Prati-Donaduzzi recently initiated the activities of the “Universe of the Sciences”, a project developed by the pharmaceutical manufacturer since last year and aimed at adolescents and youngsters who attend elementary school in the public and private education systems in the town of Toledo.
The goal is to provide students with access to the universe of the Sciences so they will learn the industrial processes and their relevance for future integration into the labor market. Sixteen classes are expected to receive capacity-building training this year.
Twice a week, with 10 three-hour meetings, students participate in the project in the period when they are not having classes. Activities are executed as extracurricular activities at a specific science lab – located in the Corporate University – Uniprati, aiming at teaching Sciences in an innovative way, abandoning the routine of conventional classrooms.
Student Junior Souza Barbosa, 14, is enjoying his participation in the “Universe”. “I really like the content of the Physics, Chemistry and Biology classes. I’m learning new experiences and it has been very important to experience all this for real.”
As for Thayná Vicente, she is not shy about participating in the project. The 15 year old lives in Cascavel and goes to Toledo twice a week. “The distance is not prohibitive and everything I learn in the “Universe” helps me with the school content.”
With a workload of 30 class hours per class, the project is divided into sections and students have access to Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Biology contents at first. In addition, students are divided into teams in order to design, execute and present a scientific project, and the best group receives a prize. The project is partners with SESI (the Social Service for the Industry).
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The teacher and biologist Michely Almeida emphasizes that the goal is to repeat the success that the project achieved last year. “This year we have new proposals, different perspectives in the technology transfer area, of knowledge for the participating groups,” she says.
Among the main innovations is the participation of 5th year students through a partnership with Toledo’s City Secretariat of Education; and of youngsters who act as apprentices at Prati-Donaduzzi. There will also be the “Universe of the Sciences II”, which will be intended for the students who stood out the most in the 2014 activities. “It will be more focused on scientific research, because they have the basic knowledge and may already make experiences,” Michely explains.
There is also a study to train teachers for the early years of elementary school, in a partnership with the Toledo City Hall. The idea is for the teachers to participate in the “Universe of the Sciences” project and to reproduce what they taught students in the classroom.
