On Friday, November 21st, the EggDrop Contest was held as part of KSU Fundamental Education course "Practical Cross-Seminar (Design Thinking)."
This course aims to provide practical training for students from the humanities, science and engineering, and arts fields to come together and understand and practice "design thinking," using examples of how it is actually used in society and in business.
This class begins with an understanding of basic concepts, then involves working in teams to find solutions to real-world problems through practical examples, and then giving presentations. Through this process, students will not only acquire theoretical knowledge, but also develop flexible and creative problem-solving skills and the skills to bring about innovation.
In this contest, approximately 30 students were divided into 10 teams and were given the task of "dropping an egg from the second floor to the first floor without breaking it." The three points of evaluation were: 1) lightness, 2) whether the egg was broken, and 3) how close the landing point was to the target. While the general success rate is said to be around 30%, 4 out of 10 teams were successful, achieving excellent results.
The winning team consisted of four members from different departments Department of Tourism the Faculty Faculty of Collaborative Regional Development: Tomoya Tsuruta (Higashi Fukuoka High School), a second-year student in the Department of Faculty of Art and Design, Faculty of Department of Regional Development; Kori Motomura (Kasai Technical High School), a second-year student in the Department Department of Visual Design, Faculty of Arts; Ryuri Nagamatsu (Kagoshima Chuo High School), a first-year student in Department of Living Environment Design Faculty of Collaborative Regional Development Faculty of Art and Design.
As a team, they decided to change their concept from a parachute structure to a hexagonal honeycomb design. They placed cushioning material on the top and bottom to prevent direct impact on the egg no matter which way it was dropped. The students commented, "We had fun working with people we'd met for the first time in this class, and we're pleased with the good results."
Professor Shimizu Minoru of the Department Department of Living Environment Design Faculty of Art and Design who taught the class, commented, "Designers are not the only ones who can be creative. When it comes to good ideas, it is important to look for quantity rather than quality, and to make them better by accumulating them. Exchange opinions with many people, test them, and verify them. The important thing is not to be bound by fixed ideas, but rather the process of making things better."
This initiative was a valuable opportunity to experience the essence of design thinking, which involves taking on challenges without fear of failure and making continuous improvements.
[Center for Fundamental Education]
