- A hundred students from various schools in Lleida discover the secrets of soil, plants, biotechnology, and mammal reproduction through hands-on workshops.
Agrotecnio has opened the doors of research to young audiences on the occasion of
Science Week, offering three practical workshops that allowed a hundred primary and secondary school students to experience science in an engaging and hands-on way. The 30th Science Week, held across Catalonia until November 16, aims to bring science and technology closer to citizens and to promote scientific vocations among young people.
In the workshop “The soil profile,” led by Agrotecnio researcher Aida Bargués in collaboration with Joserra Olarieta and Rafa Rodríguez Ochoa (UdL), children from middle and upper primary levels at Mestral School in Vilanova de la Barca and fifth-grade students from Parc de l’Aigua School in Lleida observed and identified the different horizons of the soil, understood the importance of its conservation and sustainable management, and discovered how it influences food production. Thanks to the excavation of a soil pit, the children were able to explore with their hands the various textures, colors, and components that make up the soil.
In the workshop “We grow our own food,” led by UdL professor and Agrotecnio researcher Teresa Capell, participants became little scientists who created their own fertilizer in the laboratory. Equipped with lab coats and gloves to also learn about safety measures, the children applied the fertilizer to growing plants in the greenhouse and thus better understood the role of biotechnology in food production. During the activity, they used a pipette and a rack, and learned what an Erlenmeyer flask and an Eppendorf tube are.
Finally, in the workshop “From yolk to placenta: a journey through the secret corridors of reproduction,” aimed at secondary school students, Agrotecnio and UdL researchers Irina García and Reza Seradj, together with Maria José Alonso (UdL), explained to high school students from Guindàvols Institute the process of egg formation and mammal reproduction, combining theoretical explanations with the observation of samples and audiovisual resources.
The workshops took place on November 6, 7, and 11 at the ETSEAFiV Campus of the University of Lleida. Agrotecnio collaborated with the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), which organizes Science Week with the support of the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia.
