STEM Community Fund 2021 Awardees

Results of the STEM Community Fund 2021 Evaluation
An announcement from the STEM Engagement Team for the year 2022 are the awardees of our first STEM Community Fund.

Congratulations to our four Awardees!

A big well done to our awardees for finishing their exciting projects with a bang!

The National STEM Community Fund 2021 Awardees – An Overview
Equal by Nature by Malta Chamber of Scientists

The project used the principles of genetics to build bridges between individuals of different nationalities.

A community of migrants and asylum seekers were exposed to the fundamentals of genetics in a series of workshops. These workshops facilitated the process of learning more about genetics in an engaging, hands-on and interactive manner.

The second stage of this project was characterised by workshops which focused on developing an art installation for the Science in the City Festival. This artistic rendition of how our genetic make-up unites us, assisted geneticists communicate their research to the visitors of the festival.

A long banner was created to represent unity while celebrating diversity – and it is greatly augured that through the project, the community had the opportunity to work closely with the scientists and artists to better understand the science of genetics and how this could be translated into an artistic piece, sharing ideas and thoughts. The ultimate goal was to create good working relations between all involved, through the interaction offered by the project, both on a professional and social level, highlighting the relevance of science in society.

Follow this link  to learn more about how this project turned out.

Establishing Ecological Corridors for Fauna Species by BirdLife Malta

This project aimed to shed light on the movements and habits of two fairly common fauna species of which we still know very little. The two main species in question are the Mediterranean Chameleon and the Vagrant Hedgehog.

Small lightweight tags were placed on the animals to track their movement on a regular basis. The resultant data, shed light on a number of factors such as the preferred habitats of the species, their potential predators, their preferred periods of activity and their feeding foraging grounds.

Most importantly the data collected will be used in situations where and when future nature areas, public gardens and afforestation projects are in the planning stage. This is because the data gathered provides valuable tips so that what follows will ensure that a fitting habitat can be designed for the benefit of the iconic species in mention.

This project could also benefit members of the public who have a small garden – tips acquired from this project could assist with adapting the garden to become a potential habitat for these lovely creatures!

Follow this link to learn more about how this project turned out.

Code 4 Earth by Secretariat for Catholic Education

This project engaged Year 6 students with the science inquiry model. This was accompanied by the use of purchased kits (in conjunction with the students’ Learn Pad).

The project’s focal point was the Environment, as a system that could be harmed. As a result of their engagement and with this deepened understanding acquired through these distinct classroom lessons and the kits in mention, the students developed a number of related projects which reflected this awareness.

The inquiry model steps followed are summarised as follows:

• The current environment situation was unveiled by linking it with Year 6 Science curriculum Learning Objective 6.3.1 ‘Know that the environment is a system which can be harmed’.
• During the Explorestage, students investigated the phenomena based on knowledge acquired through classroom lessons.
• During theExplain and Elaborate stages, students acquired new knowledge on environmental phenomena.
• At the final stage of inquiry, students were capable to link the cause and effects of the actions we humans are causing to our Earth, and subsequently engaging in a brainstorming session, offering potential solutions through the demonstration of students’ built models. The models aimed to tackle and address a potential environmental issue at hand.

Follow this link to learn more about how this project turned out.

Get in Motion to Save the Ocean (GMSO) by St Monica School

The GMSO project aimed to implement various measures that acted as contributing factors to the circular economy, a reduction in the use of single-use plastic (SUP), national afforestation efforts, awareness about the proliferation of microplastics along Maltese coastal areas and the promulgation of citizen science practices.

These intertwined goals were achieved via a number of measures applied over the duration of the project. The measures included:

• the installation of water dispensers throughout the school to slash the consumption of bottled water;
• the collection (at school) of discarded water bottles and planting pots that were re-used for sapling planting purposes;
• the collection of holm oak (Quercux ilex– Balluta) acorns from Buskett woodland for planting purposes;
• the planting of holm oak acorns within discarded plastic bottles and planting pots. This was followed by irrigation for nine months and eventually the donation of such saplings to Ecoschools and Nature Trust;
• the extraction of microplastics from a number of local beaches during two different seasons, which are now placed on perpetual display at the Malta National Aquarium;
• the application of the ANDROMEDA project app developed by the University of Malta so that microplastics extracted by students were photographed and characterised by the mathematical algorithm embedded within the app;
• the comparison of the findings from the two separate extraction events to deduct the effect of the Summer season on the occurrence of microplastics on local beaches. (This contributed to a European-wide database/repository of microplastics); and
• the dissemination of findings and raising of awareness among the school’s community.

Follow this link to learn more about how this project turned out.