Tokyo Metropolitan Koishikawa Secondary Education School Sasara Mizutani
Hello. I'm Mizutani Sara, also known as "Aerosol Mizutani," a third-generation member of UTokyoGSC
My classmate,violinist Tanaka, and I both represented Japan at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF 2023).
Are you familiar with aerosol particles, which are the subject of my research? Leaving aside the precise definition, simply put, they are "fine particles in the air." I learned about aerosol particles when I was in the third year of junior high school, and I have been researching them through the UTokyoGSC program. The title of the program changed several times from the initial concept of "evaluation method of ventilation effect using flame test," and at ISEF, I presented it as "Measuring and Visualizing the Concentration of Aerosol Particles Using Flame Photometry - Development of a method for measuring and visualizing the concentration of aerosol particles using flame photometry."
UTokyoGSC consistently places great importance on the STEAM spirit, and through the program, I learned how deeply various fields are interconnected. This has allowed me to leverage the properties of aerosols, which are studied in various fields, and conduct research with a broad and multifaceted approach, from exploring research principles to applications, which has broadened my perspective
At ISEF, not only are the required documents and presentation materials conducted in English, but the presentations and Q&A sessions are also conducted in English. However, because I had taken a lecture on how to read English papers at UTokyoGSC, and because I sometimes used English when discussing research details in my lab, I was able to participate without much anxiety. Thanks to having read through English papers beforehand, I was able to give a meaningful presentation without being confused by unfamiliar technical terms
Since the judging mainly consisted of questions and answers, I was a little worried about whether I could answer the specialized questions, but thanks to my practice, I was able to have a lively discussion. After the judging was over, I thought, "I want to discuss with many more people!!!" Even though it was judging, I was able to have a lot of fun discussing
The day after the judging was open to the public, providing an opportunity to present to people outside of the research community. Many local junior and senior high school students and members of the general public showed interest and came to listen to my research, allowing me to rediscover the fascinating aspects of my own research that I hadn't noticed before. Also, since there are approximately 1,800 finalists at ISEF, you can find people with themes and analytical methods related to your own research. I think my research is relatively unusual, but at ISEF I was able to meet people who use the same CFD simulation, and we had wonderful interactions, sharing common experiences and discussing problems
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to win an award at ISEF, but I had a truly valuable experience preparing for the international competition in English, giving a presentation, and interacting with various people. Based on this experience, I want to continue challenging myself in things that interest me