The final phase of theTrentino Young Scientists Challenge took place on Friday 15 April at the department of Humanities of the University of Trento: 200 students with 46 projects from different subject areas took part in the competition, evaluated by a jury of 12 members.
The initiative, now in its second edition, was targeted to students of all grades from three junior high schools – “G. Bresadola” in Trento, the Istituto comprensivo in Levico Terme, and “dell'Argentario” in Cognola.
They have been working since last October, in small groups and under the supervision of a teacher, to design an experimental research project that they presented today to the twelve jurors, chosen among faculty members of the University, researches of the Fondazione Bruno Kessler and Cosbi, and representatives of partners (Trentino Sviluppo, Confindustria Trento) and sponsors (oom+, Casse Rurali Trentine, Ranstad and Manpower).
“The students who participated in the programme – explains Giulia Selmi, coordinator – had the opportunity to familiarize with the scientific environment and to practice team work. They have tried to walk in the shoes of researchers to explore the experimental methodology”.
The initiative kicked off last October, when the participating classes started to work on the projects. At the open days that took place at the participating schools from December onwards, every school presented its projects and a jury of local experts selected the most interesting ones. Until today, with the conclusion of the competition. In the afternoon, the classes have put their projects on display at the stands prepared at the department and then presented them to the jury, which assessed them based on a number of parameters: type of problem, design and chosen methodology, quality of the work (data collection, analysis and interpretation), creativity and presentation effectiveness, without regard to the subject area.
All the three schools received from the Rector of the University of Trento, Paolo Collini, the award “Sostieni la ricerca - Trentino Young Scientists challenge” with a voucher to purchase learning materials sponsored by Casse Rurali Trentine.
The first prize, awarded by Giuseppe Armani (marketing manager at Cassa Centrale Banca), went to the “Macchina di Galton” group from Levico, while the “Uova sotto pressione” group from Cognola won the second prize.
All institutions and partners awarded special prizes: the Manpower award, awarded by Alessandra Turri, went to the “Green Battery” group from Cognola; the Randstad award, awarded by Linda Lorenzini, went to “Le Muffe” from Cognola; the Cosbi award, awarded by Ozan Kahramanogullari, was given to the “Solar Boat” from Cognola. Sara Ferrari, Provincial councillor for University and research, attended to the ceremony and awarded the prize of the Autonomous Province of Trento to the “Ecosistemi del futuro” from Levico and the “Electrical Generator” from Bresadola groups; Barbara Poggio, Prorector for equality and diversity policies, attended too and awarded the “Ruoli di genere” group from Bresadola, with the prize offered by the University.
The initiative:
The initiative, now in its second edition, draws on the international “Young Scientist” initiative, which aims at bringing middle school students closer to the science world through the methodological approach of “learning by doing”. The purpose of the project is to encourage students, through efficient and cooperative group work and with the supervision of teachers, where necessary, to acquire cognitive skills through technology and science to stimulate their creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills. There were two new elements in this edition. Young researchers from the University of Trento and the Fondazione Bruno Kessler have prepared some in-lab workshops for the classes to enhance their experience. And special attention was paid to encourage the participation of girls in scientific professions, beyond gender gaps and stereotypes.
For further information on the project see: http://events.unitn.it/tysc2015