In April 2025, Associate Professor ISHIDA Sachiko (Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Science and Technology) visited the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) at the University of Technology Malaysia (UTM), where she conducted a lecture and workshop on origami engineering for third-year students in the Department of Mechanical Precision Engineering as part of the "Integrated Design Project" course.
In the lecture, she explained how origami transforms from two-dimensional to three-dimensional shapes and how sheet materials can be folded to change from a compact to an expanded form, as well as the design of lightweight and strong structures like honeycomb cores. She also discussed how these structures are integrated into mechanical products. Approximately 50 students folded paper to create these structures, engaging in discussions about shape transformations and their functions. The students, studying mechanical design, asked technical questions such as, "How would one form these structures using metal instead of paper?" and "Do the characteristics of the structure differ depending on its orientation?"
In the lecture, she explained how origami transforms from two-dimensional to three-dimensional shapes and how sheet materials can be folded to change from a compact to an expanded form, as well as the design of lightweight and strong structures like honeycomb cores. She also discussed how these structures are integrated into mechanical products. Approximately 50 students folded paper to create these structures, engaging in discussions about shape transformations and their functions. The students, studying mechanical design, asked technical questions such as, "How would one form these structures using metal instead of paper?" and "Do the characteristics of the structure differ depending on its orientation?"
Classroom scenes at MJIIT
Workshop at MJIIT Japan Language and Cultural Center
The University of Technology Malaysia (UTM), a partner university of Meiji University, is the oldest science and engineering university in Malaysia. The Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) was established as an academic institution to provide Japanese-style engineering education in Malaysia. Assoc. Prof. ISHIDA serves as visiting associate professor at MJIIT and is actively promoting both human and academic exchanges between the two universities.