News

Every year, RCAI holds one-day workshop on immunology for high school students in Kanagawa prefecture.The program includes lectures by RCAI researchers, hands-on experiments, group discussions and presentations.The sixth of these workshops was held on July 30, 2010.Twenty-three students and four teachers participated from Yokohama Science Frontier High School, Hakuyo High School, Yokosuka High School and Kibogaoka High School.

In the morning session, there were two lectures, "Influenza virus and immunity" by Tomohiro Kurosaki and "Basics of immunology" by Hisahiro Yoshida.After they enjoyed lunch together with RCAI researchers, the students experienced hands-on practice of mouse dissections in the afternoon.Then the students were divided into four groups and given a discussion question "Imagine that a virus pandemic occurred in Asia.What kind of virus is that, and how should we react?" Each group made a short presentation on the question, and the first and second place winners were announced at the end of the program.

Nine researchers, technicians and graduate students from RCAI volunteered to help with the program this year."It was very difficult to trim each organ.I'd like to thank the staff for teaching me so well during the dissection.I could understand well by dissecting real organs, and I also realized the importance of life," a student said."It was a stimulating day and I am now really thinking of my future path," another student said.