Researchers@School
BlueScience meet BlueSchools
Researchers of all the partner institutions met pupils and teachers within this initiative both in the school and outside them. They acted as “Ocean Ambassadors” of the European Researchers’ Night and for a sustainable use of the ocean.
Our idea was to create local learning communities by strongly linking research institutions to schools, and to promote the inclusion of marine science in school curricula to raise a new, more ocean-literate generation. Specific agendas to meet pupils were developed by the project partners in their own country/cities as well as a series of online/onsite meetings in local language were organised to train teachers throughout the duration of the project.
Adopt a School
As part of this three-stage initiative, we were also proposing an integrated path to encourage and promote the participation of pupils and teachers in the activities and pre-events of the European Researchers’ BlueNIGHTs.
A new Blue generation
BlueNIGHTs partners chose one or more high schools to work with during the school year. Pupils were involved in a variety of ways, such as: lectures and seminars on different disciplines proposed by the researchers; classroom discussions with the researchers to facilitate the introduction of ‘ocean-related’ topics into their curricula, as well as the school’s entry into the EU Blue Schools Network; co-design, implementation and test of demonstration activities, with a learning-by-doing approach, aimed at children or young adults, directly involving participants through experiments, hands-on activities and quizzes as peer-to-peer education; recruitment of pupils and teachers to collaborate with the researchers in presenting research results to the general public at the ERN.
A network of Ocean Literate teachers
During the project, BlueNIGHTs partners organised local/national teacher training courses, held by researchers. The objective of the courses was to introduce teachers to the world of marine research and science communication. The courses offered on-site and/or online (in the local language) lectures on key marine topics, as well as hands-on activities where teachers learned how to work with their pupils to address these topics. The in-person venues were chosen to ensure that adequate space and facilities were available to accommodate teachers. Visit our SOCIAL MEDIA to find out what has been done.
Young researchers to renew the BlueNIGHTs
Teachers have been invited to involve their pupils in a Blue project, then presented during the EU Researchers’ Night and/or a pre-event, by learning from researchers and sharing the work developed at school during the school year. Pupils were given an exhibition stand where they could present their project through a hands-on/demonstration activity. Teachers were also invited to register their Blue project in the EU Blue Schools Network to gain more visibility and recognition and to become an EU Blue School.
BlueNIGHTs Adopted Schools
Find more infos about the BlueNIGHTs Adopted Schools in the different countries.
Otaniemi High school, Espoo, Finland
We organise seminar on ocean literacy and marine biodiversity for pupils and teachers. Additionally, they get to know about the cruises of R/V Aranda and the current state of the Baltic Sea. Available marine literacy educational material was also presented. The adopted high-school pupils participated also the event “Let’s shower the citizens with Baltic Sea information”, where researchers from several marine research institute presented their career baths and current research results at the ERN 2023 in Helsinki.
IIS Zaccagna-Galilei, Carrara, Italy
The photo competition Why is marine science important for ocean conservation? was organized in collaboration with 3 classes of the school. After a brief introduction on the topic of sea protection by the researchers, the pupils began to plan the competition by writing the rules, drafting the official documents, collecting the photos and evaluating them. A delegation of the school set up the photo exhibition of the competition “Why science matter for Ocean Concentration” at the ERN 2023 in La Spezia.
ITTS G. Marconi, Forlì, Italy
The aim was to raise awareness of the importance of water resources and their relationship with the health of the ocean through the water cycle, improving scientific skills and knowledge on land-sea interaction. The students were also committed to learning and spreading virtuous behaviors starting from their own homes. The activity was carried out in collaboration with the Erasmus+ BlueS_MED project. A delegation from the school conducted a demonstration activity entitled “SOS I can’t breathe! Let’s explore together the phenomenon of the lack of oxygen on the seabed” at the ERN 2023 in Venice.
