E-book project teaches engineering students their role in achieving SDGs

Professor Makoto Ichitsubo from Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT) hopes to apply the United Nations’ sustainable development goals to technical education. To achieve that, his project team has created an e-book about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in English.

The book uses illustrations to introduce the SDGs so parents and children can learn about them together. Its creation has also taught university students about their role in meeting the goals.

Professor Makoto invited students of NUT and the National Institute of Technology, Miyakonojo College, to join him in creating the SDGs Fun Learning Book. It explains what the SDGs are and why we need to achieve them.

The book illustrates what technologies can solve the problems that the 17 SDGs raise. It also includes, in English, examples of how people working in technological fields can apply their specialized knowledge to achieve the goals.

Research by Professor Ichitsubo and others at NUT has included the SDGs in the engineering and technical education carried out there. They hope to motivate students to improve their skills by making them aware of how their field of study connects to potential solutions to social problems. By requiring them to express themselves in English – as in the book – they aim to foster technical experts who can apply their skills worldwide.

The e-book can be viewed at libraries that use Maruzen-Yushodo Co.’s Maruzen eText Service, and is available online at Maruzen eBook Library for 780 yen, not including tax. The university also produced 500 hard copies of the book.

NUT is the United Nations Academic Impact hub for SDG No. 9; build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. The university was established in 1976 on the educational philosophy of ‘the science of technology’ and a foundation of industry-university collaboration.

The U.N.’s SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. They were adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2015 for completion in 2030.

[Related website] Nagaoka University of Technology
[Related website] Maruzen eText Service
[Related website] Maruzen eBook Library