It is widely known that Japanese junior and high school students do not have as much interest in science as those in foreign countries. Similarly, in Japan, the number of doctoral degree recipients per million is lower, compared to other foreign countries, such as Germany, France, US, Canada, and so on. Under the current situation, X-Earth Center has been conducting various activities in order to encourage students to learn natural science disciplines and raise their awareness about the importance of science learning. For example, we have offered the following activities in recent years.

We invited junior high school students to Kumamoto University laboratory and offered an on-site training program with the aim of providing an opportunity to experience research activities in university.

We invited high school students to X-Earth Center, offered a lab tour, and explained the mechanism of the X-ray CT scanner and its application to research fields including geotechnical and rock engineering.

We held a public forum entitled “Mystery of Our Body through X-ray CT Observation”, where explanations have been provided to junior and high school students about how X-ray CT scanners are applied to fields of natural science through simple examples.