Using a jet of water from a PET bottle to show how light moves along an optical fiber sounds unlikely, but an instructor from Mitsubishi Rayon’s Otake Production Center pulled it off with aplomb at a recent summer holiday science fair in Hiroshima, Japan.
      The day-long event, held at the Hiroshima Children’s Museum in Hiroshima City, aimed to demonstrate the principles of optics to school children in an enjoyable way using everyday items, such as PET bottles, cleansers and lights. The highly efficient Eska optical fiber, developed and manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon, played a key role in the experiments.
      The science fair was attended by a total of 70 people, including elementary and junior high school children and their parents. Throughout the day, the classroom reverberated with excited voices as the children worked on the experiments. For those who took part, the event is
sure to remain a precious memory of a summer day spent having fun and learning about science with family members.
      The event was organized jointly by the museum and the committee for the Chemistry Makes Our Dreams Come True program. Mitsubishi Rayon, who also assisted in the organization, will continue to provide active support for science seminars and other events that contribute to the education of future generations.
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Each year, Mitsubishi Chemical gives Japan’s best young designers opportunities to take their first step toward a professional career as the shapers of the future.
      Mitsubishi Chemical Junior Designer Award (http://www.m-kagaku.co.jp/) selects 14 outstanding graduation works from the year’s graduates in various fields of design.
      For 2007, there were 233 entries from design students who graduated in March 2007 from universities and art schools throughout Japan. The Grand Prize was awarded to “R l00” (Red List Zero) by Aya Maeda, a graduate of Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku (Tokyo National University of Fine Arts & Music).
      The work consists of tissue box designs with motifs representing wildlife from the Red List of endangered species, and the designs are intended to encourage consumers to support efforts to conserve and protect these species. After use, each box can be assembled to create a different animal or plant. The judges were very impressed by the idea of putting these designs on tissue boxes, which are one of the most familiar items used by consumers, and by the topical social message that the designs imparted.
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In countries marred by poverty and civil wars, receiving a solid education is difficult. Schools, teachers, classroom materials and children’s book writers are very often in short supply.
      Since 1999, volunteers from the Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA) have translated Japanese picture books into local languages and distributed them to children in developing countries. Used in libraries and classrooms, these books greatly contribute to raising the children’s literacy proficiency and cultural awareness.
      Since 2005, staff volunteers from the NYK Group and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) have helped the SVA by applying translation stickers over the original Japanese text, before signing the books with well-
wishes in both the local languages and in Japanese.
      NYK, which also provides free transportation, has to date shipped over 47,000 books, including 455 prepared by company staff. MC, which holds volunteer sessions every other month and actively encourages employees to join, has to date donated 950 books, prepared by nearly 1,000 staff.
       In late 2007, staff and executives at the two companies again rolled up their sleeves to help, inspired by an SVA presentation that included photos and videos of how the books contribute to a better life for the children.
      Participants at both NYK and MC expressed how much they enjoyed working on the picture books, and that they were happy to see how their work helped children in impoverished countries.
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