The Experimenta Fair-Contest, organised by the Faculty of Physics of the University of Valencia, held its 20th edition on Sunday 13th April at the Science Museum of Valencia. The 66 projects proposed by students from secondary school, baccalaureate and vocational training, 50% of whom were women, were visited by 3.500 people.
The aim of this initiative is to prepare an experimental project in the STEM field, show it and explain it. The proposals can belong to any subject, although they must demonstrate a physical principle or its practical application and, especially, its interrelation.
More than 50 student volunteers from the Faculty of Physics prepared the space to welcome, as they do every year, the 300 students accompanied by their teachers who took part in the event. At the start of the day, the students set up their experiences and made a final tune-up before welcoming the first participants, who soon multiplied as the morning progressed, from 10 a.m. onwards.
It was during this first part of Sunday that the jury visited each stand and evaluated their initiatives with a view to the prize-giving ceremony that would bring the fair-contest to a close.
At the same time, children had at their disposal four thematic tables differentiated by age in the kids' workshop Fisicalandia, where they were presented with simple demonstrations based on natural phenomena through games and experiences. This time, the activities consisted of tightrope walkers, the flying diabolo, the Cartesian diver and the plasticine circuits.
The sound of several sirens used by the volunteers signalled that the time for the end of the exhibition, 1pm, had arrived. A spontaneous and loud round of applause echoed throughout the venue. After packing up, the participating groups moved to the museum's Grisolía Auditorium to attend the awards ceremony.
Professors Chantal Ferrer and Ana Cros, from the university's Faculty of Physics, presented the show “String (guitar) theory” accompanied by Andrea Bombi on the instrument. Through the movement of giant springs, they explained the physics behind the music emitted by the guitar strings.
During the intervention of the institutional authorities, the rector of the University of Valencia, Mª Vicenta Mestre, congratulated the participants for their interest, enthusiasm and effort.
This was followed by the presentation of the Ampère-Blas Cabrera-Experimenta prizes, one for each category of the competition, awarded by the Ampère Museum/Society of Friends of Ampère in Lyon, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of André Marie Ampère. The projects that received this distinction were «¿Qué energía nos traerá la marea?», Sierra Blanca bilingual school in Málaga (Physics-ESO), «¡Vaya “lího” de hilos!», from private school Sagrado Corazón Hermanos Maristas in València (Physics - Baccalaureate), «¡Vigila tus monedas!», rom the private school San José de la Montaña in Cheste (Technology-ESO) and «Energía eléctrica paso a paso», from the IES Beatriu Civera in Aldaia (Technology-Baccalaureate). The winner of the overall prize, which includes a travel grant to attend the Ampère festival in Lyon (France) in June, will be decided at a later date.
It was impossible to contain the screams of joy every time a classified project was announced. The winning proposals in the different categories of the fair were “Un brindis por la primera ley de la termodinámica” from the IES La Torreta in Elda (Physics-ESO), “Música en clau d’ohm”, from the IES Joan Fuster in Sueca (Physics-Baccalaureate), “Projecte CTEM: Vehicle propulsat per motor ionic” from IES Josep de Ribera in Xàtiva (Technology-ESO) and “Energía eléctrica paso” from the IES Beatriu Civera in Aldaia (Technology-Baccalaureate). The private school Mariano Serra in Aldaia won the public prize with “Viper-clean”. Another 9 groups obtained different honourable mentions.
In addition, the students of the 14 classified projects will show them again in Experimenta TOP during the Expociència day, organised on May 10th by the Science Park of the University of Valencia. Their explanations will be recorded and published openly.
The Experimenta Fair-Contest is organised by the Faculty of Physics of the University of Valencia and has the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology - Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, as well as other entities and institutions, including ScienceFlows.
