Same Home Town (Cientista Regressa à Escola) prizes awarded during the European Researchers Night 23

To close the second year of the Same Home Town Programme (Cientista Regressa à Escola), Native Scientists awarded 5 students during the European Researchers Night.

In 2023 more than 1,000 students participated in the Same Home Town Programme workshops. Before each workshop, students drew a scientist or the scientists’ workplace and wrote a sentence about what they would do if they were scientists. At the end of the school year, after assessing the submissions, a jury of 6 people selected the most original ones. The jury was composed of Prof. Elsa Henriques and Fátima Fonseca (Fundação Luso Americana para o Desenvolvimento), Luís Amaral (Governo Regional dos Açores), Gonçalo Quadros (Critical Software), Helena Pinheiro (Instituto de Medicina Molecular) and Catarina Miranda (Native Scientists).

The five winners, aged 9 and 10 years old, and their families were invited to the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Lisbon, coming from different towns all over Portugal, including the Islands. The ceremony occurred on the 29th of September during the European Researchers Night, which Native Scientists, Champalimaud Foundation and Instituto de Medicina Molecular organised. The European Researchers Night had a core programme built around a set of science communication projects and immersive experiences, that targeted school students and also their families.

Exhibition of drawings and sentences at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown.

Isabela and Rafael, both 9 years old, won the “Best Drawing” and Madalena, 9 years old, Maria and Rodrigo, both 10 years old, won the “Best Sentence” awards.

From left to right: Rafael, Madalena, Isabela, Joana Bordalo (co-founder and lead of the SHT programme), Maria and Rodrigo, Joana Moscoso (co-founder and director of Native Scientist).

“Se eu fosse um cientista… eu era estudioso, partilhava as minhas experiências com outras crianças e também aprendia com elas.” (Rodrigo, 10 years old, Vila do Porto, Ilha de Santa Maria)

“Se eu fosse uma cientista... gostava de descobrir como é feita a internet.” (Maria, 10 years old, Portalegre)

“Se eu fosse uma cientista... eu iria tentar criar uns patins super rápidos que voassem até ao espaço e também uma vacina para que não haja mais doenças.” (Madalena, 9 years old, Portalegre)

Isabela, 10 years old, Montemor-o-Novo

Rafael, 9 years old, Estremoz

Native Scientists offered the programme tote bag and the book “Lá Fora”, kindly supported by Planeta Tangerina, to the winners.

About Native Scientists

Founded in 2013, Native Scientists is a pan-European non-profit organisation connecting underserved children and scientists. It exists to broaden children’s horizons, promoting scientific literacy and reducing inequalities through science outreach educational programmes.