A national science program on the other side of the world brings Japanese high school students to the University of Illinois Springfield.
The kids, from Springfield's sister city, Ashikaga, are a part of Japan's grant-funded Super Science Program.
The study abroad portion of the program balances lab work at the university, and field work up in Havana.
UIS credits the chance to act as hosts to Ashikaga's sister-city relationship with Springfield.
"The sister city relationship that Springfield and Ashikaga have, we've been working together for close to 25 years. As a university, we've been working with our counterpart in Ashikaga, the Institute of Technology, for almost 15 years. So, this program came out of those two connections," said Jonathan GoldbergBelle, UIS director of international programs.
International sister city programs became popular after World War II. They aim to foster mutual understanding, commerce, and tourism.
The story was reported by WICS-TV 20 on July 9, 2014.
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