Junior and Senior High School Girls Explore the Science of "Deliciousness" and Experience STEM Careers Using IoT Rice Cookers
Creating the Ideal Rice with IoT Rice Cookers
On August 19, Panasonic Corporation hosted "What does it mean to 'scientifically explore deliciousness' through kitchen appliances?" at its Kusatsu site in Shiga Prefecture. The program was held as part of "Girls Meet STEM," a STEM experience program for junior and senior high school girls organized by the Yamada Shintaro D&I Foundation.
In Japan, women account for only 18.08%*1 of students enrolled in undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs, among the lowest rates in the OECD. Girls Meet STEM aims to help close this gender gap by offering hands-on experiences at companies, universities, and research institutions, as well as opportunities to engage with female role models.
Seventeen junior and senior high school girls, primarily from the Kansai region, participated in the program and experienced the excitement of science and technology through the theme of research and development in cooking appliances.
During the program, participants worked in groups to identify the ideal characteristics of rice that would best complement different dishes, then used IoT rice cookers to set cooking conditions. Through actual cooking and tasting, they learned the R&D process of forming hypotheses, conducting experiments, and verifying results. The cooked rice was evaluated based on aroma, texture, stickiness, and other factors, allowing participants to compare differences by cooking condition.
Rice Tasting and Evaluation
Participants also toured the Panasonic Cooking @Lab test kitchen and experienced the front lines of cooking appliance development. In a networking session with female engineers, they actively engaging in discussions about career paths, personal motivations, and the opportunities available in engineering careers.
Tour of the Cooking Appliance Test Kitchen
Networking with Female Engineers
75% of participants reported that they had identified a role model for their future career aspirations. In a post-program survey, 75% of participants said they had found, or were beginning to find a role model for their future. Participants commented that they were surprised by how cooking conditions changed the taste and texture of rice, and that the program encouraged them to reconsider pursuing a science-related path.
Panasonic will continue to provide opportunities for the next generation to engage with science and technology and broaden their perspectives on diverse educational and career paths.
*1: Calculated based on OECD data, "Share of new entrants and graduates in each field of education by gender" (as of 2023), according to research by the Yamada Shintaro D&I Foundation.
