Schools & Society

At the European Researchers’ Night 2024, which took place on September 27th, we had great pleasure in sharing with several hundred curious people a whole night of discovering science and the laboratories of GreenUPorto and the Faculty of Sciences of the U.Porto!

It was with enthusiasm and fun that we answered the many questions and curiosities of our visitors, children and adults, about sustainable agri-food production and the work of some of our laboratories.

The objective of this night of celebration of Science, which filled the main atrium of i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, was, in an interactive and fun way, to bring our science closer to the public, through activities for all ages and on various themes, from soil science, to plant production, and even innovative foods.

GreenUPorto, for the first time, was part of this Science festival that brought together researchers and the general public in a night of discovery, inspiration and curiosity, presenting examples of its activities in the center’s different lines of research, on a Journey through the World of Research in Sustainable Agrifood Production.

We will be back next year, for a new edition of this night of discovery, showing off the greenest science achievements at GreenUPorto!

Over the past week, our Vairão campus was especially lively because of the presence of dozens of Junior Scientists, who gave us their enthusiasm by attending 2 of our activities in the 2024 edition of the U.Porto Universidade Júnior (Verão em Projeto) that took place there.

Debuting this year, we had in Vairão the 1st edition of the activity ‘From Farm to Fork: Technologies in Sustainable Food Production‘, which involved several professors from the Faculty of Sciences and GreenUPorto research groups (such as LabRisk and CROP Lab) with expertise in different areas of Agricultural Engineering, Soil Science, Food Science, among many others, providing the students an opportunity to experience the diversity of themes in this degree, and covering the entire food production process, from field to plate.

Also in Vairão, the usual GreenUPorto activity ‘The Future of Food – Develop an Eco-innovative Food Product and Create Your Business!‘ continued, through which Juniors were able to discover the most recent trends in sustainable food consumption, having fun creating their own food and learning about how to evaluate it, on a journey through the senses.

Both activities proved to be a real success together with our pupils, evidenced by their interest in returning for the next editions!

For our part, it was a great pleasure to welcome these young people, with whom we are sure to have planted the GreenUPorto seed, inspiring them to a greener and more sustainable tomorrow!

These and more GreenUPorto activities will continue throughout the month of July, both in Vairão and Campo Alegre. For more information, see the official website: universidadejunior.up.pt

Complete list of GreenUPorto activities at the Universidade Júnior:

For students from 5th to 8th grade
[Oficinas de Verão e Experimenta no Verão]

• Alchemy of Colors – Magic or Science?
• DNA – Challenge, Novelty and Comprehensiveness
• Write Secret Messages with Plants
• What if seeds could talk…
• Mysteries and other cool Plant stuff

For students from 9th to 11th grade
[Verão em Projeto]

• Molecular Biology 1.0
• From Farm to Fork: Technologies in Sustainable Food Production
• The Future of Food – Develop an Eco-innovative Food Product and Create Your Business!

Over the course of 4 intensive days, between 11-14 April 2024, and between the FCUP-Biology and FCUP-Agronomic Engineering benches, several of our researchers and colleagues communicated directly with the thousands of visitors who came to enthuse us with questions and curiosities about Sustainable Agro-food Production and its different branches and scientific paths.

Examples of the center’s R&D activities were presented to children and adults alike, and we are sure that we have “planted the seed” of GreenUPorto in many of our visitors!

Let us now hope that, in the future, these will bear fruit, with some of these young scientists being welcomed at GreenUPorto. Our doors are open!

We will see you again next year!

GreenUPorto was present at another edition of the FCUP Open Days – 2024 Edition, opening its doors to schools and the wider society.

Last week, from the 8th to the 9th of February, our researchers and research fellows developed and presented examples of our daily laboratory activities and ongoing R&D projects to students, teachers and parents from all across the country.

Several of our researchers were present to help carry out experiments and answer all the questions posed by students, hoping to spark their interest in a university, researcher and/or professional path in Agricultural Sciences.

Last Monday (November 2oth), we had the 1st edition of GreenUPorto Open Lab, an initiative that opened the doors of our laboratories and greenhouses to the community so they could learn about and experience our scientists’ daily research activities.

«GreenUPorto Open Lab» consists of a series of activities open to the public, particularly youngsters and students, with the goal of having people visiting our laboratories and interacting directly with our researchers and activities in Sustainable Agrifood Production.

At GreenUPorto, scientists work daily in three main lines of research that cover the life of plants “from soil to plate”: Environmental Biology (including Environmental Risk Assessment and Soil Science), Agronomy/Plant Science (including Plant Biology, Production and Post-harvest), and Food Science. From each of these lines, visitors were presented with some of the main daily activities and research objectives through real examples from our scientists who, every day, break the barriers of knowledge in Agricultural Sciences.

In each activity, visitors were able to experience and obtain answers to the following questions:

1. What does an environmental risk assessment scientist do and, in particular, a soil microbiologist?
2. What does a plant scientist do and, in particular, a researcher into the fungi that plague our fruits and vegetables?
3. What does a food scientist do, and in particular, a researcher who works with edible insects?

The very engaged and interested participants had the opportunity to conduct research experiments and learn about:

• Environmental / Soil Science, including its macro and microbiology and a contribution to the renovation of our famous Agro-Green Wall;
• Agro / Plant Science, including their main diseases and topics related to Plant Biology, Production, and Post-Harvesting;
• Food Science, namely seeing and experimenting with sustainable protein eating alternatives and simulating consumer tests, with a competition full of interesting smells and flavors!

You can check the full program here.

The initiative took place at campus de Vairão, in the scope of Ciência Viva‘s Science and Technology Week 2023.

Feel sorry to have missed the 1st Edition of GreenUPorto Open Lab?
Just ask us so we can plan a new edition of GreenUPorto Open Lab in collaboration with your local school or general public!

Feel free to contact us anytime via greenuporto@fc.up.pt!

During December 2021, GreenUPorto organized a solidarity campaign to collect food, clothing, footwear, toys and hygiene products, for the benefit of local families in need.

The collection proved to be a success and the donation was made on December 17th to the social institution São Vicente de Paulo (Vairão), which has a very important role in helping families with difficulties in the Vairão area.

In addition to the goals of excellence in scientific research within the areas of its competence, GreenUPorto also aims to contribute positively to a better society.