i3S launches annual activities program for schools

In order to share the fascination for discovery, communicate advances in knowledge, listen to different perspectives, reflect on the implications of research and ask many, many questions, the i3S launched its educational program “Science eT al”. The project has been renovated with new activities aimed at public schools from basic to secondary education.

Now that sanitary restrictions are easing, the Institute is once again opening its doors to schools and students. They can come to learn about the institute and its laboratories, receive one of the i3S researchers at their school to talk about science, participate in one of the workshops, or organize an activity in the classroom using the resources available on the website.

The i3S is the largest institute in the area of ​​health in Portugal and one of the largest in Europe, but our mission, explains the coordinator of the Communication Unit, Júlio Borlido Santos, “is not just about the production of knowledge, we are also committed to working with and for society. We want to share what we do, how we do it and what the implications of our findings are. Therefore, we left our labs to meet professors and students and we opened the doors of i3S to visit us”. Simultaneously, “the Communication Communication Unit is also investing in cultural programs for other audiences, which will be communicated shortly”, says Júlio Borlido Santos.

This school year, explains Marta Teixeira Pinto, responsible for the Educational Program developed by the i3S Communication Unit, “we are going to launch two new initiatives: the workshops - practical activities that take place in the classroom with the support of an i3S researcher and that can include laboratory practice, structured debate or games; and educational resources - materials available on the website and which allow the implementation of workshops in an autonomous way, using the fruit fly in the classroom or knowing more about some topics related to the research we do”.

In addition, she continues, on visits to i3S “you will find busy laboratories, equipment with the most advanced technology, different biological models, dozens of researchers on the benches and many possibilities to answer many questions!”. i3S researchers are central to this program - for example, under the Ambassadors for Science initiative, schools can request a researcher from among the dozens of scientists who are available to talk to students about what fascinates them, in the classroom or by video conference. It is precisely the direct involvement of researchers that differentiates this i3S offering from many others in science education.

The activities of the i3S Educational Program are free and result from the commitment and active participation of i3S researchers. For more information, you can visit the website or contact us via e-mail: escolas@i3s.up.pt