Technical Research Officer Ms. Yuri Nakamura and Project Professor Akiyoshi Osaka of the Center for Engineering Innovation (Faculty of Engineering), along with three graduate students of Professor Satoshi Hayakawa's Laboratory in the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, visited Hangzhou Changjiang Experimental Primary School and Hangzhou Tianchang Primary School in Hangzhou, China over September 10 to 12 to present their Mobile Classroom Lab experiments with Associate Professor Xiao Fan of Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT) as the host scientist.

Around seventy pupils in total in the fourth grade from both primary schools joined the experiments. Following the explanation in English and Chinese by Ms. Nakamura and the graduate students from Okayama Univ. and ZJUT, the pupils prepared artificial salmon eggs by using chemical reagents and made air freshener by using super absorbent polymer (SAP) . In addition, they observed that pigments of various colors for marker pens were separated due to the principle of paper chromatography. The pupils' eyes lit up when they first saw the chemical reagents and experimental materials.

Both universities have concluded a faculty-level international agreement to promote personnel exchanges and stronger local cooperation. This initiative was the first of its kind straddling both countries under the agreement. The Center aims to undertake glocal (local grassroots-based from a global view) action, with ongoing work to foster the next generation education in both Japan and overseas.

Details of the activity can be seen on the websites of both schools.
Hangzhou Changjiang Experimental Primary School http://www.hzcj.com.cn/news/201409/20140911162944378146.html
Hangzhou Tianchang Primary School http://www.tianchang.org/IneduPortal/Components/News/infoshow.aspx?id=501&newsid=21730