A six-member delegation from Farook College participated in the Sakura Science Exchange Program 2025. The event, held from November 9 to 15, 2025, at Hokkaido University in Japan, provided students and faculty with a rare opportunity to directly experience Japan’s advanced research facilities and academic culture.
The program was conducted with joint financial support from RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
The program was led by Dr P. K. Hashim, Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, and organised under the auspices of the Research Institute for Electronic Science (RIES). On behalf of Farook College, the team was led by Dr Mithun Shah, Head of the Department of Physics.
The delegation included Nihal K (BSc Computer Science Hons), Fathimath Amna Shan (BSc Botany Hons), Fathima Shana (BSc Chemistry Hons), Malavika Prem (BSc Physics Hons), and Jaseela M (BSc Zoology Hons) — all Fourth-semester students representing diverse scientific disciplines.
The team visited various advanced laboratories at RIES, Hokkaido University. They took part in hands-on sessions that included quantum dot preparation, gel synthesis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) operation, a clean-room visit, and the design and construction of a micro-microscope.
These activities helped the students connect classroom theories with real research applications and gain firsthand exposure to modern scientific instruments.
Along with the research activities, the team also visited places such as the Hokkaido University Museum and the planetarium. “Exposure to such high-level interdisciplinary research has broadened the horizons of our students. It will certainly inspire them to pursue higher studies and contribute meaningfully to emerging scientific frontiers”, said Dr Mithun Shah.
This visit enriched both students and faculty with new knowledge and an interdisciplinary outlook. The team returned with the understanding that the future of knowledge lies in the integration of disciplines, and that innovation and discovery emerge through such convergence.
AloJapan.com