Johns Creek Student Travels To Japan For STEM Academy

JOHNS CREEK, GA -- A Chattahoochee High School student will be among 14 talented peers and teachers who will travel to Tokyo, Japan for the third annual TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy.

The week-long cross cultural exchange program is designed to foster closer ties between American and Japanese participants, nurture a strong sense of STEM literacy, and inspire the use of science and technology to address some of the world's most complex issues facing the future.

Student participants are: Forrest Jin of Jericho, New York; William Wu of Salem, Oregon; Mansi Vohra of Jericho, New York; Karena Yan of Middletown, New Jersey; Jonathan Brahim of Encino, California; Christel Mera of Pompano Beach, Florida; Chattahoochee High School's Ridhi Choragudi of Johns Creek; and Arpan Sahoo of Freehold, New Jersey.

Educators taking the trip include Michael Kosko of Chicago, Illinois; Pam Devers of Pryor, Oklahoma; Arlene Ramos of Staten Island, New York; David Brock of Baltimore, Maryland; and teaching assistants Sreya Atluri of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Wenlong Zang of Great Neck, New York.

In the United States, past participants of the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision program in grades 8-11, and high school teachers who are also NSTA members were eligible to apply.

Their Japanese counterparts were selected from high schools that promote strong achievements in science and mathematics education and international student exchanges. This year, submissions among students and teachers increased by 51 percent compared to last year.

Participants will work in teams to develop proposed solutions to global issues using learning experiences that are central to the Next Generation Science Standards. During their time in Japan, participants from both countries will focus their proposed solutions around the central theme of a disaster-resilient, smart community of the future with counsel from Toshiba engineers.

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