Guanajuato, Gto., October 7, 2019.- For three days, elementary school students from communities in Guanajuato learned about astronomy, mathematics, biology and metallurgy, among other disciplines, as part of the XVII Workshop on Sciences for elementary children, organized by Dr. Héctor Bravo Alfaro, a research professor at the University of Guanajuato (UG) and Dr. Johan Horebeek, of the Center for Research in Mathematics (CIMAT).
The project aims to promote among schoolchildren an interest in playful knowledge and learning through workshops, scientific outreach talks, astronomical observations and museum visits, among other activities.
On this occasion 16 girls and 5 boys participated, who were part of a careful selection process in two elementary schools of the mineral community of La Luz and Santa Rosa de Lima, both municipalities of Guanajuato.
Thus, from Friday to Sunday, primary school pupils attended a Biology workshop by Dr. Elcia Brito Souza, an academic in the Engineering Division; to a talk on astronomy given by Dr. César Caretta, of the Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, and a visit at the La Azotea Observatory, an activity that was guided by Dr. Bravo Alfaro, the Eng. Rosendo Yebra, and the M. s. Luis Ramírez, of the Guanajuato Campus of the UG.
They also participated in workshops and educational games of Mathematics with Dr. Johan Horebeek, M. s. Paulina de Graaf, and M. s. Luis Islas. The group also visited the El Nopal Mine, the Alfredo Duges Museum, and the Quixote Iconographic.
The young students were housed in CIMATEL (the guest house of the Center for Mathematics Research) and were in the care of three members of the organizing committee, with extensive experience as monitors in such activities. In addition, the last day was attended by parents.
The Elementary Children Science Workshop receives funding from the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT), through a project approved for the UG Astronomical Observatory, which is focused on communicating science among young people in rural communities in the state of Guanajuato.
For this activity, CIMAT also contributed extensively with human, financial and logistical support.
Dr. Héctor Bravo anticipated that as part of this science communication project, in November the science workshop will be replicated in the El Platanal community, in the municipality of Xichú; and on All-Star Night – to be held on November 30 – groups of schoolchildren from nearby communities will be invited, although the event is open to all audiences.
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