On Saturday, March 19, 2022, the Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Competition was held in a hybrid format at the TKP Kumamoto Conference Center and online, and the winning teams for the Grand Prize and Special Prize were selected.

Science Castle started in 2012 as a conference for junior and senior high school students who want to challenge themselves in research. With the support of private companies, universities, and researchers' societies, it has now grown to five conferences in Japan, making it one of the largest conferences in Japan. As a gateway to success for future researchers, it is a place where many junior and senior high school students leave their nests.

Ten oral presentations and 58 poster presentations were made, mainly by students engaged in research activities at junior high and high schools in the Kyushu region. All programs were conducted under infection control measures.

Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Conference was held with the cooperation of the Kyushu Conference Partners (Kumamoto Prefecture Next-Generation Venture Creation Support Consortium and KM Biologics Corporation) and Science Castle 2021 Partners (13 companies and universities). In addition, graduate students, PhD students, and other researchers participated in poster presentations as research coaches to participate in discussions with the presenters.

The winner of the prestigious Grand Prize was Ai Futananda of Kagoshima Prefectural Tsurumaru High School.

Theme."Exploring the Mechanism of the Deodorizing Effects of Volcanic Ash."The research is as follows. In this study, in order to explore new ways of using volcanic ash (as cat litter), we hypothesized, tested, and verified the possibility of its adsorption effect on ammonia, which is representative of bad odors. In this experiment, ammonia adsorption tests were conducted using the volcanic ash from Sakurajima and Mt. Aso and Shirasu balloons (high-temperature foamed Shirasu), and the general mechanism (indirect, direct, and neutralizing deodorization) of the various deodorizing properties of volcanic ash was examined. The award was given in anticipation of the company's contribution to the local community and its vision of realization.

Please click here to see the abstracts of the day's presentations.

Award Results

<Oral Presentation

Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Grand Prize

Ai Futananda Kagoshima Prefectural Tsurumaru High School
Exploring the Mechanism of the Deodorizing Effect of Volcanic Ash

Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Competition, Kumamoto Prefecture Next Generation Venture Creation Support Consortium Award

Reiya Demizu, Kumamoto Prefectural Ashikita High School
Challenge of eelgrass cultivation using sludge ・Recovery from the Kumamoto torrential rain disaster

In addition, 10 abstracts were selected for oral presentations based on a rigorous review of the many submissions, and were awarded the Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Conference Excellence Award in honor of their achievements.

Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Competition, Excellence Award

Yasushi Ohno (Kumamoto Gakuen University Junior & Senior High School)
Do cucumber beetles go to cucumbers as much as you think?

Kaneki Nakano (Kumamoto Prefectural Kumamoto High School)
Production of gel batteries that can charge smartphones

Amane Imamoto (Kumamoto Agricultural High School)
Sustainable Livestock Management Practices Using Food Waste

Kanako Mogami (Kumamoto Prefectural Kanamoto Agricultural High School)
Research on product development and promotion activities using Japanese black tea produced in Yamaga

Kentaro Tsuda (Sanda Kokusai Gakuen Junior & Senior High School)
Search for novel antibiotic-producing bacteria using image analysis techniques

Yuuga Harada (Yamaguchi Prefectural Ube High School)
The Effect of Salinity on American Crayfish

Suzune Sato (Kumamoto Prefectural Second High School)
Symbiosis of Butterfly Peas (Butterfly Bean) and Rhizobia

Yuta Shinozaki (Keiai High School, Chinzei Keiai Gakuen)
Use of exhaust heat to power cars

Tadashi Hinako (Oita National College of Technology)
Simple and easy teaching material of light interference using oxide film of alloys

Jun Tsuda (Tottori Nishi Senior High School)
Development of air conditioning system using natural energy on school grounds

＜Poster Presentation

Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Conference, Poster Grand Prize

Junki Yamashita (Kumamoto Prefectural Toryo High School)
Utilization of nitrous roosts by flying foxes and seasonal changes

Science Castle 2021 Kyushu Conference Poster Excellence Award

Kasumi Kobayashi (Kumamoto Gakuen University Senior High School)
The Influence of Photosynthetic Bacteria on Plant Growth

Haru Uemura (Kumamoto Agricultural High School)
Research on Effective Utilization of Pork Fat

Daiki Noda (Saga Prefectural Chienkan High School)
Inhibition of germination by coumarin based on molecular structure

Kanane Kamasako (Kagoshima Prefectural Konan High School)
Why did the Japanese honeybee build a pentagonal hive?

Aoi Hasegawa (Joto Senior High School attached to Fukuoka Institute of Technology)
Search for meteors.

RIVANES will continue to support research activities of middle and high school students.
We would like to thank the presenting teams and all those who assisted in organizing the event.

For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact
Educational Development Division, Liverness Corporation (Attn: Saito)
MAIL: [email protected]