I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of the overseas high school students gathering for the 2008 International Students Science Fair. I truly appreciate your interest in participating in this year’s fair. Science is an essential part of your academic studies and will equip you to take a leading role and make leading contributions to your society in the future.
As you take part in the fair over the coming days, there are three things I’d like for you to keep in mind. First of all, try to think of how your work can contribute to humanity and to our planet. Second, develop close ties and form a network with friends from all over the world. Finally, everyone should have their own dream for their future.
I hope that this year’s International Students Science Fair gives you the opportunity to interact with like-minded students from many different countries. By gaining a greater understanding of each other’s cultures and perspectives, the fair can be a step towards nurturing the potential of the next generation. Ritsumeikan Academy is an integrated academy, which has two universities and four affiliated junior and senior high schools. At Ritsumeikan University there are fourteen departments covering the humanities, the social sciences and science and technology. The four science and technology departments, including science and engineering, computer science and technology and bioscience and pharmaceutical science are all making vital contributions to scientific research.
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is unique in that about half of the students are international exchange students, which makes the campus truly cosmopolitan. Each of the affiliated junior and senior high schools has promoted academic ties to the universities and sought to create a wholly new secondary education. Ritsumeikan Elementary School, which was founded just two years ago, acts as the foundation to a consistent curriculum over a full twelve-year education, and has attracted nationwide attention for its academic success. In order to have another successful International Students Science Fair this year, we would like to tap into the considerable expertise, human resources and facilities that our academy has at its disposal. I sincerely hope that all the participants can accomplish their goals and achieve a positive outcome before this year’s fair comes to a close.

Welcome to Japan and welcome to Ritsumeikan. I am honoured to be holding the 2008 International Students Science Fair, which will be attended by 40 schools from 17 countries and region. It is increasingly clear that both scientific expertise and cross-cultural collaboration will be crucial skills for today’s youth to tackle the growing problems confronting our society in the 21st century. This fair offers the opportunity for like-minded students to come together and take away something meaningful and creative to influence their dreams for the future. I hope that through your experiences at the fair you gain the courage and confidence to achieve your dreams despite the obstacles. We also hope that all of the students from Japan and overseas enjoy their time together.
Ritsumeikan Senior High School has been officially designated as a “Super Science High School” since 2002. Since then we have strived to introduce new aspects of science education to our students and promote professional development for our staff, and throughout this time we have focused on two key points. First, we have emphasized strong academic ties to our affiliated universities and second we have encouraged our students to think about science on a global level.
This fair is therefore the culmination of the past six years of educational experience and professional development on our part. The staff and students of Ritsumeikan will be putting in our utmost efforts over the next few days to make this fair a memorable event for all the participants. Lastly, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to those who have lent their considerable support and warmth during the preparations for the 2008 International Students Science Fair.

Welcome to Japan. My name is Hidetoshi Tanaka and I'm a Student Representative of the 2008 International Students Science Fair.

Over the next few days we’ll get the chance to meet with our peers from all over the world to share our scientific research and our different perspectives and approaches to science. This will in turn give our own research a new vigor and give us new avenues to explore. Our planet is facing numerous problems, a glaring example of which is global warming. It’s our duty as scientists to tackle these problems and I am sure that this fair will offer ample opportunities for us to share our thoughts and put into clear focus what our goals are over the coming years. Those of us attending this fair will in the near future be at the forefront of our respective fields, and on behalf of all of the Ritsumeikan students I’d like to wish you the very best in your future endeavors. I hope that your stay in Japan will be a memorable one. Let’s communicate our thoughts and develop friendships and ideas during the Fair.

Today’s society is confronting a large number of global challenges, such as population explosion, global warming, food, energy and natural resources. In addressing these issues, growing expectations are placed on the role of science and technology. In this context, Japan is aiming to bring up the next generation of scientific experts through the Super Science High School (SSH) program.
The Ritsumeikan Senior High School has been designated as an SSH since April 2002, and since then it has actively participated in the program by developing an advanced science and mathematics course.
The organization of this Science Fair, which gives the good opportunity of scientific exchange to high school students from many countries, greatly contributes to expanding their scientific awareness of such global issues as well as their intercultural understanding. I am strongly convinced that the participants in this Fair will be able to use this experience and that the next generation of world level scientists will gain a lot from here.
Finally, I wish to sincerely thank all those involved for their efforts in organizing this fair.