Welcome Party and HanamiWe held our annual cherry blossom viewing party, which also served as a welcome party for the new members of the lab. Despite the surprisingly chilly weather, we had a wonderful time together and deepened our friendships while enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms.
May.
Nagashi-Somen PartyThe annual nagashi-somen noodle party was held. This time, we treated ourselves to premium quality somen noodles, which were exceptionally fine and delicious.
Sake PartyWe held a party where participants brought their favourite sake to share and enjoy together. In the second half, a tasting competition was held, which was so much fun! The fourth year student who guessed the right brand of sake won a bowl of ramen, courtesy of Professor Narita!
BBQ & Baseball PracticeIn preparation for this summer’s baseball tournament, we held a baseball practice BBQ. Just like last year, Professor Narita brought fresh seafood and we enjoyed a truly luxurious BBQ! Last year's tournament ended in third place, so let's go for victory this year!!
Jun.
4th Year Students "Otsukare-Party"The 4th year students did a great job preparing and holding their first scientific presentations! We refreshed ourselves with a drinking party, so we can work hard on our research!
Baseball Tournament (Preliminary league)Just like last year, we passed through the preliminary league, and in 1st place! The final league will be held in the autumn after the graduate exams. We are performing even better than last year, so let's aim for victory!
Jul.
Open Campus 2024Tohoku University open campus was held on the 30th and 31st of July. This year, our lab held a workshop where participants could make bookmarks using carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP)! The workshop was quickly fully booked, and it was a very successful and enjoyable two-day event!
Summer SchoolFrom mid-July to early August, summer school was held throughout the Faculty of Engineering.Three students from the National University of Singapore, National Tsinghua University and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics visited our lab. As part of the “green material engineering course” (GMEC), the international students were given the opportunity to learn about composite materials, experience various material moulding techniques and try to make their own green composite prototype!
Aug.
Summer Holiday Children's Science CampusThe Children's Science Campus-event was held on 7th and 8th of July. This year, the theme was ‘Let's combine materials and make bouncy balls and key rings’, we worked with primary school children on fun material-making experiments. We hope that through these experiments, the excitement of materials science was conveyed to the children, even if only a little!
Sep.
ELyT School 2024Two 1st-year master students and Associate Professor Kurita traveled to France to participate in “ElyT School”, a collaborative programme with a university in Lyon. French and Japanese students collaborated on projects and held presentations, in addition to sightseeing around Lyon! It is safe to say that they gained many valuable experiences.
Camille-san’s and He-san’s Farewell PartyA farewell party was held for international students Camille and He. We talked lively about memories made during their stay in Narita Lab, and when He's showed off his doctoral degree certificate, everyone cheered loudly! We wish them both the best of luck in their next endeavours!
Summer tripFor this years’ annual summer trip, we went to the Minami Sanriku area! During two fun-packed days, we enjoyed not only activities such as SUP, trampoline and park golf, but also delicious food including mutton BBQ, seafood and ramen. The 4th-year bachelor students had a lot of fun drinking until late at night (or early in the morning). The 1st year master students all overslept and missed breakfast! We are already looking forward to next year's summer trip!!
Oct.
Autumn Break Children's Science CampusThe Autumn Break Children's Science Campus was held on the 15th and 16th. The theme was “Using mysterious materials to change impact into electricity, and tranform their shapes using temperature”. The children made electric toys and had a lot of fun! We hope that this experiment will spark their interest in piezoelectric materials and environmental power generation!
Relay RaceWe participated in the annual Materials and Development Relay Race. This year, the Narita Lab A Team managed to win first place! Not only that, three of our members won additional individual prizes! Truly a sweeping victory for Narita Lab! The pressure cooker, which was the winner's prize, has already been used succesfully for making pork stew, preparing rice and cooking curry. Let's continue training for a second consecutive victory!
Tohoku University Festival・Science WorkshopWe held a science workshop during the Tohoku University Festival on the 26th and 27th! The annual piezoelectric-toy making workshop was held, and the theme was “Electricity from just shaking a little marble!?”. One of the toys shows “Peton”, the yellow chicken and official mascot of the Tohoku University Festival!
Nov.
Imoni-partyThe annual imoni (potato stew) party was held on the 9th! We enjoyed not only imoni, but also hot-pot, sanma-fish and various other tasty things! Despite the cold weather, we were able to spend a relaxing time surrounded by the savoury aroma of the sanma, and the steam from the hot pot, warming both body and soul!
Dec.
Baseball Tournament・Final LeagueFollowing the summer preliminary league, we participated in the final league! We did our best to win the championship, but ended up with a disappointing third place. Let's try to win the championship next year! We also received a celebratory gift from Narita Sensei! Thank you so much!
Year-End PartyWe held the annual year-end party! Thanks to the energetic B4 members, the party was very lively and a lot of fun. Let's forget about bad things that happened this year, turn over a new leaf, and work hard on our research also next year!
Jan.
Galette Des RoisWe enjoyed a galette des rois, a New Year's tradition in France! According to local custom, the person who draws the pie with the toy gets to wear a crown, and they will be blessed with good luck for a whole year. The two students who drew the winning pies wore the crown and then worked hard on their research. Good luck with your research!
Visiting a Washi-Paper WorkshopThe green composite-research group visited a washi workshop in to the town of Kawasaki! The craftsman explained in detail about the different types of washi and how it is made, providing a valuable opportunity for discussions about environmental materials. The group consisted of members from six different countries, including a designer from the Czech Republic. We were able to learn traditional techniques in a multinational atmosphere; typical of Narita Lab!
Sake and Hot-Pot PartyWe held a second sake party, following the first one that took place in May. This time, hotpot was prepared as the main dish, and it turned into a very lively event! According to the volunteers who organised the party, the next one is going to be a whisky party..!
