Anella Olímpica joins once again the STEAM activities organized by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) and the Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE) at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia - BarcelonaTech (UPC) to launch a new season of STEAM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).
Over 2,000 students are expected to conduct scientific and technological experiments at the facilities of the Palau Sant Jordi.
This marks the seventh consecutive year of an alliance that aims to promote scientific and technological vocations among students of all educational stages through workshops and playful activities with a particular commitment to overcoming gender barriers that still exist in technical and scientific professions. This project will benefit 7,000 students during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Various businesses affiliated with B:SM will participate in this initiative. The Barcelona Zoo will be the first location to host the STEAM mornings this academic year. The new addition to the STEAM program this year is Park Güell, which is participating in the project for the first time with activities specially designed for 5th and 6th-grade students, an educational stage now incorporated into the project.
Subsequently, on March 20, 2024, the Parc del Fòrum will once again become a major laboratory for science and technology for 4th-year high school students and those in their final year of secondary education (batxillerat). Similar themes will also be developed at the Palau Sant Jordi, this time on April 16, for 2nd and 3rd-year high school students.
Laia Bonet, the First Deputy Mayor and President of BSM, stated, "Nurturing talent is one of the goals of Barcelona's scientific leadership. Therefore, it is important for the city to have initiatives like these STEAM workshops, which enable students to engage with biology, physics, or technology through fun and interactive activities at both the primary and secondary levels. Moreover, this project underscores BSM's commitment to providing the city's population with access to the iconic spaces it manages, in this case through educational activities aimed at young people from the city and other localities."
Adriana Farran, the Director of EEBE at UPC, remarked, "It is a pleasure to collaborate in organizing the STEAM workshops because, as a polytechnic institution, we have a special interest in encouraging girls and boys to explore science and technology. We believe that one of the best ways to achieve this is through hands-on experimentation, preferably outdoors, in a dynamic and enjoyable format. Therefore, we are making available two of our greatest assets to the organization: our faculty, who contribute to the design of activities, and our students, who act as guides in various workshops and serve as role models for the young participants."
A total of 6,832 students from 117 schools in Barcelona and other locations participated in the BSM and UPC STEAM activities during the last academic year (2022-2023). Schools and institutes interested in the upcoming workshops can still register on the project's website, where they can find information about available slots.
