Koishikawa Secondary Education School in Tokyo is a six-year combined junior high and high school with three core pillars of education: Koishikawa-Style Education, Enhancement of Science and Math Education, and Education for International Understanding. In the field of science, it aims to foster problem identification skills, creative thinking, and lifelong practical skills through advanced science and math education and problem-based learning. To this end, in addition to collaborating with universities, companies and research facilities, the school is also engaged in a broad range of research exchanges with high schools and universities overseas, and is working to foster global leaders with scientific critical thinking.
We spoke with Akinobu Miyake, who received an award for excellence at The Japanese Society of Microscopy for his poster presentation on "Improving and comparing techniques used to create gold dendrites," along with his teacher Yuta Kato and extracurricular activity instructor Toru Tsuchiya who supervised the research, about the details of his research activities, how he came across electron microscopy, and the role it plays.
Yuta Kato, Senior Teacher and Curriculum Coordinator
Akinobu Miyake
Fifth grade student at Koishikawa Secondary Education School, Tokyo
Toru Tsuchiya, extracurricular activity instructor
Kato : Our school has been designated as a Super Science High School (SSH) by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and we are engaged in educational activities aimed at educating scientists and engineers so that one day they will be able to act as international leaders. We also have a class called "Koishikawa Philosophy" for all grades from 1st to 6th, where students pursue their own interests in a scientific way, and not just in scientific fields. It's in this environment that Miyake has been conducting his research into gold dendrites.
Miyake : I joined the Chemistry Research Club immediately after entering Koishikawa, but while the other club members were achieving results in contests and other events, I was having trouble finding a topic. That's when I learned that Mr. Tsuchiya, who was the club instructor, had tried to make gold dendrites in preliminary experiments for a teacher training program, but had not succeeded. This led me to think, "Gold has a low ionization tendency and is stable when solid, so it should be easy to make gold dendrites. I should try to develop an easier method for making gold dendrites that have a beautiful luster," and that's where my research began.
Tsuchiya：There are people who are researching and experimenting with other types of dendrites, but almost nobody is researching gold dendrites. The main reason is that the chloroauric acid used in the experiment is expensive, and it is difficult to do it economically at an after-school club. As it happened, I had access to some chloroauric acid, so when Miyake said he'd really like to get involved I said, "Well, why don't you give it a try?" And so the research began.
Observing a gold dendrite using an electron microscope
(Miyake in the center)
A SEM image of the middle section of a gold dendrite
A SEM image of the tips of a gold dendrite
Miyake : Currently, we are working an improved method of creating gold dendrites, which are made by putting molten gold in water, extracting it as a solid, and allowing it to grow into a tree-branch-like shape. We are trying to find out why the gold dendrites are not growing well, and what conditions are needed to make them more beautiful, so we are repeating the process of observing their growth, identifying the parts that failed, and improving the conditions. At first, I was taking photos of the changes in the gold dendrites using the macro lens of a camera I borrowed from Mr. Kato, but there were limitations due to factors such as depth of field. I decided to consult with my teacher, and that's how I came to be able to use the electron microscope.
Tsuchiya : Fortunately, one of my former students is now a professor at Tokai University, and through this connection I was able to get access to the electron microscope.
Miyake : Tokai University's electron microscope is an extremely advanced research instrument, and it is so large that it required its own room. I sent an email asking if I could play around with it for a bit, but the reply was, "This electron microscope is like a Ferrari, and we can't just let someone who doesn't have a license drive a Ferrari." They did, however, say I could watch from the side, so I went to Tokai University, and they actually let me do things like adjust the focus. That was my first encounter with an electron microscope.
Kato : After that, Miyake found out about Hitachi High-Tech's electron microscope loan program, and said, "Please contact them immediately!" So we asked them, and we were told that the schedule was already booked up for the next year, but Miyake didn't give up and kept pushing for us to ask them, even if we could get it for a little bit. I remember him asking for it quite forcefully (laughs).
