Asia Intercollegiate Cooperative Project
for Nurturing Global Leaders
in Sustainable Infrastructure Development

Two years have passed since “Mode 3” of this project was adopted, along with the worldwide spread of COVID-19 pandemic since 2019. While it has been difficult to study abroad, through trial and error among the five universities, more than 60 students have been able to participate in this project over the past two years. We strongly hope that these international activities of Nagasaki University will be widely recognized and appreciated, and that this will eventually lead to appropriate and sustainable mutually beneficial relations among Japan, China, South Korea, and ASEAN countries. We are pleased to present our implementation report for academic years 2021 and 2022. For details, please refer to the attached report.

The English Version of the Implementation Report for 2021・2022 is available here.

We will hold information sessions on the ” Japan-China-Korea Double Degree Program,” “Hybrid Short-Term Academic Exchange Program”, and “English Skill Improvement Seminar” of the Campus Asia Program, which will be implemented in 2023 Academic year, on the dates below. You are most welcome to join if:
– you are considering studying abroad, or
– you want to be able to speak English for studying abroad, or,
– you want to be able to speak English but not interested in studying abroad.

For more information, five information sessions will be held as follows. Advance application is required.

Date & Time：4/24 (Mon), 4/25 (Tue), 4/26 (Wed), 4/27 (Thu)　12：10-12：40
   4/28 (Fri)　16：10-17：00
Venue：Civil Eng. Course Meeting Room, 3rd floor, Engineering Bldg. No. 1, Faculty of Engineering
Eligibility：All students of Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of Engineering.

※The information session is open to all students from 1st year undergraduates to M2 students.
※The DD program is for M1 students, while the Hybrid Short-Term Program and English Seminar are available for students of all grades.
※English skill improvement seminar will be offered throughout the year.

【For pre-registration in information session URL・QR code】
https://forms.office.com/r/ngsxsCg2zy

We are looking forward to meeting you

For Inquiry：Please contact Campus Asia Secretariat
　　　　　　　　campus_asia@ml.nagasaki-u.ac.jp

In early September, four Double Degree exchange students in total arrived in Nagasaki. Three students from Shandong University in China, and one from Sungkyunkwan University in Korea Will study at Nagasaki University for one year, and six months, respectively.

On September 5, orientation was held to provide an overview of Nagasaki University, the schedule of classes to be held at Nagasaki University, and introduction of faculty members. In addition, the international coordinators explained in detail the procedures and important points to keep in mind for daily life in Japan.

A pre-entrance education program was held during September for all international exchange students to enable them to smoothly attend lectures starting in October. Mainly elementary level Japanese language course was provided, as well as recreational activities with Japanese students to familiarize them with Japanese life.

We are also planning Japanese infrastructure construction sites visits for the inbound international exchange students in the future, and we will do our utmost to support the students and make their education and research experience at Nagasaki University more valuable.

The “Hybrid Short-Term Academic Exchange Program”, which is added in the third mode, finally started in August. This program is one of the main features of Campus Asia Project, which deepens students’ insight into different cultures and other countries’ infrastructures through an academic exchange program that combines online study and actual travel abroad.

This year, while taking into consideration the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, we planned to conduct lectures and exercises both online and optionally in person. About 30 students from Shandong University (China), Sungkyunkwan University (Korea), Nagasaki University (Japan), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and National University of Laos (Laos) are participating in the program, and a total of 34 lectures are planned.

From August 21 to 26, six students and five faculty members from Sungkyunkwan University and two students and one faculty member from National University of Laos visited Nagasaki. Two alumni from the second mode of Campus Asia also participated and cooperated in arrangements and planning of the trip contents and hosting of inbound student participants. There was student exchange meeting in English in which there was an overview about the status of infrastructure development and introduction of the activities of alumni after graduation. and conducted a site tour of the city under the planning of Nagasaki University students. Nagasaki University students planned and guided visitor students in a tour to sites in Nagasaki city. During the site visit, participants visited infrastructure construction sites such as the Honmyo River, the Unzen Fugendake volcanic disaster restoration construction site, and the Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall, providing an opportunity to understand the social background of Japanese infrastructure and Japanese culture. During the exchange meeting among the faculty members, there was a lively exchange of views on the project, its progress, and future challenges for student exchange. During the exchange meeting among faculty members, there was a lively exchange of views on the project, its progress, difficulties, and future challenges for student exchange.

