IAC News

Yuma Ohtani
(JSCE Communications and Public Relations Center)

■ About JSCE Open Campus

The Civil Engineering PR Group did not hold JSCE Open Campus, an event that started back in 2017, in fiscal 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, it was held as an online event. With the pandemic showing signs of easing off, in fiscal 2023 on Saturday, July 22, JSCE Open Campus was held in person for the first time in four years at the JSCE Headquarters in Yotsuya, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. The event opened up the JSCE Headquarters to members of the general public, with many visitors, including people with ties to the society, their family members, and students, in attendance. The event was an initiative to deepen the visitors’ interest and understanding of civil engineering through various workshop programs as well as archives and footage possessed by JSCE. Members of the local community and those working in fields other than civil engineering also attended, and as an organization open to the public, local communities, and society as a whole, the aim was to broadly give back and contribute to society using the knowledge and resources at JSCE’s disposal.

■ Programs at JSCE Open Campus

The programs at JSCE Open Campus are shown in Table 1. Each program was held with the help of each JSCE committee and related organizations, and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce a few of the programs.

Civil Engineering Fureai Festa taught attendees about civil engineering through hands-on demonstrations and workshops that were easy to understand even for people outside of civil engineering, including activities such as scooping up bouncy balls floating in water by using a remote-controlled toy version of a piece of heavy construction machinery (Photo 1), learning about the structures of bridges and tunnels (Photo 2), learning why landslides and liquefaction happen, measuring distances with one’s feet, and playing a card game themed around disaster prevention (PokeDobo card game).
 

 

 

The Mini Civil Engineering Collection Exhibition was also held as a special event project. Under the theme of the “Linear Chuo Shinkansen,” this special event project was put together with the help of the Central Japan Railway Company and excited children and adults alike by communicating the scheme, history, and charm of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen through green-screen photos, a Doboku Collection train model (Photo 3), and Doboku Collection capsule toys (Photo 4).

Also, as the Civil Engineering Quiz Rally, a quiz was held in each program venue, and by making it a rally format, it was an endeavor that encouraged more people to visit each program venue to experience what was on offer.

Photo 1 Scooping up bouncy balls with remote-controlled heavy construction machinery toy

Photo 2 Tunnel test - ‘What shape makes a strong tunnel?’

Photo 3 Doboku Collection train model

Photo 4 Doboku Collection capsule toys

■ Survey Results of JSCE Open Campus and Looking Ahead to Next Year

The results of the survey taken by visitors are shown in Figure 1. The survey results were that children and adults both enjoyed the event overall. The event received high praise, with 99% of people answering, “I want to come back next year.” As was the objective of the event, the survey results gave a sense that attendees took an interest in civil engineering.

In the programs, the activity of scooping up bouncy balls floating in the water by using a remote-controlled toy version of a piece of heavy construction machinery was said to be interesting by over 50% of children.

As for how they came to attend the event, the most common answer from visitors was, as in past years, “I was passing by.” This was followed by “I attend the neighboring gym” and “I heard about the event online, etc.”, which were more common answers this year. The percentage of visitors as a result of promotional activities such as handing out flyers at elementary schools nearby and posting information on JSCE’s social media accounts rose to close to 30% overall, showing that the hard work of these promotional activities paid off.

The number of visitors was 357, achieving a 126% increase in visitors compared to last time (fiscal 2019). In fiscal 2024, the aim is to increase the number of visitors again, and by further enhancing promotional activities and putting out information effectively, we wish to make JSCE Open Campus an even more attractive event by considering further enhancing/improving the programs and extending the duration of the event by increasing the number of committees that help to organize it.
 

Figure 1 Visitor Survey Results

Interesting Programs (Multiple Answers Allowed)

How did you hear about the event

 

【Reported by  Yuma Ohtani, Civil Engineering PR Group, Citizen Exchange Group,
JSCE Communications and Public Relations Center 】

 

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