The squares of Pompeu Fabra, Hospital, dels Manaies, and the Pati de les Magnòlies, surrounding the Generalitat headquarters in Girona, served as the setting for this initiative. Students presented a variety of projects and experiments, ranging from compressed air rocket workshops to explanations about the red color of Mars, captivating both young and old.
The fair, promoted by the Servei Educatiu del Gironès with the collaboration of the Girona City Council and the University of Girona (UdG), also featured the participation of research groups from the UdG and the Girona Biomedical Research Institute (Idibgi). Organizers highlighted the event's consolidation and its goal of fostering scientific vocations, especially among girls.
Take the pencil and stick it into this plastic bag full of water, pass it through, and you'll see that the water doesn't come out.
Throughout the morning, students became science communicators, explaining concepts of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and technology to families and curious onlookers. For example, two 4th-year ESO students from Vedruna de Girona school illustrated water's surface tension with a pencil and a water-filled bag.
Among the projects on display was a scale model of the solar system, created by students from the Sant Hilari institute-school, which demonstrated the small size of Earth compared to the Sun. There was also a project from the Baix Empordà de Palafrugell institute on rocks from Earth and Mars, and a demonstration by 1st-year ESO students from Montessori Palau de Girona on how fats and liquids interact using milk, food coloring, and liquid detergent.
A festive atmosphere was evident, with visitors participating in a scavenger hunt that invited them to answer questions at each stand. Girona friends like Ernest Mallol and brothers Mario and Pol Castillo built and launched their own compressed air rocket, a workshop from the Associació Pèndulum, demonstrating the ease with which science can be experimented with.
The event reinforced the idea that science should not be intimidating, but rather everyday, understandable, and fascinating. Girona has once again established itself as a space for scientific discovery and dissemination, thanks to the involvement of a thousand young people.
