OREANDA-NEWS. Toshiba Corporation and the TOMODACHI Initiative (TOMODACHI), a public-private partnership between the U.S.-Japan Council and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, announced that the TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy will take place from July 31 to August 7, 2016. The objective of this academy is to invest in the next generation of leaders in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This program will bring together 16 high school students and ten teachers from Japan and the United States and divide them into four groups, where they will learn about cutting-edge science technology and work together to develop a disaster-resilient smart community of the future.

This program is implemented by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and provides opportunities to develop solutions for global issues while strengthening U.S.-Japan relations by fostering the next generation of young leaders from both countries and learn scientific thinking. Until last year, 33 high school students and 22 teachers had participated in this program.

The participants will learn from past disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and Hurricane Sandy, attend lectures by Toshiba engineers, tour Toshiba’s Smart Community Center in Kawasaki and TOKYO SKYTREE, the world’s highest free-standing broadcasting tower, and learn about leading-edge science technology. In addition, they will design a small-scale elevator, create a disaster prevention/evacuation map using a drone, and use technology to address some of the world's most complex issues.

Participants of this program were selected through the “ExploraVision Awards”, a science competition sponsored by Toshiba in the United States. Their Japanese counterparts were selected from high schools who promote strong achievements in science and mathematics education and international student exchanges.

Toshiba is a strategic partner of TOMODACHI, and this academy was created in July 2013 as a part of Toshiba’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. By 2016 over a four year period,Toshiba has been contributing one million dollars to this academy as a commitment toward investing in youth in the field of science and technology, as well as U.S.-Japan relations. The activities from this program will be featured on the Toshiba website after program completion.