4th CHANGE Symposium Held
On March 5, we held the 4th annual symposium for Project CHANGE (COI-NEXT Kawasaki Hub) at the Kawasaki City Industrial Promotion Hall.
The event began with opening remarks from Project Leader Takanori Ichiki and Kawasaki Mayor Norihiko Fukuda (via video), followed by greetings from distinguished guests: Nobuyuki Nagabe, COI-NEXT Program Officer overseeing the various hubs, and Toshihiro Tamai, Assistant Director of the Hub Formation and Regional Promotion Office, Industrial Collaboration and Regional Promotion Division, Bureau of Science and Technology Policy, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
In Part 1, Professor Han from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea delivered a keynote speech on cutting-edge healthcare devices, such as smart contact lenses. Next, Akie Hotta, President of the Kawasaki City Nursing Association, pointed out that due to the declining birthrate, aging population, and increasing digitization, nurses are spending less time with patients. She emphasized the necessity of both “nursing care” and “treatment assistance” as the two pillars of the nursing profession. Additionally, Professor Akira Matsumoto of Tokyo University of Science explained nursing engineering using concrete examples and discussed cutting-edge technologies, such as testing using microneedles and remote communication systems serving as next-generation nurse call systems.
In Part 2, we reviewed the joint workshop held in November between the Welfare Department of Kawasaki High School for Science and Technology. Department of Kawasaki Municipal Kawasaki Comprehensive Science High School. Representatives from each school—two from each—gave presentations on the workshop proceedings and the proposals made.
In Part 3, Professor Gojiro Nakagami (GNRC, University of Tokyo), a board member of the Society of Nursing and Engineering, and Mr. Isao Shirasaki of Lilium Otsuka Co., Ltd. each presented on the intersection of nursing and engineering from the perspectives of academia and industry, respectively. Following their presentations, Mrs. Sayoko Akiike from the medical product development student club MeDCraft, along with Mrs. Oishi and Mrs. Matsubara from Senzoku Gakuen High School, took the stage to participate in a panel discussion.
For more details, please refer to the following:
