For the eighth consecutive school year, Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) and the Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE) at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia – BarcelonaTech (UPC) are launching a new edition of STEAM, a series of workshops and recreational activities to get primary school, compulsory secondary education (ESO) and baccalaureate students, particularly girls, interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. 

There will be six events during the school year, all of them in iconic Barcelona locations, namely Zoo de Barcelona, Park Güell, the Anella Olímpica, Parc del Fòrum and Tibidabo. A total of 7,750 students, 10% more than last year, are expected to take part. 

The first event was held today at Zoo de Barcelona and was attended by over 500 1st- and 2nd-year ESO students from various secondary schools in Barcelona and its metropolitan area. The event will be held again for another 500 students in December. 

Students attending this double session at Zoo de Barcelona will explore various aspects of biology and environmental science in a fun and interactive way. Activities will include extracting DNA from a strawberry, seeing how food is converted into energy and observing brain-muscle communication in real time. 

The next BSM and UPC STEAM event will be held at Park Güell on 27 November, for students in the 5th and 6th years of primary school. The theme of the event will be the architect Antoni Gaudí. The students will use his work to explore aspects of architecture, art and technology, as part of this initiative that strengthens the park’s commitment to using this heritage site for educational purposes.  

The next event after that will be held at the Anella Olímpica on 18 March, when the Palau Sant Jordi will become a true laboratory for 2nd- and 3rd-year ESO students. Subjects will include how the brain works, why certain chemical reactions occur and the importance of discovering new materials. 

Just a few days later, on 26 March, Parc del Fòrum will take over to provide another large-scale scientific testing ground, in this case for 4th-year ESO and baccalaureate students. Participants will experiment with the way light travels, the acidity of liquids and Ohm’s law, among other topics. In addition, aspects of urban mobility will be addressed for the first time at the event, using the Municipal Tow Truck and its contribution to public spaces as an example. 

The final STEAM event of the school year will be held at Tibidabo on 14 May. This year, the amusement park will host another edition of Fisidabo, a huge physics festival organised in collaboration with the Physical Engineering undergraduate programme at the UPC’s School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSEIB), in which 4th-year ESO and baccalaureate students will put their knowledge into practice by conducting experiments on the park’s various rides.

“Initiatives such as this one, in which science and fun join forces, are key to sparking young people’s interest in science and nurturing talent in the city”, said First Deputy Mayor and BSM chair Laia Bonet. “This series of STEAM events also highlights BSM’s commitment to using the iconic locations of the city it manages for the benefit of city residents”.

“The EEBE is delighted to be involved in the organization of STEAM events because, as a polytechnic institution, we are particularly keen to encourage all young people to learn more about science and technology”, said Adriana Farran, head of the Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE) at the UPC. “We believe that one of the best ways to do this is by experimenting, and if it can be outdoors and using fun and dynamic methods, so much the better”.