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1.What prompted you decide to participate in the "JSPS Science Dialogue" program?
I like the idea from JSPS to give something back to the society, to show potential future students subjects that are not part of the standard education, to express how exciting science can be.
2.To what did you give greatest attention in preparing and giving the lecture?
-Background information on why and how something gets discovered, in the lecture case the plate tectonic model.
-A simple examples (change of seafloor rocks).
-The study material is not abstract: rock hand specimen meant to be taken into the hands
3.Did you find it difficult to give a lecture in English to Japanese students? Could you give some advice to future lecturers on how to facilitate communication with Japanese students?
I did not find it difficult to give a lecture in English to Japanese students. My impression is that the students may need to be encouraged to pose the questions they may have - without scruple. They all will benefit from it. Maybe it would help by saying in the beginning or at the end that the lecture is for them only (not for the school) and that the English level does not matter (English is for most scientists not the first language either). It is much more important what they say than how they do it. The chance of asking questions directly is anyway short, just the afternoon.
4.Could you give your impression with regard to participating in this program?
The Science Dialogue Program is a beautiful idea.
5.Was it meaningful in terms of your fellowship activities?
Indirectly yes. It is always good (and often difficult) to explain with simple words what someone is doing. And students are used to ask simple, but basic questions we did not thought about for a long time.
6.In what ways do you think the students benefited from the program?
Mainly listening to and practising English, but also broadening their horizon in terms of: Getting a tough to foreigners (how they are looking, behaving, expressing, communicating) and other cultures
- Getting an idea of what science means - and how it may work in practise
- Getting introduced to subjects other than those provided by the education system, which may help them to decide what they like to do after finishing the high school
7.Could you give some overall advice or comments to future participants in the program?
It might be fortunate if there is an overlap in the topic presented with those taught at the school. Can be find out together with the school in advance.
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