On July 22, 2026, Ritsumeikan University hosted a programming workshop for female students from Ikuei Nishi Junior High School, one of the University's partner schools, at the Osaka Ibaraki Campus. This annual program aims to help junior high school girls understand how studying STEM-related fields can

 lead to active and meaningful roles in society through hands-on programming experiences. 

The workshop was led by graduate students from the Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering who are alumni of Ikuei Nishi Junior High School. First-year students developed a "Nail Game" using Scratch, while second-year students challenged themselves to create an "Animal Slot Machine" using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 

Although many participants were initially unfamiliar with programming, they gradually deepened their understanding by creating programs themselves with the attentive support of graduate students from the Social Intelligence Laboratory. The students were delighted when their programs worked as intended. Through interactions with the graduate student instructors, they also had the opportunity to learn about university life and research activities in STEM fields. 

The workshop also provided a valuable opportunity for the graduate student instructors to share the knowledge and experience they have gained at the University with the next generation of students from their alma mater. Through the workshop, the participants experienced the enjoyment of programming by learning how to think, experiment, and solve problems. 

Ritsumeikan University will continue to collaborate with local communities and schools to provide opportunities for young people to discover the appeal of information technology and programming and to broaden their future possibilities. 

Social Intelligence Laboratory： 立命館大学 社会知能研究室