Suzukake Science Day 2026 attracts over 3,300 participants

Suzukake Science Day 2026 took place at the Yokohama Campus on May 16 and 17. The two-day event aimed to give people of all ages a chance to experience the wonder and depth of scientific research through open laboratories and lectures. The campus was lively with visitors of all ages and backgrounds, from elementary and high school students to prospective university applicants and members of the general public. Over 3,300 visitors attended over the weekend.

The Open Campus was also held on the same weekend, including the 2026 Graduate School Briefing Session of science and engineering fields, along with individual information sessions and campus tours from each school, department, and program.

On Saturday, May 16, under the theme "Turning Institute of Science Tokyo into a ’Firefly Village'!", Hiroichi Yanase, professor from the Institute for Liberal Arts, and Masayuki Yamamura, a professor emeritus of Science Tokyo and currently a professor at Higashi Nippon International University, held a lecture to report on the progress and future prospects of the "Suzukake Pond Biotope Project: Restoring Fireflies and Biodiversity", which they have been working on since 2024. They introduced the rich natural environment of the Yokohama Campus, centered around Suzukake Pond, and presented the project’s achievements to date.

On Sunday, May 17, under the theme "Development of Technology to Support Swallowing Rehabilitation: A Medical–Engineering Collaboration Addressing the Shortage of Speech-Language-Hearing Therapists," Tomoko Sakai, associate professor from the Rehabilitation Center in the Science Tokyo Hospital’s Division of Integrated Facilities, and Kotaro Funakoshi, associate professor from the Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology, Institute of Integrated Research, delivered lectures on interdisciplinary research that combines the research insights of researchers from the medical and dental sciences and the science and engineering fields. They presented on the development of a swallowing support system aimed at complementing and expanding the expertise of speech-language pathologists through collaboration between rehabilitation medicine and engineering, while also discussing the latest trends in generative AI technology.

The Q&A sessions on both days featured active engagement from the audience, demonstrating a high level of interest in the topics discussed.

A total of forty-two laboratories from a wide range of research fields participated in the open lab sessions. Drawing from their daily research, the members from these labs demonstrated experiments using familiar materials and microorganisms, presented insights into diseases affecting everyday life, and showcased brand new research facilities. Visitors listened with great interest to the explanations given by students and researchers, deepening their understanding of cutting-edge research.

The Kurarika science workshops, organized annually by volunteers from the Kuramae Kogyokai Alumni Association, aim to spark children’s interest in science through engaging, hands-on activities based around creative themes. The two experiments presented this year were "Plastic Bottle Microscope" and "Cartesian Diver."

In the "Plastic Bottle Microscope" workshop, students built microscopes using plastic bottle caps and glass marbles. They observed fabric fibers and onion cells, while also learning about refraction and reflection at the air-water interface, as well as the properties and mechanisms of lenses. As a special feature this year, Daisuke Asanuma, associate professor from the Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Integrated Research, gave a presentation on state-of-the-art microscopes, which even the parents listened to with great interest.

In the "Cartesian Diver" class, students made floating and sinking objects using plastic bottles and goldfish sauce bottles. As they observed the goldfish sauce bottles inside the plastic bottles floating, sinking, and spinning in the water, they learned about weight, buoyancy, and Archimedes’ principle.

"Let's Take Pictures of Tooth Models!" workshop, a collaboration with the Faculty of Dentistry that was well-received last year, was held again this year. At "Let's Take Pictures of Tooth Models!", participants had the opportunity to scan tooth models using the intraoral scanners employed in dental care at the Science Tokyo Hospital. With guidance from faculty and students in the Faculty of Dentistry, participants carefully scanned tooth models and their own personal items, then viewed the 3D images displayed on a computer screen. There were also opportunities for prospective students interested in enrolling in the School of Dentistry to speak with current students about the admissions process and student life.

In addition, the Supercomputer "TSUBAME 4.0" was open to the public, and student groups set up mock shops. Visitors were able to see the latest computing equipment up close and interact with students, fully experiencing the atmosphere of the Yokohama Campus.

Donors to the "Suzukakedai Campus 50th Anniversary Campaign," held in 2025, were invited to special seating at the lectures and a tour of the Yokohama Campus. The tour highlighted key attractions of the spacious, nature-rich Yokohama Campus and included special explanations of the TSUBAME 4.0 supercomputer and Suzukake Pond, and was very well received as an opportunity to experience the charm of the Yokohama Campus firsthand.
Going forward, we plan to organize Yokohama Campus tours in conjunction with Suzukake Science Day for donors to the fund of Suzukake Pond Biotope Project: Restoring Fireflies and Biodiversity, which serves as the successor to the "Suzukakedai Campus 50th Anniversary Campaign."

We look forward to welcoming you next year with a variety of fun and engaging events aimed at helping more people enjoy and get to know Yokohama Campus.

• Suzukake Science Day (Japanese)
• Yokohama Campus (Japanese)
• Suzukake Science Day 2025 attracts over 2,500 participants | Science Tokyo News
• Suzukake Science Day 2024 attracts over 3,000 participants | Former Tokyo Tech
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• Suzukake Science Day 2021 successfully completed online | Former Tokyo Tech
• Suzukake Pond Biotope Project: Restoring Fireflies and Biodiversity Fund (Japanese)
• Kurarika from the Kuramae Kogyokai Alumni Association (Japanese)