On the other hand, four undergraduate and graduate students went from Nagasaki University to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore from September 8 to September 15, and three undergraduate and graduate students went to Sungkyunkwan University in Korea from September 14 to September 19. During the study abroad period in Singapore, outbound students visited modern infrastructure facilities in the city and learned about systematic urban planning. At Nanyang Technological University, our students exchanged views with host doctoral students from the graduate program and visited experimental facilities and laboratories related to the latest infrastructure technologies. During the study abroad period in Korea, students visited infrastructure-related facilities, Gangcheonbo Reservoir and Chungju Dam. For the cultural experiences, the students went on tour around Seoul’s ancient palace, Gyeongbokgung, and old town of Bukchon, as well as Sungkyunkwan University and Hwaseong Fortress. The students were eager to learn about different cultures during their study abroad this time and actively interacted with students participating in Campus Asia at Sungkyunkwan University and Shandong University, gaining valuable experiences.

Unfortunately, students from Shandong University were unable to participate in the actual travel exchange activities due to the restrictions related to the pandemic. However, students from Nagasaki University and Sungkyunkwan University, who participated in actual travel exchange activities shared what they learned in their trips abroad with other students who could not participate.

There will be presentations of the results of the program, where students will present what they experienced and learned through the online lectures and the in-person study abroad program.

The 3rd working-level round table meeting on Campus Asia project was held online on August 18, 2012. Working-level representatives from Shandong University, Sungkyunkwan University, Nanyang Technological University, and National University of Laos, as well as faculty and staff members from the Graduate School of Engineering, Nagasaki University, participated in the meeting and actively discussed and exchanged opinions.

At this meeting, the focus of discussion was on student exchange agreements among the five universities, and it was agreed that such agreements would be concluded among the five universities by the end of this academic year. In addition, opinions were exchanged on the number of exchanged students, progress, and problems of the “Japan-China-Korea Double Degree Program” and the “Hybrid Short-Term Academic Exchange Program”. In particular, the “Hybrid Short-Term Academic Exchange Program”, which is being held for the first time, has attracted more students than planned, and they are highly motivated to participate, making it a very successful program. Furthermore, the schedule for launching the “International Collaboration Laboratory” this academic year was confirmed, and preparations to launch in February 2023 are on full swing.

As one of the programs of the “Inter-University Exchange Project”, English course was launched in June 2022 with the aim of improving the English language skills of future exchange students. The course is intended for students in the Faculty of Engineering and the Graduate School of Engineering who wish to study or work abroad in the future. Of course, students who are simply interested in improving their English skills are also eligible for this course.

Lessons are offered every Wednesday at the 5th school period. The instructor is one of the international coordinators of the project. We conduct 30 minutes of TOEIC listening and reading preparation practice, and the remaining one hour is for listening, explanation, and discussion using programs from NHK World, CNN, BBC, TED Talk, etc. In particular, the topics cover not only technology, social issues, culture, and current news, but also anime, sports, and other topics of personal interest to the participating students.

The course’s atmosphere is very homelike and friendly. If you would like to study abroad but are hesitant to do so because you feel that you: “can’t understand English at all”, “can’t express what you want to say in English”, or “too embarrassed to speak up in English”, then this is the perfect course for you. After all, it is free of charge.

This course will be offered throughout the year. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

For inquiries, please contact: Office of Inter-University Exchange Project.

campus_asia@ml.nagasaki-u.ac.jp

The program is open to 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students of the Faculty of Engineering and graduate students of the Graduate School of Engineering. The program will consist of about 30 online exchange study sessions every Saturday morning from the end of July to the end of October. The program also includes a study abroad trip to South Korea and Singapore, each for about five days.

For more information, four information sessions will be held for students who wish to participate or are considering participating in this exchange program.

① July 7th (Thu) 12:10～12：40
② July 8th (Fri) 16:10～17：10
③ July 11th (Mon) 12:10～12：40
④ July 13th (Wed) 12:10～12：40

【Pre-registration URL・QR code】
　https://forms.office.com/r/BiKMPFmFFU

We look forward to your participation.

