The Science and Art in Winter Holidays (Cafin) program began this Monday (10). The event is aimed at students in the eighth and ninth year of elementary school in the Campinas municipal network. For a week, 90 students participate in workshops in Unicamp laboratories, under the supervision of professors and researchers from the University. The objective is to awaken young people to scientific research and artistic creation and make them participate in practical activities.
The opening ceremony took place at Casa do Lago, with the participation of the Pro-Rector of Research at Unicamp, João Romano, Professor Fernando Martins, representing the municipal secretary of Education, Tadeu Jorge, and the advisor to the Pro-Rector of Extension and Culture Marco Aurélio Cremasco.
Romano recalled that human beings have multiple talents and that the workshops offer an opportunity for students to learn about aspects of all major areas of knowledge. “May, in these days that you spend here, you discover a taste for science. As a retired professor says: 'Science is a friend of truth'. May they gain appreciation for discovering so many interesting truths.”
He also highlighted the fact that Cafin is being resumed after three years of suspension due to restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same sense, Cremasco stated that the presence of students at Unicamp means hope. “Have you witnessed the pandemic and what have we learned from the pandemic? Above all, having hope. You here represent this hope and, above all, our hope.”
A week to discover new things
Fernando Martins recalled that, during the week of activities offered by Cafin, students will be able to expand their knowledge, both related to areas of knowledge and related to the functioning of a university. “To know the university today is to expand the possibilities of existence. This week is about curiosity, discovering new things, learning a little about Unicamp's organization, finding out what human beings have already managed to think and systematize knowledge.”
The opening ceremony ended with a presentation by three students from the Padre Melico Cândido Barbosa Municipal Elementary School. They sang a rap to raise awareness about violence against women.
Students from 33 schools are participating in this edition of Cafin, who will be able to hold eight workshops until July 14th. Alicia Santos, 13 years old, Vinicius Alves, 15 years old, and Bárbara Ribeiro, 15 years old, for example, were selected by the Sylvia Simões Magro Elementary School to participate in the program. They all only knew about the Unicamp Clinical Hospital and now intend to explore other areas of the University.
Ribeiro wants to study Medicine and believes that participating in the program helps him better understand what academia is like. “I want to try to go to college when I'm older and I wanted to see what [the University] is like. Molecular Biology is the workshop that interests me most. I hope we have great experiences.”
