BIST co-organizes the current edition of this conference, aiming to deepen the interaction between education and cutting-edge science and technology.
The 9th edition of the international learning conference STEAMConf Barcelona will start this Thursday April 18. For three days, the participants of the Conference -teachers,and researchers in education, science and technology- will have the opportunity to customize their experience by selecting from 12 immersive sessions, 24 workshops, 12 local experiences, 13 student-led workshops and 10 conversations with international experts.
For the second time, BIST joins the organizing institutions of the conference, alongside the Science in Society Foundation, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC), Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), and the STEAM Programme of the Angeleta Ferrer Institute. The Barcelona City Council, through the Department of Science and Universities, and the Catalan Goverment, through the Departaments of Education and Research and Universities, also collaborate in the conference.
The conference serves as a renowned meeting point for the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) educational community, offering a unique opportunity to engage with leading international experts in education innovation. This edition places particular emphasis on deepening the interaction among a growing network of educational centres committed to educational transformation and cutting-edge science and technology. It brings together transformers from both local and foreign educational environments with a shared goal: bringing the classroom closer to the real world while fostering intergenerational commitment between today’s and tomorrow’s adults.
In its 9th edition, STEAMConf relocates to La Ciutadella Knowledge Hub, the area around Ciutadella Park in Barcelona planned to become a leading European hub for knowledge, dissemination, research and innovation (the construction of the Antic Mercat del Peix is part of this future hub). The conference’s opening event will take place at the UPF’s Ciutadella Campus Auditorium, featuring interventions by the institutional representatives Anna Simó i Castelló (Minister of Education, Generalitat de Catalunya), Laia Claverol Torres (Manager of the Economy and Economic Promotion Area, Barcelona City Council), Vanessa Daza (Vice Chancellor of Knowledge Transfer, UPF), Anna Mujal (Vice Rector of Teaching and Student Affairs, UPC), Eduard Vallory (Director General of BIST), Blanca Amengual (Director of the Angeleta Ferrer Institute) , and Paca Ciller (President of the Science in Society Foundation, co-founder of STEAMConf Barcelona).
After the inagurational speeches, the documentary film “RISE: voice of a new generation” will be screened. The film documents the story of the students and choaches of One Stone, the first student-led high school in the United States. The screening will be followed by an intergenerational conversation between today’s and tomorrow’s adults, with the participation of Rochelle Gutierrez, researcher in mathematics education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA).
BIST Community-led Workshops
The STEAMConf programme features plenary sessions as well as simultaneous group sessions, panels, and workshops. Three of these workshops are offered by BIST Community members.
On Thursday afternoon, Pere Masjuan, Marcel Algueró, and Sebastián Grinschpun from IFAE offer the workshop “Building the Universe Piece by Piece,” in which participants will use a Lego model to visualize the subatomic world. The Lego model allows exploring topics such as the cosmic origin of the periodic table or the evolution of the universe.
Also on Thursday afternoon, participants can opt to attend ICFO‘s workshop, “Using Light for Medical Diagnosis: Classroom Activities on Medical Photonics.” Led by Lucia Castillo Garcia, Zoi Melissari, Lydia Sanmarti-Vila, and Silvia Carrasco, this engaging activity explores the interactions between light and matter, especially within the human body, with replicable classroom applications.
On Friday morning, Joan Guillem Mayans and Laura P. Hernández from ICIQ offer a workshop titled “CO2 and Temperature,” where participants will explore the effects of CO2 on temperature while engaging in hands-on activities to build molecules that can be obtained in laboratories using atmospheric CO2. It is a fun and interactive way to learn about atoms, molecules, and chemical bonds.
Pere Masjuan, senior researcher at IFAE’s Theory Division, says about the STEAMConf: “Our participation in the STEAMconf offers a good opportunity to gauge our ability to communicate our research effectively to a broader audience. We are excited to engage with education professionals, fostering an exchange that enriches both our research and educational practices.”
The registration to the STEAMConf is open until April 16th.