Science for kids

A full day of hands-on activities for these curious baby humans! 

As part of the Summer ATL activities organized by APIST, a group of primary school kids aged between 6 and 10 years old visited CERENA's facilities in Instituto Superior Técnico. They first got a taste of what lab life looks like in our ChemLab, where our chemical engineers Mónica Loureiro, Ivo Paulo and Anónio Aguiar taught them how to create their own shiny slime. Then they moved to the MIL, to witness the magic of X-ray tomography to see through chocolate eggs with Sílvia Carvalho! Lastly, they learnt how often minerals are present in our daily life, and played with the tricks of UV light absorption in crystals, under the guidance of João Senra and Amélia Dionisio.

It is astonishing how much children and scientists have in common: the genuine curiosity of these younglings reflects the driving force of scientific research, and their lighthearted excitement is a reminder to stay playful, no matter the age!