[Calling Student Researchers!] Applications for 2026 Sango Juku Now Open! ~ Deadline 6/7 (Sun)

The Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Sciences, which disseminates cutting-edge research and education from Kikaijima to the world under the philosophy of "leaving it for 100 years later," has started accepting applications for the 2026 academic year of "Sango Juku," an online school for 5th grade elementary school students to 3rd year high school students.

"Sango Juku Lecture Course" where you can receive lectures and practical training from coral reef researchers from home and abroad.

Sango Juku is a program for elementary to high school students within KIKAI College, an educational program attached to the Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Sciences. Based on Kikaijima, which has globally rare nature formed by uplifted coral reefs, it conducts lectures and practical training utilizing cooperation with coral reef researchers in Japan and overseas, working to develop the next generation of global environmental leaders. Through practicing research alongside frontline researchers in real nature, students learn about the diversity of nature and the connection between science and society, fostering sensitivity and communication skills.

In the Sango Juku Lecture Course, students can take lectures once a month by coral reef researchers (mentors) affiliated with universities and research institutions. Mentors will talk about the wonders of coral reefs and nature they want to convey, the fascination of research, and cutting-edge studies.

Also, workshops will be held to develop the ability to discover wonders and understand what research is. For those who wish, there will be fieldwork during summer and spring vacations. During summer vacation, Sango Juku students from all over the country gather in Kikaijima to form actual research teams with mentors and put their research plans into practice. During spring vacation, they visit coral reefs in Japan and abroad to confirm with their own eyes the wonders that have grown over the year.

For those who want to become scientists in the future, those who want to acquire scientific thinking, those who want to think about how nature and people can successfully live together... We hope that what you learn at Sango Juku will be utilized in your diverse futures.

[Images: Lecture scene / Fieldwork scene]

Application Details

■ Application Period: Thursday, April 16, 2026 to Sunday, June 7, 2026
■ Target: 5th grade elementary school students to 3rd year high school students
■ Registration Fee: 35,200 yen per year (tax included) *Until March 2027.
■ Participation Requirements:
- Must be able to attend lectures held at a designated location or online about once a month.
- Must have online access from a home computer or tablet device (A network environment capable of using video conferencing systems like Zoom with a camera is strictly required. Smartphones are not allowed.)
- It is desirable to be able to participate in either the summer or spring fieldwork conducted in Kikaijima and the Amami Islands (If unable to participate, an alternative online program is available.)

* Consultations on research and experiments can be done on dates and times other than class days.
* Fieldwork participation fees are charged separately.
* This year, there is a special scholarship student selection quota. Scholarship students are exempt from tuition fees. Please fill in the necessary information and submit the screening documents via the application form. (5 selected)
* A discount of 1,100 yen (tax included) will be applied to both the person who introduced a friend and the new participant who joins through the introduction. Please enter the details in the designated field on the application form.
* Furthermore, the discount for the introducer will increase by 1,100 yen (tax included) per person depending on the number of people introduced. Please enter the details in the application form.

▼ For details such as how to apply, please see the page below.
https://college.kikaireefs.org/sango-juku/

2026 Schedule

- Saturday, June 20: Dr. Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Hokkaido University, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Sciences) "The Oldest Evidence of El Niño Recorded in 3.5 Million-Year-Old Fossil Corals"
- Saturday, July 18: Dr. Atsuko Yamazaki (Nagoya University, Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Sciences) "People Living on Coral Reef Islands and Climate Change"
- Tuesday, August 4 to Saturday, August 15: Coral Reef Science Camp (Aug 4-8: Junior Course | Aug 9-15: Advanced Course | Aug 11-13: Tokunoshima Course)
- Saturday, September 19: Dr. Masanori Nonaka (Okinawa Churashima Foundation Research Institute) "About Octocorallia"
- Saturday, October 17: Dr. Evan James Gowan (Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Sciences) "Using geological proxy records to determine past climate"
- November 6 to November 9: Japanese Coral Reef Society in Kikaijima
- Saturday, December 19: Dr. Jincen Li (Hokkaido University, Kikai Institute for Coral Reef Sciences) "The Secret of Energy Supporting Coral Reefs: Marine Energy Cycle Created by the Symbiosis of Corals and Algae"
- Saturday, January 16: Dr. Mitsuki Kuroda (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) "Underwater Soundscapes: Coral Reefs Are Noisy"