The project to bring science to rural schools began at IMPACT with the creation of an accessible and didactic microscope that seeks to link low-income students with science and technology.
With the delivery of more than 100 educational kits at the Rio Blanco School, in the Valparaiso Region, the first pilot of the Mininautas: Exploring the Microworlda collaborative project between the Center for Interventional Precision Medicine and Advanced Cellular Therapy (IMPACT) and the Universidad de los Andes School of Education to bring science closer to students.
The project Mininautas was born in 2022 at IMPACT with the creation of a accessible and didactic microscope. A functional prototype that brought science closer to children in rural contexts together with an industrial designer. To promote its use in school environments, the collaboration of academics and students from the School of Education was added to the project, who developed a teaching guide to foster scientific thinking in multilevel classrooms.
The activity took place on Wednesday, June 11, and brought together students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, who were able to explore the invisible world with the naked eye thanks to a low-cost microscope designed especially for them. Each child received a kit with a "mininauta" and two samples -one plant and one insect-, which they were able to observe and manipulate in the classroom.
The event was led by the academic Trinidad Sanchez and the student of Pedagogy in Basic Education, Francisca Cobo, who conducted classes adapted by levels. In addition, we had the presence of the Dr. Francesca Velardeof the IMPACT Center, together with the professionals Nicolas Georges e Isidora Torreswho acted as scientific counterparts.