Connecting school students with science
At MSP, we believe it is important to facilitate school students’ access to interactive activities that connect them with STEM fields. We recently organized a new activity at ICECHIM Bucharest and are delighted to always find support from research institutes, which make the visits as interactive and hands-on as possible for the school students.
One of the institutes that joined this educational initiative is the National Institute for Research and Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry – ICECHIM Bucharest, where we have already facilitated students’ access to laboratory explorations through guided tours, with three schools participating just this year.
About the visit of school students from „Regina Maria” school and „Federico García Lorca” school
Students from „Regina Maria” School and „Federico García Lorca” Secondary School recently had the opportunity to participate in a new educational event organized by MSP and ICECHIM Bucharest.
The researchers at ICECHIM introduced the students to the fascinating world of experiments and explained, in terms easy for them to understand, the structure of their departments, what they work on, and how each contributes to creating a “living organism” that develops new processes, medicines, and technologies that support their development. It was an excellent opportunity for students to get answers to their most curious questions about science.
After a debate on chemistry, technology, the evolution of ChatGPT, and “brainrot,” a term chosen as the Word of the Year 2024 by Oxford University Press, the school students participated in scientific experiments and visited the institute’s laboratories.
Spectacular experiments with kitchen ingredients
In addition to the laboratory experiments conducted by researchers, the students were able to actively participate in some of them.
The colorful and foamy reaction between turmeric, vinegar, and baking soda; the bleaching of a substance with vinegar; and creating glitter slime from scratch were among the students’ favorite experiments, conducted under the guidance of ICECHIM specialists, discovering how many chemical reactions can take place using simple resources, even from the kitchen!
The journey didn’t stop there. The students also visited the research laboratories, where they discovered the magnetic stirrer, a special “bubble tea” as only a researcher can make, the ultrasonic bath for aluminum foil, and the whistling bottle experiment.
Looking to the future
“Can’t wait to come back to you again!” and “I wish I could come here again on my birthday to discover more!” – were just a few of the enthusiastic messages students shared with the ICECHIM researchers at the end of the visit. We are delighted to see that the students want these initiatives, which are close to our hearts, to continue.
We are proud to collaborate with research institutes that make education a cornerstone of scientific progress, providing children with interactive, engaging, and curiosity-driven experiences. We thank them for helping us lay an important building block for the society of tomorrow.
