Summer Course on Structural Health Monitoring 2025 (3.ª Edição)

From 15 to 17 July 2025, Lusófona University - Lisbon University Centre hosted the third edition of the Summer Course on Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). This intensive blended course, funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, was aimed at master’s and doctoral students from various European institutions.

With a total of 45 training hours, 15 delivered remotely and 30 on-site, the course aimed to introduce the principles of SHM applied to bridges and special civil structures. The conceptual framework of SHM was presented from the perspective of the statistical pattern recognition paradigm, based on artificial intelligence, supporting damage detection and risk-informed integrity management.

Machine learning algorithms played a central role in the course, enabling students to understand how structures “learn” from past data to detect anomalies, imitating the logic of the human brain’s behaviour. This integration between data science and civil engineering provided participants with both conceptual knowledge and practical skills in an emerging and highly relevant field.

The course programme included:

• Introduction to SHM and statistical pattern recognition;
• Data-based modelling and hybrid approaches;
• Practical sessions with real SHM applications;
• Probabilistic digital twins applied to SHM;
• The role of SHM in the conservation of ancient bridges;
• Emerging topics such as transfer learning and SHM for adaptation to climate change;
• Discussions on current limitations, main challenges, and future trends.

Combining theoretical foundations with practical experience, the course offered an enriching platform for students and early-career researchers to engage with cutting-edge technologies and methodologies in structural monitoring. It also promoted interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthened participants’ preparation to face real challenges in engineering and infrastructure resilience.

Video
Moisés da Silva,
Catarina Castanheira,
Rui Simões

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Moisés da Silva

Video
Beatriz Silva