SHIMA2023

From August 14 to 18, 2023, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) hosted SHIMA 2023, an annual workshop designed to foster high school students’ interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and island sustainability. A group of 17 students from high schools across Okinawa Prefecture, including two from Ishigaki Island, participated in the five-day program. This year, the workshop was held in collaboration with 13 students from the Musashi Gakuen RED Program.

The program opened with an information session on scholarships and higher education opportunities in the United States delivered by Ms. Aya Toyama from the U.S. Consulate General Naha. This was followed by an introductory lecture on island sustainability by Mr. Hiroyuki Matsubara from the Onna Village SDGs Promotion Office.

During the workshop, participants attended lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on experiments led by OIST professors, researchers, and PhD students, as well as local experts in agriculture and marine conservation. Speakers from OIST’s Marine Climate Change Unit, Marine Eco-Evo-Devo Unit ,and Evolution, Cell Biology, and Symbiosis Unit engaged students in scientific learning related to sustainability.

Hands-on activities included ocean acidification experiments, extracting DNA from fruit, observing juvenile clownfish and foraminifera, and visiting a honeybee hive on local farmland. Participants also took part in field activities to learn about red soil runoff prevention, including visiting and cleaning sedimentation ponds, and beach clean-up and marine organism observation sessions.

On the final day of the workshop, science communicators from GODAC (Global Oceanographic Data Center) gave lectures on deep-sea biodiversity, seabed resources, and the geological formation of the Okinawan islands. Students then presented group summaries of what they had learned throughout the workshop in English.

Thanks to the support of many experts and volunteers, SHIMA 2023 provided a unique learning environment where students explored scientific research and sustainability in depth. Participants shared positive feedback, noting that “the workshop offered experiences unique to OIST and inspired them to consider future roles in environmental protection and scientific fields.””

The workshop was funded by the U.S. Consulate General Naha.