Rob9-16’s Science Summer takes young students to explore the world of science and technology
Rob9-16, a robotics and electronics club run by students from Técnico de Oeiras, offered a series of workshops for young people aged 9 to 16 during the summer break. Through various editions of “Scientific Summer”, participants were able to experience the world of science and technology through practical and interactive activities.
Scientific Summer in the 2nd Cycle of Basic Education
Between June 24 and 28, seven middle school students took part in the Scientific Summer organized by the Rob9-16 project. This week was full of challenging and educational activities, kicking off with a Peddy Paper, “The Taguspark Heist”. In this activity, the young scientists helped a teacher to recover technological components, thus exploring the Técnico Polo de Oeiras campus through codes and clues.
Throughout the week, the young people explored various technological areas, such as 3D modeling and printing, Arduino activities, rocket launching, welding and an introduction to artificial intelligence. On the last day, they did the “Egg Drop” activity, where they created protective structures for eggs dropped from the second floor.
Miguel Carvalho, a 6th grader, commented: “This week I did various activities such as the Blinker with Arduino and the Peddy Paper. The monitors let us express ourselves and talk about things. I really like technology.
Science Summer for the 3rd Cycle of Basic Education
From July 15 to 19, it was the turn of elementary school students to experience the Summer of Science, with a total of 16 participants. Activities included creating websites, programming with Arduino, building BOT’N ROLL robots and the famous “Egg Drop” activity.
Margarida Pinto, from Year 7, said: “I think it’s a good initiative for people my age to know what they want to do. To learn more about computer science and engineering.” Vasco Ferreira, also in Year 7, enjoyed “learning how to program and work with computers and robots. This week teaches us something we can use in the future.” Tiago Barata, from the 8th grade, highlighted the experience as “a good opportunity to make new friends”.
Smart City Scientific Summer
Between July 22 and 26, 17 students from the 2nd and 3rd cycles took part in the “Smart City” edition. During this week, the young scientists developed a smart city, learning basic and advanced concepts in programming, welding and 3D printing. The participants designed houses using 3D modeling, assembled car circuits and programmed their movements, creating a smart and functional city.
Teresa Monteiro, a 4th grader, expressed her enthusiasm: “I’ve already learned how to program and do 3D modeling. This ATL is a lot of fun to learn.” Tiago Prada, from Year 7, explained: “We did 3D modeling of some houses and a gas station. We also set up a circuit for the cars that will be passing through the city.”
Rob9-16’s Scientific Summer has proved to be an enriching and inspiring experience for future scientists, providing them with practical and theoretical knowledge in various areas of science and technology. These initiatives not only awaken young people’s interest in engineering, computer science and robotics, but also offer a practical vision of future possibilities in technological areas.