The Open Day at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa) is already counting down to a friendly invasion of secondary school students and teachers. Scheduled for 6 May, the Ciências ULisboa Open Day once again continues an event that began with pioneering features in 1998, aiming to show potential higher education applicants the best of what is offered in undergraduate, master's and doctoral courses, as well as in projects that have contributed to the community – and which in some cases have resulted in promising businesses. During the day there will be a total of 112 activities, always with a relaxed atmosphere in the background. More than 2,300 secondary school students and teachers have already registered – but the registration period is not yet closed.
Ciências ULisboa Open Day welcomes over 2,500 students in search of the future
The Open Day promises to bring excitement, curiosity and plenty of ingenuity
“More than simply conveying information, the Open Day aims to create an experience: to allow each participant to engage with scientific practice, recognise its impact on the major challenges of our time and, above all, realise that they can be a part of it,” explains José Afonso,Vice Dean of Ciências ULisboa. “This is, therefore, an invitation – an invitation to enter the laboratories, to follow experiments, to talk with students, lecturers and researchers, and to understand that scientific research is not a distant reality. It is a concrete possibility, demanding and challenging, but also stimulating and, above all, within reach of those who are curious, have a critical spirit and a desire to understand the world,” adds the Vice Dean responsible for Communication and Image Unit at Ciências ULisboa.
The itinerary for the mega-visit, which begins at 9:00am and includes representatives from 53 schools, has been designed to showcase academic activities and various demonstrations of the science currently taking place in the laboratories, but does not overlook the day-to-day life on campus, leisure, and personal enrichment that are now available to those who wear the “Ciências ULisboa shirt”.
During the Open Day, the Secondary school students will attend various laboratory experiments
In the programme for the Ciências ULisboa Open Day, five trails stand out, illustrating the different facets of those who study or work on this campus. These can lead students and teachers on a walk through the HortaFCUL and the benefits of permaculture, open doors to chemistry games and sports activities, or introduce the basics of programming, a solar powered car, the mind of a fish, or the way whales communicate and how to interact with a robot.
Throughout the visit, there will also be the opportunity to interact with students, scientists and lecturers from Ciências ULisboa.
Secondary school students will be hosted by several members of Ciências ULisboa
For many visitors, it will be the Trilho das Licenciaturas (Bachelor´s Trail) that first captures their attention and, as the name suggests, the main aim of this theme is to present the curricula of the 17 first-cycle higher education courses, with the purpose of contributing to the decision-making process for those finishing secondary school.
Direct interactions with scientists are part of the tracks defined for the Open Day
On the Trilho dos Caloiros (Freshers’ Trail), organised by the Students’ Association of the Faculty of Sciences (AEFCL), it is the activities for personal enrichment, sport or community service that take centre stage. There is also the Laboratories Trail, which both arouses curiosity and generates amazement with experiments from different scientific fields.
The Scientists’ Trail will introduce various research projects through the voices of those who have led them, and on the Innovation Trail it will be possible to discover start-ups and other business projects, as well as featuring the participation of robots. The event is already scheduled – on 6 May Ciências ULisboa will keep its doors even more open to the world.