Implementation Type: Asynchronous
Date: May 2021
Partner school name: National Kaohsiung University of Technology (Taiwan)
Faculty member in charge: Hui-Lung Yui
Class Name (Kagoshima University): Overseas Cross-Cultural Experience (Learn About Taiwan’s History and Diversity)
(Partner school): University-wide regional development project (participation grants scores for international activities)
Language: Japanese and Chinese
Platform/Software: Exchange of videos and materials via Internet and mail
Number of students (Kagoshima University): 6 (students), 4 (faculty members), 1 (local companies) (partner school): 12
Purpose of Exchange: To consider cooperation between universities and local communities through food development using local ingredients.
In 2021, Taiwan National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology held a food product development contest using regional fish produce as part of a regional revitalization project. Originally, the students who developed the three food products that made it to the final judging stage would be able to come to Kagoshima to receive training on cooperation between the local communities and the university. However, since overseas travel is currently prohibited due to the spread of COVID-19 infection, finalists’ food product samples were sent by mail from Taiwan to Kagoshima.
Initially, a tasting dinner session was scheduled to be held online via ZOOM, connecting Taiwan National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology and Kagoshima University on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
However, the trial was canceled because face-to-face classes at Taiwan Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology were prohibited due to a resurgence in COVID-19 infections in Taiwan. As a result, Kagoshima University requested that the powerpoint materials and videos to be used for the online tasting event be sent to the to Kagoshima University professors and students taking part in the event. A tasting panel which comprised of 4 students who had previously participated in the Taiwan training, and 2 students who had planned to go to Taiwan in 2020 but we’re unable to due to pandemic. In addition, Director Hisashi Iwai, Center Director of GIC, Keiko Unedaya, Visiting Associate Professor Akiyo Makino, Associate Professor Yusuke Sakai from the Faculty of Law, Koichiro Hagiwara, Managing Director of local company ‘Hagiwara Giken’, also participated. All 11 people watched the video and PowerPoint, and each of them sent a video review and commentary of the Taiwanese food products to Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology.
