On September 12th, Hanamaki Agricultural High School in Kuzu, Hanamaki City, held a seminar on the International Linear Collider where students learned how they may become greatly involved with its research.

Executive Director Jun Sasaki of Iwate Prefecture’s Office of Science and ILC Promotion served as the lecturer, and talked about how the ILC would study matter at its smallest level: elementary particles. He explained in simple terms how it would do that research through recreating the conditions found shortly after the universe was formed.

Should the ILC be realized, researchers from around the world will gather in Iwate, and Director Sasaki explained that there would be a lot of work to do to support the researchers’ lives here. He added how important it would be to interact with the researchers, saying, “It’s important that you are able to show them Iwate. I want them to learn about Japan and this region.”

The students listened intently, scribbling down notes. Miku Kajikawa, a 3rd year student in the Food and Agricultural Science Course hoping to work at a food manufacturer, said her hopes were high: “If the ILC is built, then the population will increase and Iwate will get livelier. I think the researchers will enjoy trying the food that we make. I hope that the ILC becomes a reality.”