Open Science Clubs in another 6 Bulgarian schools

We kicked off the new school year with 12 partner schools, adding two new partner schools to our project. Each year we are getting a step closer to our goal to spread Science Clubs and Science Festivals to as many Bulgarian schools as possible. We are excited and looking forward to see the new project topics and the student teams formed in these first months of the school year.

Currently, each team of students is being paired with a mentor - a professional or academic from the field in which the team's topic of interest lies - who volunteers to guide the students in their exploration. We work hard to maintain a network of mentors and to find the best matches for each project as we have seen how productive and inspirational a mentor-students relationship can be.   

Besides our work with our partner schools and the Sci High clubs there, we have been actively engaging the wider teacher community into the conversation around teaching science at school in a more practical and engaging way. In September, we gave an open online seminar for teachers on "How to make learning science at school more engaging and how to become a Sci High School". In October, we held our regular teacher training sessions "Applying the scientic approach and teaching STEM at school" which equip STEM teachers with modern teaching techniques and prepare them to take the first steps towards opening a STEM club at their school. We are happy to be welcoming new teachers to our Sci High community and believe the dedication and enthusiasm they bring to their teaching will translate into more children developing critical thinking, following their curiosity and discovering the beauty of science.

We are greatful for each individual donor, mentor, volunteer, partner, and advisor on our journey - thanks to you, we feel supported in our mission and even more focused in our efforts to open more science clubs, organize more science fairs and develop our community to impact as many children as possible. Visit our FB and website to stay up to date with our activities and to follow the progress of our student teams working on their projects.   

Links:

• Check out the last years' student teams (BG)
• Follow us for updates on progress and activities on FB (BG)

We are pleased to announce that the Third National Sci High STEM Fest took place on June 15, 2024 in Sofia. After a year of preparation our school science clubs from four cities - Sofia, Haskovo, Kozloduy and Knezha - took part in the final event - the National Sci High STEM Fest at the Faculty of Biology, Sofia University in Sofia. 

150 participants (students of grades 5 to 12) and visitors from various cities and age groups explored scientific topics ranging from "Waste Collection and Recycling" to "Water Purification", "Bulgaria's Demographic Crisis", and "Conservation of the Eurasian Lynx". The projects were entirely developed by the student teams from the Sci High School Science Clubs - the students selected their topics, carried out research, experiment, developed prototypes, prepared posters and presentations to report their findings and communicated to the general public. We commend all participants for their dedication and passion for contributing to the community and the environment.

During the big event special recognition went to two teams: the students from a school in Knezha, who won the Jury Award for their project on the sustainability of agricultural crops, and the students from a school in Kozloduy, who received the Audience Award for their "Molecular Cuisine" booth. Winners were awarded subscriptions to a bulgarian science magazine, visits to a science museum and a high-tech lab. All finalists received certificates for their accomplishments too. 

In July, we piloted our first Sci High Summer Academy which gave an oportunity to a handful of students to spend a week of their summer having fun while engaging in practical science experiments and learning science. The rest of our summer was spent recharging our batteries and preparing for the next school year. 

We are grateful to all contributors and partners whose support made the National Sci High STEM Fest 2024 and the whole 2023-2024 school year a success! Your dedication to science and education has helped inspire the next generation of researchers. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in the future and to share more successful events and exciting results from our work to promote science and the scientific method among bulgarian school children.

What is next? We are happy that we will be partnering with one more school from Sofia for the 2024-2025 school year and hope to engage more teachers and schools in the coming months. Our regular teacher training sessions are all planned and this year's clubs are already starting to form in our partner schools. So stay tuned for more news from us. 

Links:

• Check out our Facebook page (BG)
• Read more about the Sci High Festivals (BG)