EcoSTEAM Challenge

Under the Scientix project network, a competition called the SEE Eco-STEAM Challenge was established with a view to raising awareness about climate change and possible mitigation measures, as South-East Europe is being increasingly affected. Elementary school students from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia participated in a pilot competition dedicated to greening the school environments in 2022. A programme focusing on adaptation to changed climate conditions included teams of mentors and students from 12 elementary schools from the three countries, organised by the Center for the Promotion of Science, CARNET from Croatia and the University of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During May 2022, teacher mentors and their students measured basic weather parameters, such as temperature and humidity, and recorded weather phenomena in the immediate school environment for three weeks. They were supported in their work by the Green Diary practicum developed by the CPN under the TeRRIFICA project. The obtained results were compared with historical data, and based on the newly acquired knowledge, proposals were made to adapt to the changed conditions and mitigate the negative consequences.

The winner of the first edition of the competition in Serbia is the team of the Elementary School "Sveti Sava" from Kikinda. In Croatia, it is the Elementary School “Petar Preradović” from Zadar and in Bosnia and Herzegovina the Elementary School “13 rujan” from Jajce. Three more schools from each of the countries participated in the competition, namely "Georgi Stojkov Rakovski" from Banja Luka, "Osman Nakaš" from Sarajevo and First Elementary School from Široki Brijeg (Bosnia and Herzegovina), "Podmurvice" from Rijeka, "Ivan Cankar" from Zagreb and "Dobriša Cesarić" from Osijek (Croatia), as well as "Branislav Nušić" from Donja Trnava, "Starina Novak" from Belgrade and "Emilija Ostojić" from Požega. The prize for the winning schools was valuable equipment for teaching and further project activities. The winning teams also participated in the programme of CUC 2022 conference in Šibenik in October 2022, where each school had a valuable opportunity to present their solutions for adaptation to the changed climate conditions to their peers and other attendees.

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