A group of young pupils and teachers in a classroom

Science Communication as a career path following a degree in CIÊNCIAS

Joana Bordalo: a former student of CIÊNCIAS and social entrepreneur co-founded a science communication and education programme that aims to promote scientific literacy and reduce social inequalities, and which has now reached the mainland and all the Portuguese islands. She tells us first-hand about her journey so far.

Many people associate science solely with research and development, but the truth is that science encompasses various areas, such as communication and outreach, education and training, innovation and industry, and public policy.

For me, one of the most important moments in my SCIENCE degree was realising, whilst talking to Professor Gabriela Rodrigues, that my academic options were not limited to scientific research and that I could forge a path in the field of Science Communication – a topic I hadn’t explored during my degree.

Joana Bordalo leading a workshop for primary school children.

Credits: Joana Bordalo / Native Scientists

So, after completing my degree in CIÊNCIAS, and taking part in exchange programmes in the Azores and Slovenia, I enrolled on a Master’s degree in Science Communication, which gave me two unrivalled experiences: one in the United States, where I spent five months working in the Communications Office of the Institute for Genomic Biology (University of Illinois) on a Fulbright Scholarship; and another at a European level, at Native Scientists, which introduced me to the world of social impact and social entrepreneurship. Together with Joana Moscoso and Matilde Gonçalves, we launched the ‘Scientist Returns to School’ programme in 2021, which, as well as promoting scientific literacy and providing communication tools to scientists from various academic fields, aims to reduce educational inequalities at a national level and inspire children to take an interest in science.

Through the ‘Scientists Return to School’ programme, we bring scientists back to the schools where they studied to run hands-on science workshops with current 4th year pupils; to date, we have involved more than 160 Portuguese scientists who have inspired more than 5,000 children in their home towns.

The programme is based on values such as inclusion and innovation, with a view to reaching all children, particularly those with limited access to science. To this end, we have developed and implemented innovative educational methodologies that enable us to achieve this objective.

Credits: Joana Bordalo / Native Scientists

What’s more, we put our heart and soul into everything we do, because we want to make a lasting impact and because we believe that education is a long-term investment. Our ambition is to make Portugal the first country in the world to ensure that no child moves on to lower secondary school without having met a scientist.

I live and work inspired by Pedro Arrupe’s words: “I cannot resign myself to the idea that, when I die, the world will carry on as if I had never lived”.

That is the message I want to convey to the whole CIÊNCIAS community – that we should use our time to leave the world a better place than we found it, and never give up on dreams or ideas yet to be conceived. There is no single ‘path’ to follow; there is simply the path we choose to take.

Joana Bordalo

Co-founder of Native Scientists’ ‘Scientists Return to School’ programme

Science Communication as a career path following a degree in CIÊNCIAS

I live and work inspired by Pedro Arrupe’s words: “I cannot resign myself to the idea that, when I die, the world will carry on as if I had never lived”.

Are you a scientist and would you like to take part in the ‘Scientists Return to School’ programme?

Find out more about the programme and how to take part here.