Ser Cientista ’26 brings young people closer to research and helps them discover future vocations

For a week, dozens of secondary‑school students traded their summer holidays for laboratories, fieldwork, and direct contact with researchers at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa). The 11th edition of Ser Cientista ’26 (the second largest, with 83 participants) concluded with a congress in which the participants presented the projects developed throughout the week, shared the results of their work, and reflected on an experience that, for many, strengthened their desire to pursue a scientific career.

Over five days, the students joined research teams and explored different areas of knowledge, in a unique opportunity to experience science beyond the classroom. For Inês Marques, 18, from Pinhal Novo, taking part stemmed precisely from the desire to clarify her doubts about the academic path she hopes to follow: “I’ve always really liked Biology, but I still wasn’t sure which area I enjoyed the most. I chose a project that covered several fields — from plant biology to macrobiology and molecular biology — to better understand what I want to do.”

Despite the daily trips between Pinhal Novo and Lisbon, she says the effort was worth it: “It was a very rewarding week. I really enjoyed meeting new people, discovering new areas and gaining experience. I had never taken part in a project of this calibre.” The experience also helped confirm the choice she intends to make in higher education: “I’m thinking of applying for the Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences.”

Carolina Veiga and Sofia Francisco, from Miraflores Secondary School in Oeiras, also highlighted the direct contact with research as one of the most striking aspects of the initiative. Both took part in the project ‘Why is the Universe accelerating?’, dedicated to Physics, and admit that the experience was different from what they had imagined, but equally enriching: “We had never done anything like this. The activities were very creative, and we learned so many new things. Initiatives like this help us understand whether we can picture ourselves studying and working in this field every day.”

Among the participants were also returning students who came back to Ser Cientista after taking part in last year’s edition. One of the students from Miraflores Secondary School believes that each project offers a different perspective on scientific research: “Last year I took part in a more theoretical and computational project. This year was much more technical and experimental. We worked with many more samples and were able to understand better how scientific research actually works.” In his view, experiences like this make it possible to discover a reality that is rarely accessible in a school context: “School doesn’t give us this kind of contact. Here we can better understand whether research is truly a path we want to follow.”

Over 11 editions, Ser Cientista has already enabled 640 young people to experience first-hand the work carried out at Ciências ULisboa, promoting direct contact with researchers and scientific projects in areas as diverse as Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics and Informatics. Since 2014, the year of the first edition, more than 150 projects have been presented. At Ser Cientista, more than simply sparking vocations, the aim is to provide an authentic experience of scientific research, helping young people make more informed decisions about their academic and professional futures.

Watch here the report broadcast on 23 July on Jornal da Meia-Noite on SIC Notícias and on 24 July on Primeiro Jornal on SIC.

Below you can find some photographic highlights from the week, or access the full album using the button: