GIRLSTEAM’24 inspires young people in the field of ICT
24 of April, 2024
On the morning of April 24, to celebrate the International Day of Girls in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the campus atrium was transformed into a space of learning and inspiration for more than 150 students from primary and secondary schools.
The main aim of this initiative, promoted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), was to raise awareness of the empowerment of girls and women in ICT, encouraging their interest and participation in studies and careers.
Among the activities that took place during the morning, participants were able to immerse themselves in hands-on experiences and visit themed laboratories, exploring various aspects of ICT. For many, it was an opportunity to discover new passions and consider future technology-related careers.
Sónia Cardoso, a teacher at Escola Básica São Bruno in Caxias, expressed her surprise and enthusiasm about the initiative, highlighting the importance of women in technology. “I was completely unaware of this initiative, I think it’s an excellent opportunity for girls to learn more about technology and feel able to explore this field,” she said. Carolina, 12 and a pupil at the same school, shared her excitement at taking part in the event’s activities, “I think it’s incredible that women can go into science. Girls can do what boys do. When I grow up I’d like to be a doctor”.
André, 16, a student at the Fernando Lopes Graça Secondary School, praised the diversity of the event’s activities and how they can help in choosing future careers. “It helps a lot with what we want for the future, what to do in college. We went through an activity that explained how the human mind works, and also an electronics zone, where they showed us an arduino and a personalized piano. We also visited the bioengineering laboratories”. Margarida, a teacher at the same school, expressed confidence that the students would continue to explore these areas in college.
Among the younger participants, 10-year-old Avexon was amazed by the experiments, from creating games to watching robots in action. “We’re learning a lot with technology. I’ve played games, I’ve seen robots that fall with the processing they have in their heads, and that can get up on their own without anyone grabbing them. I’ve seen a laboratory, with current games and games from ancient times, which reminds us how good it is to play.”
Of the 78 volunteers who led the activities and visits to the various laboratories, Ana from the Centro de Estudos de Gestão do Instituto Superior Técnico (CEGIST) and Teresa, who works with cells and biomaterials in the laboratory of the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB) highlighted the importance of this event as a means of integrating women into STEAM areas and inspiring the next generation in technology.
From computer science to robotics, João, a member of the Rob9-16 project, said that “with the younger students we made a paper circuit and an experiment with a boat with loads. With the secondary school students, we organized a soldering activity, which consisted of soldering a small circuit with two LEDs.”
In this way, GIRLSTEAM’24 proved to be an initiative that reinforces gender equality in the areas of technology and shows young people that there is ‘other knowledge’ in the world of ICT.