OIS alumna (graduating class of 1996) Dr. Kimberly Heiman, Dr. Kammie Takashashi and a group of students from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania spent the day with SOIS students on Thursday May 25, 2017. The visit was the culmination of a trimester-long project of collaboration between the students. The students focused on ecology and religion in the Japanese context and how it compares to the USA. The students shared their views via online forums leading to the visit.
Dr. Heiman gave a lecture on climate change and its impact on Japan and Dr. Takashashi spoke about the effect religion has on environmental issues. SOIS students were impressed with the Japanese language skills of the Muhlenberg students. OIS biology teacher Paul Stone gave the students a walking tour of the local historical sights. They walked through the bamboo groves to Saigoku road and finishing at the Kasuga shrine. Mr. Stone also presented a sustainability report focusing on electricity usage on our campus. Our average electricity consumption has dropped from 100 Kilowatts-hours (x 1000) in 2009 down to 68 in 2015. This is mostly due to LED lighting and improved efficiency in air conditioners.
We would like to thank Emi Tsudaka, Super Global High School director at SIS for her efforts in facilitating the visit. We are also very proud of Dr. Heiman and wish her continued success in her research and teaching at Muhlenberg!
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