The first consortium meeting for the “Inter-University Exchange Project”of the Graduate School of Engineering, which was adopted in November 2021, was held online on March 24, and the project was launched in full scale. The event was a great and successful start with more than 40 participants from the five participating universities. In addition to the three universities that continue from the 2nd Mode to the current 3rd Mode (Nagasaki University, Japan; Shandong University, China; and Sungkyunkwan University, Korea), Nanyang Technological University from Singapore and National University of Laos from Laos, also participated in the meeting.

At the consortium meeting, new agreements on the “Asia Intercollegiate Cooperative Project for Nurturing Global Leaders in Sustainable Infrastructure Development” were signed between the three universities. Nagasaki University’s Graduate School of Engineering, and both of Shandong University’s School of Civil Engineering, School of Qilu Transportation, and School of Environmental Science and Engineering, and Sungkyunkwan University’s School of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. Based on these agreements, memorandums of understanding for student exchange were also concluded at the same time. Agreements are scheduled to be concluded among the five universities by the end of this academic year, including Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Laos.

At the opening of the consortium meeting, Nagasaki University’s Trustee Prof. Ito gave an opening address, expressing her enthusiasm for the success of the Global Human Resource Development Project. Later, Prof. Han Shenghao, Vice President of Shandong University, and Prof. Kyung-Soo Jun, Dean of the Graduate School of Water Resources, Sungkyunkwan University, as well as representatives from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Nanyang Technological University, and the Faculty of Engineering in National University of Laos delivered remarks. The representatives expressed their aspirations for the Campus Asia Project Mode 3 implementation and for strengthening collaboration among the five universities.

On March 7, Associate Professor Suzuki, the faculty member in charge of our program, and two administrative staff members participated in a liaison meeting, which was held online by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for universities participating in the Inter-University Exchange Project.

The 3rd Mode of the Inter-University Exchange Project has started this academic year. In addition to the previously participating three countries (Japan, China, and Korea), the project is now expanding its efforts to include new partnerships with universities in ASEAN countries. The main purpose of this meeting was to share issues and points to be improved among the participating universities in order to further accelerate and develop the project initiatives.

At the liaison meeting, representatives from MEXT, Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), and the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education (NIAD-QE), as well as the 17 selected universities participating in the 3rd Mode presented their programs and shared information and exchanged opinions about difficulties and challenges, especially regarding the 3rd Mode applications.

In the current situation of the spread of corona infection, issues such as online joint degrees, student activeness, and government support for ASEAN countries are common issues in the implementation of the program, and at Nagasaki University we found this meeting is very meaningful to help develop the program in the future.

Following the departure of outbound students in early September, Nagasaki University accepted five exchange students including three DD students from Shandong University, China and two short-term students from Sungkyunkwan University, Korea.

In a similar way as last year, an introductory program was organized in September for all exchange students before the third quarter began. On September 5, the students attended an orientation hosted by Associate Professor Seiji Suzuki to learn about the university in general and to be informed on their class schedule and assignment of their supervisors and laboratories. International coordinators of this project warmly welcomed the students and provided more detailed information such as necessary procedures and precautions on daily life in Japan.

As part of the introductory program, basic Japanese lessons as well as recreational activities and off-campus tours with Japanese students were offered to help the students get accustomed to life in Japan smoothly. In addition, the exchange students participated in a field trip to visit infrastructure construction sites in late September with the third graders of the School of Engineering. This overnight trip was organized to visit two sites a day, or four sites in total: Shinhimi-Tunnel construction site, Koishihara River Dam construction site, Hakusui Reservoir Dam and Kumamoto Earthquake restoration site (Aso Bridge area). It must have inspired those students in civil engineering to see the technology and ideas behind infrastructure maintenance in Japan, which aim to prevent and recover from disasters. The trip also served as a great opportunity to make friends with Japanese students, including those who had participated in the Summer School Program in FY2018.

Nagasaki University will continue to support the exchange students to make their study and research at Nagasaki as meaningful as possible in the next six or twelve months.