The Educational Initiative "CuriousMinds" concluded its 2023 cycle impacting 48 educational establishments and kindergartens in the North Metropolitan Region, with more than 10.000 Participations, among them students and scientists from various areas of knowledge.  These activities, designed to bring science closer together, Technologies, Knowledge and innovation for the new generations, focused on a variety of educational actions, ranging from talks, Itinerant Laboratories, Museum visits, laboratories belonging to various universities, to territorial actions such as community science fairs.

"CuriousMinds" is an initiative of the Explora North Metropolitan Region Associative Project of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, Innovation, which is led by the Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDIS), through the Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Chile.

Contribution to science education

The participation of scientists in "CuriousMinds" It highlights the continued need to strengthen scientific education and at the same time promote the dissemination of the various areas of knowledge in our country. These efforts don't just inspire students, they also emphasize the importance of expanding educational programs that foster curiosity and interest in STCI at the school stages.

The experience of the participating scientific community, such as the Periodontal Biology Laboratory of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Chile, highlight how rewarding it was to share knowledge about the importance of macrophages in oral and synthetic health during the activities of "CuriousMinds". Testimonies reveal a shared motivation: to inspire new generations in the scientific world and to contribute to the strengthening of students' technological and scientific skills.

Sabina Arias Vázquez, of the Metropolitan Technological University, He highlights the importance of disseminating science to the community and thus motivating the training of new scientists: "On this occasion, our research group did it through the evaluation of nanoparticles". Team, as well as the students, They learned from each other: "We were able to establish a protocol on how to teach in a practical way what we do in the laboratory".

Enriching experiences

The activities of "CuriousMinds", have made it possible to achieve a complete experience both in the educational communities and in the scientific community, who have participated in this initiative, This is what Professor Carolina Zamorano Muñoz points out, belonging to the Mary and George School in the commune of Recoleta, who highlights the preparation of the researchers who taught the two laboratories, as well as the curiosity they aroused in young people, "Achieving this in students is super important and even more so in these times, where boys and girls are no longer very surprised."

In 2023 "CuriousMinds” He gave 34 talks, 31 roving laboratories, 12 museum visits, observatories and open laboratories and 7 participations in territorial activities. The essence of these activities lies in allowing students not only to acquire knowledge, but also experience the scientific process in an entertaining way, contributing not only to students and new generations, It also provides a new way of interaction between the scientific community and educational communities.