NanoEduca 2023-2024 Concludes with Event Gathering 12 Catalan High Schools

by Chema Arcos

The final session of this educational programme included scientific talks, a roundtable discussion with young scientists, and an award ceremony for the best nanoscience videos made by the students.

The NanoEduca 2023-2024 edition came to an end last Thursday, May 9, with a major event involving students from 12 Catalan high schools. NanoEduca is a scientific outreach project designed to introduce nanoscience and nanotechnology to both high school students and teachers. The objective of this initiative is to provide tools and resources to raise awareness about the potential impact of nanoscience on our society. NanoEduca won the Catalan National Prize for Scientific Communication in 2018 and is promoted by ICN2, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), and the CESIRE of the Department of Education of the Catalan Government.

One of the main goals of the meeting was to select the winners and finalists of a video contest on nanoscience in which the students were involved along the course. There was exceptional quality and scientific rigor in all the videos. Both winners and finalists received a variety of prizes (including backpacks, t-shirts, and diplomas).

The event also featured a round table where young scientists talked about their academic background, scientific careers, and current work as researchers or communicators. This session was attended by Nerea Mariscal (PhD Student in the Nanobioelectronics and Biosensors Group at ICN2), Diego de la Vega (CREAF), and Mateo Sanclemente (UAB).

The event also included the presence of Eva Pellicer (UAB), Jordi Diaz and Joan Mendoza (CCiTUB), Gemma García (UAB), Ana de la Osa (ICN2), and Dr Julia Lorenzo (UAB), who gave a talk about her research line. Additionally, Chema Arcos, Scientific Communicator at ICN2, introduced a new NanoEduca resource for teachers and students, named NanoEduca Virtual. This interactive educational tool enriches the educational resources and is accessible on the NanoEduca website.

At ICN2 we are thrilled to celebrate the great success of this latest edition of NanoEduca, and we are looking forward to starting the next one.