Hitachi High-Tech Representative : Up until then, we had frequently loaned out items at the request of teachers, but this was the first time we had received such a passionate request from a student. We were both surprised and overjoyed. We wanted to do something to help such a motivated student, so We decided to lend them the equipment.
Award-winning poster presentation at The Japanese Society of Microscopy
With peers from the Chemistry Research Club
Miyake : In the case of optical microscopes and micro-lenses, the depth of field (the range of focus) is shallow, so the image is in focus only in one place. In addition, it took a huge amount of time and effort to take in-focus pictures of every layer of every part of the gold dendrite. Moreover, because it is a metal, it is reflective, so I couldn't take the kind of beautiful photos I wanted. Because of this, I was worried about how to proceed with my research, so I consulted with my teacher.
Tsuchiya : By this point Miyake's research had already exceeded the level of high school laboratory equipment. We needed more advanced tools to advance Miyake's research.
Miyake : Being able to borrow the electron microscope solved all of these issues for us. It's the reason we've been able to achieve the results we've achieved. When I first used the electron microscope, I was excited by how easy it was to observe and see the beautiful structure of the gold dendrite. Using the electron microscope, I found that the gold dendrite, which looked like a single branch, was actually a collection of many small dendritic crystals. This discovery allowed us to move on to the next step in our research. We also found that the thickness of the dendritic crystals differed between the gold dendrite created using previous research methods and the gold dendrite created using the improved method, and that the substance that precipitates at the tips of the gold dendrite is also a different shape. As a result of this accumulation, we have been able to create very beautiful, glossy gold dendrites.
Kato : In research that requires repeated experiments and observations, there are always certain areas that cannot be confirmed without advanced machinery. You are only able to move on to the next level of research once you have that confirmation. In that sense, I think the electron microscope has made a huge contribution to Miyake's research.
Miyake : Just like with the electron microscope, when I talked to teachers and other adults about what I wanted to do and what I was worried about, they all did their best to help me. I am extremely grateful for the kindness and cooperation they showed in explaining things I didn't understand. When I was stuck in my experiments, my teachers gave me advice on the right direction to take, and they always looked out for me. A few days ago Hitachi High-Tech told me that the Japanese Society of Microscopy's*1 first poster presentation event for high school students was going to be held in Makuhari, so I went along to take part. While I was there, I had the opportunity to speak with professors specializing in metallic chemistry and engineering, and despite it being the first time we had met, they were kind enough to offer me their advice.
Tsuchiya : I always tell the students like Miyake who are conducting research that it's not enough just to be able to do experiments. It is also important to greet people properly and be polite, as this allows us to network with university professors, and go beyond our own abilities. I think that Miyake has mastered that skill well. That makes me very happy.
*1 The Japanese Society of Microscopy
The Japanese Society of Microscopy is an academic organization that aims to contribute to the development of society and culture through the pursuit of scientific principle of microscopy and the promotion of a variety of research and development related to microscopy, as well as the application of these to all academic fields, including life sciences and materials science. In order to reach more young people who are interested in microscopy and who are willing to take on the responsibility for foundational research and industrial development in Japan in the future, they have established a "Junior Membership System" for elementary, junior high and high school students, with the aim of increasing young peoples' interest and curiosity in microscopy and science from an early age.
Koishikawa Secondary School, which has been designated as a Super Science High School (SSH) since 2006, aims to nurture scientists and engineers with the ability to identify problems, continually practice their skills, and think creatively, and who can one day play an active role as leaders in global society. One of the main features of the school is that each student has a research project that they work on over the course of six years, based on the Koishikawa Philosophy. Students can take advantage of attending a combined a junior high and high school by learning basic research skills in their first and second years, working on preliminary research and improving their communication skills in their third and fourth years, deepening their research in their fifth year, and summarizing the research they have worked on individually in their sixth year. Through these efforts, students are able to deepen their perspective and ways of thinking about science, and cultivate their potential to play an active role on the global stage.
