Science moved out of the UNIPS laboratories to meet the community at Casa da Baía, in Setúbal, during the European Researchers' Night (NEI), held on Friday, the 25th. The initiative, themed “Knowing the territory, transforming the future,” involved approximately 30 faculty members and researchers from the university.
Organized by UNIPS for the fifth consecutive year and supported by the Setúbal Municipal Council (CMS), NEI showcased projects in diverse fields such as technology, environment, sustainability, heritage, robotics, and entrepreneurship, presented in a practical and accessible manner for audiences of all ages.
The rector of UNIPS, Ângela Lemos, emphasized the goal to “bring all the research we do to the public, in a language that is adequate and understandable by any citizen,” stressing that “science should not be restricted to researchers and Higher Education” and should be “at the service of the population”.
Among the activities, the public explored the underground using electrical resistivity, learned about robotic system prototyping with Arduino, considered the future of the territory in three minutes, discovered innovative solutions for wool valorization in the CIRCULATE project, explored coastal aquatic ecosystems with the Modsala project, and transformed georadar data into music in the “Subsurface Music” activity.
Heritage was explored through activities by the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of the District of Setúbal, and innovation and entrepreneurship were presented through projects from the UNIPS business idea incubator.
Carlos Cunha, director of the Municipal Department of Education and Libraries of the CMS, reinforced the municipality's partnership, as an Educating City, with the initiative, highlighting the importance of “generalizing access to education and making the population aware of all the research initiatives”.
UNIPS is a “very important partner for our city,” assured Cunha, guaranteeing the continued support of the Setúbal Municipal Council for NEI.
The initiative also featured partnerships with the polytechnic universities of Beja and Portalegre, and their respective municipalities, which organized their own programs, strengthening the regional dimension of NEI.
