayama University, fostering global collaboration.

Among the participants, YOKOYAMA Miyu, a first-year high school student, expressed excitement about entering university in the future, stating a desire to contribute to local and global communities. The seminar facilitated the sharing and expansion of knowledge among diverse stakeholders, including middle and high school students, university students, graduate students, and faculty members. Additionally, collaboration with the School of Agriculture at Okayama University provided a unique experience of "natural chemistry."

Prior to the seminar, a courtesy visit to Okayama University's President NASU Yasutomo was conducted by representatives from Nagaoka University of Technology, including UEA KATSUMI Mami.