On 15 January, the Aircraft Operations Lab swapped the classrooms of the Carlos III University of Madrid for those of La Salle school in Griñón, where a science workshop was held for a 6th grade class of 11-12 year olds. The main objective was to introduce them to the fascinating E-CONTRAIL project to awaken STEAM vocations.
The workshop was structured in two sessions, each one addressed to one of the 6th grade groups. Each session was divided into two distinct parts. The initial one featured Manuel Soler, head of the UC3M Lab and coordinator of the E-CONTRAIL project. During this session, he explained the impact of contrails and aviation-induced cloudiness on climate change. Engaging the students in an interactive way, he presented the research team’s use of satellites and artificial intelligence to observe and predict the climatic effects of contrails. A dynamic presentation that captivated the young minds, raising a host of insightful questions.
With their scientific curiosity sparked, the second part of the workshop aimed to encourage the individual creativity of each child. The challenge was to produce a short story related to the main theme of the workshop. Professor Soler provided the students with information on the ingredients of a good storytelling and outlined specific criteria for their stories:
- The character’s conflict had to be tied to climate change.
- The plot needed to incorporate some form of aircraft transport.
After the workshop, we meticulously selected the three stories with the highest literary quality and originality for the pleasure of our readers:
We extend our sincere thanks to the teaching staff and management of La Salle Griñón for helping us to facilitate this science outreach activity. We look forward to continuing to foster STEAM talents.