A project that brings UMinho researchers together with secondary school students took place on 7 May and welcomed dozens of works, including papers, posters and performances.

On 7 May, the University of Minho held the III Artificial Intelligence & Sustainability Congress (IAS), which aimed to communicate and bring science closer to secondary school students. The initiative, organised by Vice-Rector Sandra Paiva and Pro-Rector Teresa Ruão, took place from 9.30am to 5pm in auditoriums A1 of building 1 and B1 of building 2, on the Gualtar campus in Braga, and was free to attend.

The event included presentations, artistic productions, workshops and talks by specialists and was attended by more than 200 students from the 9th to 12th grades from schools in the Braga district, accompanied by their teachers.

The initiative opened with speeches by the Rector, Rui Vieira de Castro, the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, Sandra Paiva, the Pro-Rector for Institutional Communication, Teresa Ruão, and the coordinators of the IAS Ambassadors, teachers Carlos Lima and Rui Batista.

The work presented was developed by secondary school students in close collaboration with UMinho professors and researchers and was dedicated to the theme of Artificial Intelligence & Sustainability applied to different contexts and sectors. This year’s edition featured a wide range of themes in the work submitted, including three artistic productions – theatre and dance performances – that bridge the gap between Artificial Intelligence and the Arts. Other topics covered included infectious diseases, waste management, ocean observation, climate change, sustainability and digital pollution, justice, among others. There was also an exhibition where students’ posters and artistic productions were on display. The prize-giving and closing session took place at 16.00.

Bringing schools, municipalities and companies closer together

The IAS project includes UMinho consultants, i.e. teachers and researchers who have been interacting with secondary schools throughout the school year. Some of them will be speakers at the event, such as Fernando Ribeiro (Department of Industrial Electronics at EEUM), who spoke about automation and robotics, Rafael Granja, who discussed the application of AI in the area of criminal justice, or Miguel Azenha (Department of Civil Engineering at EEUM), who dealt with the opportunities of AI in the construction industry, among other experts.

The third edition of this initiative was supported by the municipalities of Barcelos, Braga, Famalicão and Guimarães. The IAS project aims to stimulate activities between UMinho and schools, city councils and companies in the north of Portugal, seeking to generate an environment for sharing ideas, experiences and practices, as well as encouraging the pre-university public to take up scientific research and the training on offer at this academy.