Colby Tomasello recently returned from Tokyo, Japan, where he took part in the TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy.
The Land O’ Lakes High student was among a group of eight students and four teachers from the United States who were selected to make the trip.
(Photos courtesy of Toshiba)
He spent a week working in collaborative teams with Japanese students, to tackle challenges that required thinking outside of the box.
He also did some sightseeing and had a chance to see firsthand what life is like on the island nation of Japan.
The pace of activities was busy, said Tomasello, who won an essay competition to receive the expenses-paid trip.
Each day began around 7 a.m., with lights out around 10 p.m., he said.
“We had a lot of work to do,” explained Tomasello, who was still attending Pine View Middle School, when he was selected for the U.S. team.
Besides the challenges he and other students tackled, he also had the chance to ride on one of the world’s fastest elevators, master the technique of eating with chopsticks and check out the way people live in Tokyo.
His biggest surprise was how similar Tokyo is to major U.S. cities.
“The layout was very modern,” he said.
The number of people he encountered who speak English surprised him, and he was impressed by the way Japanese people, in general, treat strangers.
“People are very polite. They’re very respectful. They bow a lot,” Tomasello said.
He also observed that the Japanese lifestyle appears to be more environmentally friendly than the American way of life.
“Only 20 percent of their vehicles are all gasoline,” he said.
At the hotel where he was staying, the beds were smaller than a typical bed in the U.S., and turning on the room’s lights and running the air conditioner required the room key.
During the week, he took part in a contest to build a tower out of straws and tape that would withstand a simulated earthquake.
“We designed future communities. They’re supposed to be smart communities,” Tomasello said.
“We also saw a SMART home designed by Toshiba,” he said, which featured solar panels and other self-sustaining features.
He worked with a team that was made up of Japanese and American students. One Japanese student on his team was fluent in English, and the other wasn’t.
They worked well together, he said. When the student who spoke little English had trouble understanding, the other student translated, Tomasello said.
Tomasello noted that both Japanese students were much more fluent in English than he is in Japanese.
One lesson he learned during his trip had nothing to do specifically with the challenges at hand, he said.
He learned that the American approach to tackling a problem isn’t necessarily the only approach, or always the best approach.
Tomasello’s selection for the essay competition was based on his previous participation in the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision program.
Students in grades eight through 11, and high school teachers who are members of the NSTA (National Science Teacher Association), were eligible to apply.
Their Japanese counterparts were selected from high schools that promote strong achievement in science and mathematics, as well as have strong international student exchange programs.
Tomasello isn’t the only member of his family who has fared well in the ExploraVision competitions.
“My sister (Catie) has won four times, and I have won twice,” he said. One of those wins came when he was on a team with his sister.
Published August 26, 2015
