Mariana Bexiga
MOBILIsE Project Manager
The second week of July was a busy, yet unusual, time at the lab, as the Molecular Biomaterials group welcomed two high-school students for a summer internship in the remit of the Ciência Viva no Laboratório programme. Beatriz and Lara, who recently finished the 12th and 11th grades, learned about how biomaterials can be prepared and used in regenerative medicine in the internship entitled Criar Biomateriais Inovadores com Moléculas Inteligentes. Sara Silva, a post-doc in the Molecular Biomaterials group provided mentorship and guidance in the lab.
Helena Azevedo, MOBILIsE’s ERA Chair holder and the leader of the Molecular Biomaterials group mentions that “hosting young students in the lab and showing them how science can contribute to improving our lives is also part of our mission as scientists, that is why we were so keen in joining the Ciência Viva no Laboratório programme and welcome Beatriz and Lara in our lab”. In addition, she says that “these initiatives are always rewarding as we are energised by their enthusiasm and curiosity”.
We wish the best of luck to Beatriz and Lara in their studies and hope to see them again in the lab someday! They can now act as science ambassadors and help disseminate our research among their colleagues, friends, and family members, and contribute to a better informed society.
Ciência Viva no Laboratório is a free summer internship programme directed to students of the 9th to the 12th grades, organised by Ciência Viva, the national agency for Scientific and Technologic Culture. It has the goal to promote the experimental teaching of science and stimulate the interest for scientific careers. The internships are held at research institutes and companies developing R&D activities.