IHI Infrastructure Systems Held an Outreach Class, “Discover the Secrets of Bridges,” in Sakai City, Osaka
On January 30, 2025, IHI Infrastructure Systems conducted an outreach class titled “Discover the Secrets of Bridges” at Asahi Junior High School in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. A total of 35 second-year students participated, and employees of IHI Infrastructure Systems served as instructors. The class has been held since fiscal year 2021 as part of the IHI Group’s STEAM education initiatives, in response to requests from local schools. Its objective is to spark interest in science, technology, and bridges among the next generation, while helping students enjoy learning about the importance of manufacturing through lectures and hands-on model building.
During the class, instructors first introduced the company as a business operator involved in bridges and water gates, followed by an easy-to-understand explanation of bridge types, history, and related technologies. Although bridges are familiar structures in everyday life, students showed great curiosity as they rarely have opportunities to learn about them in depth.
In the model-building session, students worked in groups to construct girder bridge and cable-stayed bridge models. Attaching the wires for the cable-stayed bridge proved particularly challenging, and the finished results varied from group to group. Teams that finished early continued to refine their designs through trial and error in pursuit of building more aesthetically pleasing bridges.
After the class, students shared feedback such as, “I learned how bridges work and found it very informative,” and “It was quite difficult to build the models, so real bridges must be even more challenging.” The class provided an opportunity for students to change the way they view the bridges they cross in their daily lives and to recognize the importance of infrastructure.
IHI Infrastructure Systems will continue to collaborate with local schools to provide valuable learning experiences to more students and contribute to nurturing the next generation by fostering interest in civil engineering and the roles it plays in supporting social infrastructure.