News and Events

Posted on June 13th, 2023

3rd Healthy Waters Seminar

The 3rd Healthy Waters Seminar, held on May 31st, 2023, at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP), marked the conclusion of yet another Healthy Waters (HW) educational program. Organized by the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) team within the framework of Activity 3 (Social Awareness & Education), this seminar brought together participants from three public schools in Porto. The participating schools included: (i) Escola do Cerco do Porto (17 8th-grade students and two teachers); (ii) Escola Eugénio de Andrade (31 8th-grade students and four teachers); and (iii) Escola Aurélia de Sousa (16 12th-grade students and two teachers).Over the course of the program, students engaged in a series of six sessions aimed at deepening their understanding of water-related issues. Building on the work developed in the previous phases, this final edition of the HW program emphasized community engagement and environmental education, aligning with the project's objectives.The seminar served as a platform for students to present their research findings and engage in discussions with their peers, teachers, and university monitors through poster presentations. Projects developed by middle and high school students addressed various local water challenges, contributing to heightened environmental awareness and education within their communities.The agenda included an opening session led by Professor Isabel Menezes (CIIE, FPCEUP), Professor Joaquim Faria (LSRE-LCM - ALiCE, FEUP), and Professor Amélia Veiga (CIIE, FPCEUP, acting as FPCEUP’s vice president). Following the poster exhibition and collective discussion of the presented works, a round table session was assembled with participating teachers and monitors from this HW program edition.Concluding the seminar was a closing session facilitated by Professor Isabel Menezes (CIIE, FPCEUP), Professor Sofia Castanheira Pais (CIIE, FPCEUP), and Dr. Filipa Pojal (representative of Porto Municipality), highlighting the collaborative efforts between academia, local government, and educational institutions in advancing water-related initiatives.

Posted on April 13th, 2023

Healthy Waters Workshop

On March 21st, four researchers of the Healthy Waters (HW) project, Marta Oliveira Barbosa, Catarina Bessa, Diogo Silva e Joel Bruno da Silva, conducted a workshop at “Escola Básica e Secundária de Cristelo” (Paredes, Porto), with approximately 100 participants (7th grade students).The HW Workshop started with a short presentation about the HW project, the challenges regarding water pollution and quality, and how everyone can play an active role in fighting this problem. The hands-on session included four experimental activities about water pollution, monitoring, and treatment processes. During the workshop, the students had the opportunity to talk to the researchers and ask questions about environmental problems. It was a morning full of activities and conversations, where active citizenship and environmental education were promoted.

Posted on February 8th, 2023

2nd Healthy Waters Seminar

The 2nd Healthy Waters Seminar occurred on February 2nd, at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP). This seminar was organized by the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) team in the Activity 3 (Social Awareness & Education) framework. The second edition of the Healthy Waters (HW) educational program was implemented in two public schools from Porto Metropolitan Area during six sessions. This edition also followed the same directives based on previous work developed by the research team under the Water Circle project. The HW Seminar closes the HW program activities and allows students to present (poster communications) and discuss the results of their research, together with their teachers and monitors (university students). Different projects, focused on local water problems, were developed by middle and high school students to impact communities by improving their environmental awareness and education. The agenda of this seminar included an opening session conducted by Professor Isabel Menezes (CIIE, FPCEUP), Professor Joaquim Faria (LSRE-LCM - ALiCE, FEUP), and Professor Amélia Veiga (CIIE, FPCEUP, in the role of FPCEUP’s vice president), a poster exhibition with a collective discussion of the presented works and, a round table with teachers and monitors who participated in this second edition of the HW program, and a closing session, which was conducted by Professor Isabel Menezes, Professor Joaquim Faria and Drª Filipa Pojal (representative of Porto Municipality).

Posted on January 27th, 2023

Visit to the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto

On January 11th and 18th, 74 students from the two public schools from Porto that are participating in the second edition of the Healthy Waters project, accompanied by their respective teachers, visited some facilities of the ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, located at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto.

In this event, the students were invited to get to know not only the laboratories, but also several members of the Healthy Waters project and their current research in the field of water quality/treatment. All while the researchers, who have amicably opened the doors to their laboratories, sought to provoke the curiosity and explore the knowledge of these special visitors. This visit started with a short presentation about the current challenges regarding the quality and availability of water in the world, made by Professor Joaquim Faria (Scientific coordinator of LSRE-LCM - Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials).

Posted on September 18th, 2022

Celebrating International Microorganism Day - MICROSPHERE 2.0

Professor Olga C. Nunes participated in the MICROSPHERE 2.0 dedicated to the celebration of the International Microorganism Day (IMD), last September 17. The online event organized by the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative - Regional Office New Delhi (IMiLI-ROND) at PhiXgen Pvt. Ltd. counted with the participation of 350 people from diverse countries, including young people such as school students and undergraduates. The MICROSPHERE 2.0 program included interactive sessions and microbiology quiz for school and college students, aiming to promote microbial literacy.Professor Olga C. Nunes, which is a member of the Healthy Waters research team, talked about “Microbes & Life - Far from the heart, far from the mind”.More information about the IMD: https://www.internationalmicroorganismday.org/imd-events-2022

Posted on June 6th, 2022

Healthy Waters Seminar

The Healthy Waters Seminar occurred on June 6th, at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP). This seminar was organized by the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) team in the framework of Activity 3 (Social Awareness & Education).The first edition of the Healthy Waters (HW) educational program was implemented in three public schools from Porto Metropolitan Area during six sessions. This program is based on previous work developed by the research team under the Water Circle project. The HW Seminar closes the HW program activities and allows students to present (poster communications) and discuss the results of their research, together with their teachers and monitors (university students). Different projects, focused on local water problems, were developed by the middle and high school students, to have an impact on communities by improving their environmental awareness and education.The agenda of this seminar included an opening session conducted by Professor Isabel Menezes (CIIE, FPCEUP), Doctor Marta Oliveira Barbosa (LSRE-LCM, FEUP), and Doctor Filipa Pojal (Divisão Municipal de Programas Educativos, Câmara Municipal do Porto), a poster exhibition with a collective discussion of the presented works and, a round table with teachers and monitors who participated in this first edition of the HW program.

Posted on May 11th, 2022

Healthy Waters Workshop

The Healthy Waters (HW) Workshop took place at the “Conservatório de Música do Porto”, under the scope of Activity 3 - Social Awareness & Education. The “Conservatório de Música do Porto” was one of the three public schools that participated in the first edition of the HW educational program, with two 8th-grade classes. The HW Workshop was conducted by a group of researchers from the Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM) of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP) that presented some experimental settings designed to establish communication about water pollution, monitoring, and treatment processes. These researchers performed brief scientific demonstrations and helped with the students’ questions concerning water-related problems. Events like the HW Workshop are crucial, as they connect Science and Society, improving the way researchers communicate science to non-specialized audiences and promoting environmental education and awareness of the community.