On Sunday, March 30, the corridors of the Biotechnology Building were filled with an unusual bustle for that day of the week. The reason? A visit by around ten children from the A’Corda Association, who came, along with their youth leaders, to spend a morning with CBQF researchers.
Under the motto “We exist because we choose not to remain indifferent!”, A’Corda is an association based on volunteer work—some of whom are themselves young CBQF researchers and ESB students—who support institutionalized children and young people aged 6 to 18. Their mission is to run activities that “fill their lives with color,” allowing them to experience new things in an atmosphere of joy and care.
Thus, volunteer and researchers Rita Vedor, Maria Melo, and Francisco Rodrigues joined CBQF investigators Joana Barbosa and Joana Cristina Barbosa to create a community science morning.
The day began with a somewhat challenging request: draw a scientist. With the help of their youth leaders, the children rose to the task. Next, the classroom was transformed into an improvised lab, though there was still time for a quick visit to the Biomaterials Laboratory for a 3D-printing demo. Other activities explored healthy eating and “play” chromatography for color separation. The children even made- and tasted! - capsules containing food, pretended to handle their own microorganisms in the lab, and peered through microscopes at bacteria and yeasts relevant to food science.
Rita Vedor, CBQF researcher, ESB PhD student, and A’Corda youth leader, shared her perspective on the day: “Science communication is undoubtedly one of my great passions! What excites me even more is interacting with a younger audience. This particular event was incredible! It ended up merging my beloved work with my A’Corda volunteering, which fills my heart activity after activity. It was wonderful to see those kids smiling and laughing as they discovered what a scientist does! The minutes flew by and left my heart overflowing with joy!”
Throughout the session, instant photos were taken to create a spontaneous mural in the classroom, giving each child a keepsake of the day.
Maria Teles, A’Corda youth leader, tells us about the association and how this event fits its goals: “At A’Corda, we strive to bring fun to the children in our program, always combined with reflection and learning. We had the opportunity to visit Universidade Católica in Porto, where science, curiosity, and fun came together perfectly. The children loved the hands-on experiments—from food separation and 3D printing to examining microbe shapes, and ‘encapsulating’ food. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to join in were clear! At A’Corda, we choose not to remain indifferent, and this activity truly helped us honor our motto.”
Finally, the morning of “work” ended with a picnic and games on UCP’s main lawn, taking advantage of the inviting weather to conclude the visit on a high note.
