ICN2 brings virtual teaching experiences on nanotechnology to the “Teaching Fair” in Barcelona

by Virginia Greco

We participated in the 32nd edition of this event to share with secondary school teachers and pupils our new virtual tools for discovering nanoscience and nanotechnology: Nanoeduca Virtual and VRainCom.

On March 15-19, the Saló de l’ensenyament, an event organized by the Generalitat de Catalunya aiming to provide academic and professional guidance to young students, was held at the Fira de Barcelona. About 100,000 secondary school pupils, ranging in age from 14 to 18, visited the exhibition accompanied by their teachers or family members.

The fields of study related to Health, Economics, and Engineering are those that attracted more the interest of the students participating in this 32nd edition of the Saló de l’ensenyament, who had the opportunity to ask queries and clarify doubts relating to the baccalaureate, University curricula, admission exams, minimum entry grades, and professional perspectives.

Among the most sought-after degrees by students are those in medicine, psychology, business administration and management, law, biosciences, and nursing. In the field of vocational education, programmes related to early childhood education, artistic education, sports, and community services met a very good response from the students as well, alongside those related to health and business.

The Department of Education and the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat de Catalunya collaborated with the Fira de Barcelona in organizing this event, which this year has attracted 17% more visitors than the previous edition and a total of 220 exhibitors. All expectations have been surpassed and the next edition is already scheduled for the week of March 13-17, 2024.

Given the commitment of the ICN2 to promoting the dissemination of scientific knowledge, we supported this initiative by participating with a booth, where Ana de la Osa, from the Marketing and Communication Department, and Diego Fornieles, an external collaborator, could meet students at various school levels and introduce nanoscience and nanotechnology to them. Additionally, they presented two of ICN2’s most advanced educational tools: Nanoeduca Virtual and VRainCom. The first is a platform designed for secondary and high school students to familiarise themselves with nanoscience and nanotechnology through a variety of didactic activities. This was very well received by both teachers and pupils.
The second, VRainCom, is an application that allows users to discover through a virtual reality experience one of ICN2's most promising lines of research and examples of transfer of technology to the industry: the development of a graphene-based sensor that interprets brainwaves in patients who have lost their ability to speak, giving them the possibility to express themselves through a computer. The application was developed in the framework of the EU funded "BrainCom" project, coordinated by ICN2 group leader ICREA Prof. Jose A. Garrido, which led to the creation in 2019 of a very successful spin-off called Inbrain Neuroelectronics.

[Text written in collaboration with Diego Fornieles]