Social Contributions
Yokkaichi Children's Science Seminar
JSR Corporation has exhibited at the Yokkaichi Children's Science Seminar since 2023 as part of its efforts to foster the young generation and advance science education in the region. In this initiative, employees of JSR Corporation's Yokkaichi Plant (Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture) serve as teachers, mainly for upper elementary school students, providing an interactive program—not simply “showing and explaining”—that encourages children to be active, vocal participants and learn through actual hands-on activities. Our goal is to join the community in fostering the kind of “exciting learning” that only a science company can provide.
Employees participating in the program have also commented that being able to see the smiling faces of the children was a source of motivation for their daily work. Others have said that it provided a valuable opportunity to take on new challenges from a different perspective. Additional comments voiced employees’ intentions to take the learning they gained from the community and give those insights back to their workplace environment. Altogether, these comments indicate that the activities are meaningful for not only the community but also employees themselves.
Outline of activities
- Event: The 13th Yokkaichi Children's Science Seminar
- Audience: Upper elementary school students (grades 4-6)
- Date of the latest gathering: August 7, 2025 (Thu.)
- Venue: Yokkaichi City Cultural Center, Halls 3 & 4, Exhibition Rooms 1 & 3
- Format: Multiple small-group sessions (6 sessions in total)
- Participants at the latest gathering: 90 (children only)
Objective of the initiative
- Contribute to the development of local children and foster their interest and curiosity in science
- Emphasize dialogue and experiences that get participants to ask "why?" instead of simply providing one-way explanations
- Provide high-quality learning opportunities in the region by leveraging the strengths of a scientific company
Experience Program: “Making Things with Light and Shadow! Let's See What We Can Do!”
(Left: 2025 version, Right: 2023 version)
An exploration of “The Properties of Light,” the program is designed to encourage children to try things, think, and discover for themselves.
- Stopping and bending light
Children experience the magic of using polarizing plates to see how beams of light interact with things, with visual curiosities capturing the participants’ interest in the underlying principles of the physics.
- Adding light together, changing light intensity, and separating light by color
Through playful experimentation with the properties of light in an active, browsing-friendly workshop, children get hands-on learning that deepens their understanding of the concepts.
- Finishing up with some craftwork
Using the properties they learned, children try their hand at crafting their very own kaleidoscopes using polarizing plates. The participants take home their crafts as keepsakes, translating the memory of the experience into a "tangible" form.
To keep the event safe, staff members provide explanations and supervise the session carefully.
Event team and operations
- Employee volunteers: 15 (from multiple departments)
- The team enhances the seminar materials every year, making ongoing improvements to slides and props
Learn more
- Yokkaichi Children's Science Seminar (2025)
- Yokkaichi City's official Instagram also featured content on the day's events. Feel free to have a look!
