This week has been different in EASO Politeknikoa VET school. Some workshops and laboratories have opened their doors to students from surrounding primary and secondary schools. They have had the opportunity to know how Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are used in different activity areas with the same facilities used in companies.

Around 125 girls and boys from Amara Berri Primary School (10 and 11 years old) have come to EASO Politeknikoa and have participated in 12 different activities:

• How to become the invisible visible: guided by Pathology Anatomy students, they have obtained the raspberry DNA.
• How soap cleans: they have made soap from used oil.
• The meaning of vital signs: Ambulance Services teachers and students have prepared a game where children had to measure some vital signs in different situations.
• Do you clean your mouth properly? Knowing how dentists and hygienists work in a dental clinic (with teachers and hygienist students).
• How my home electrical installation is? In the workshop children have been able to practice with wires, lights, sockets…
• Triangles are for measuring: they are the base of topography, in construction we measure and we represent places, buildings… using programmes such as SketchUp.
• Simulators for learning vehicle maintenance: when there are several learners and only one vehicle (in our case one ambulance) simulators can be the solution for learning.
• How does Internet reach our homes? Communication systems are everywhere; children have experimented with home communications systems and optics fiber.  
• Programming industrial robots: how to draw with a industrial robot by using a hand held operator unit.
• Air working for us in mechanics: how can we put air working for us? Children have set up a pneumatic circuit.
• Not all of them are harmful: children have performed a smear, staining and observation in the microscope of a yogurt bacteria.
• Don’t feed the monster: what can you throw for the toilet flow? Children have tested in the laboratory if different stuff is dissoluble in water.

The 25 students from IES Usandizaga-Peñaflorida-Amara Secondary School (12 and 13 years old) participated in two activities:

• Create a small imitation jewelry using a 3D printer: jewelry professionals use 3d printers to create prototypes or models for casting. Children have used Rhino to create their own piece of art.
• Light for cutting: in carpentry and furniture laser cutting is used for some works.

Since EASO Politeknikoa signed an engagement to promote the gender equality in STEAM, we have offered those activities in a way that boys and girls would take part in traditionally male activities and boys and girls  would take part in traditionally female activities.

Now, we are receiving the feedback from our teachers and the schools that have taken part in the STEM Discovery Week, and, likely, we will offer this kind of activities in a regular basis along the year.