IC Zola Predosa, Zola Predosa, Italy
In collaboration with the Agenda2030 for children project, some exploratory paths on marine environment and geology have been created within 3 classes, from the mountains origin, through sediments transport by rivers, to the sampling techniques of marine sediments. We also explore the formation of an impact crater, the geological time and the differences among the sea floor habitats. Two delegations of the school showed the results of their projects at the ERN 2023 in Bologna.
IIS Galilei-Artiglio, Viareggio, Italy
Two classes were involved in the design and implementation of experimental activities to explain fundamental principles and concepts of Ocean Literacy to primary and secondary school pupils. Starting from a brainstorming activity, the pupils developed practical demonstrations and workshops which they then brought to the middle schools of their city. A delegation from the school conducted a demonstration activity entitled “Sea stories… in a female perspective and (bio)diversity!” at the ERN 2023 in Venice.
Liceo Chris Cappell College, Anzio, Italy
Support for a European Space Agency (ESA) funded research activity in the selection and documentation of interesting study cases from archive of satellite data (Sentinel 3 SLSTR). This collaboration is mentioned in a published paper (Liberti et al., 2023; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15092453)
IIS Majorana, Mirano, Italy
An interclass group of pupils was introduced to the principles and concepts of Ocean Literacy. Subsequently they were involved in an experimental research activity on the Venice Lagoon and visit the CNR-ISMAR. They then developed an experimental demonstration activity based on field experience to explain how to measure the chemical characteristics of water. They then propose it to middle schools of their city.
Liceo Scientifico L. Pasteur, Rome, Italy
Support for a European Space Agency (ESA) funded research activity in the selection and documentation of interesting study cases from archive of satellite data (Sentinel 3 SLSTR). This collaboration is mentioned in a published paper (Liberti et al., 2023; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15092453)
IIS G. Capellini-N. Sauro, La Spezia, Italy
Special ML-drifters were built during the school year by the pupils themselves with the support of researchers from CNR-ISMAR and the other institutions involved thanks to the ‘blue challenge’ taken up by the school, which is now an official member of the European Blue Schools Network, as part of the BlueS_Med project. The ML-drifters are real “traceable waste”, i.e. plastic bottles, of different shapes and sizes, and wooden tablets on which a “smart” tracking system consisting of low-cost electronics and solar panels has been installed to ensure their complete autonomy.
Vasa International School, Gävle, Sweden (visiting)
The Trieste office of the CNR’s ISMAR institute hosted 10 students (part of the international scientific exchange programme with schools in the city) from the Vasa International School (Sweden) for two days, on 14-15 March 2023. The visit was divided into a day at the headquarters, with lectures illustrating the work of the researchers, and an external day with a simulation of sea sampling with the tools of the trade at the port, followed by a guided tour of the Marine Biology Museum of the Miramare MPA.
Escola Básica João Afonso, Aveiro, Portugal
The activities at this adopted school explored marine topics through gamification. The topics included the causes and impacts of average sea level rise, through interactive digital quizzes and games. Another topic was the marine biodiversity, explored through Science & Art challenges, intercrossing the animal behaviour with music, through a game.
Escola Secundária da Murtosa
The topics explored in the activities at Murtosa highschool included the causes and impacts of the average sea level rise. In particular, the phenomenon of groundwater salinization in coastal areas was discussed highlighting the vulnerability of the Aveiro region. Hands-on activities included the periodical measurement of water quality in samples from wells of the region (brought by students).
Escola Secundária Quinta do Marquês
One of the activities took place at school. A 10th grade class welcomed a researcher who works in the field of genetics. Inês Carvalho is a biologist from IGC who studies cetacean population genetics and marine conservation. The researcher presented her work and at the end there was a quiz. On the day of the Bluenights event, at the Oceanário, the school was present and organized several marine literacy activities for visitors.
Escola Básica Integrada, Torreira, Portugal
The topics explored in the activities at Murtosa highschool included the causes and impacts of the average sea level rise. In particular, the phenomenon of groundwater salinization in coastal areas was discussed highlighting the vulnerability of the Aveiro region. Hands-on activities included the periodical measurement of water quality in samples from wells of the region (brought by students).
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