As part of our academic support for students participating in international exchange programs, our International Relations Coordinator traveled to Japan to attend the internship presentations given by our students hosted at five partner institutions (NIT). This trip provided an opportunity to meet with local academic and administrative staff, discuss prospects for cooperation, and highlight the work accomplished by our seven students from Béthune who are completing internships this semester.

NIT Gifu – June 15, 2026

The mission began with a visit to NIT Gifu to attend the internship defense presentation by Martin Richirt, a second-year student in the Bachelor’s in Technology (BUT) program in Networks and Telecommunications. The presentation took place in the presence of Professor Koji Tajima, the head of international relations and Martin’s internship supervisor. At the end of his three-month immersion, Martin Richirt presented his research on the development of artificial intelligence strategies applied to the board game Fafnir.

NIT Oyama – June 16, 2026

Next stop: NIT Oyama, for two exclusive presentations. In fact, our two Network and Telecommunications students were accepted outside the official list of the agreement with the Lille IUT: Adam Azzoug (BUT2) and Lucas Lardet (BUT3), with the latter completing his second consecutive internship at Oyama. Both students worked on topics related to artificial intelligence: Adam Azzoug focused on implementing tools for virtual reality, and Lucas Lardet worked on assistive solutions for people with visual and hearing impairments.

This visit also provided an opportunity to reconnect with Ryuto, a former intern who completed his internship in the R&T department this spring, and to meet Naoki, a future chemistry intern who will be joining the IUT in Béthune in September. These discussions took place in the presence of NIT Oyama’s vice president, Professor Katsumi Hirata, and Professor Shin-nosuke Suzuki.

NIT Tsuruoka – June 17, 2026

The trip continued to NIT Tsuruoka. Judicaël Brozdowski, a third-year student in the GEII program, was welcomed by his internship supervisors: Associate Professor Karin Kurata and Associate Professor Jiale Xu from the GMP department. Also present were Hiromasa Ohnishi, Director of International Relations, and Yuki Tsuchida, Director of International Relations. The meeting continued with Kota Igarashi, a former GEII department intern who participated in the spring of 2025. Judicaël Brozdowski worked on developing a smart mirror and evaluating the product’s performance using Student’s t-test.

NIT Akita – June 18, 2026

The mission then continued at NIT Akita, where the group was welcomed by Tomomichi Nishino, the director of international relations. Our program coordinator met there with Raphaël Karasinski, a second-year student in the GCCD program, as well as Associate Professor Winarto Kurniawan, who had previously supervised the internship of Téo Lienard, a third-year chemistry student who was hosted there last spring. A meeting was also held with the president of NIT Akita. Raphaël Karasinski presented on the study of earthquake monitoring tools and predictions.

This leg of the journey ended on a lighter note: a “Beware of Bears” sign, reminding us that bears roam freely in the Akita region. The day wrapped up on a friendly note with Raphaël Karasinski over a meal of Japanese noodles.

NIT Hakodate – June 19, 2026, final round

The mission concluded at NIT Hakodate, located on the other side of Japan on the island of Hokkaido, for the internship defense presentation by Fatimzahra Amaddourh, a second-year student in the Bachelor’s in Applied Sciences (BUT2) in Chemistry program. Her presentation, which focused on the characterization of carotenoid-binding proteins in marine sponges, was noted for both its scientific rigor and the quality of her English. This outstanding performance makes Fatimzahra Amaddourh an exemplary ambassador for the IUT de Béthune.

This final stage was marked by several meetings: with her internship supervisor, Dr. Satoko Mitsunaga; Momose, a former chemistry intern; Itta, a future chemistry intern; and David Taquet, an English teacher at NIT Hakodate.

This visit helped strengthen ties between the Béthune University Institute of Technology (IUT) and its Japanese partners through fruitful exchanges with the faculty and administrative staff at each institution, as well as opportunities for social interaction between the students from Béthune and their local counterparts.

The Béthune University Institute of Technology (IUT) extends its heartfelt congratulations to its students for their dedication and hard work, as well as its gratitude to the faculty at NIT Gifu, Oyama, Tsuruoka, Akita, and Hakodate for their warm and welcoming hospitality.