Small, great and alive! The new project by the Ideatorio

Where do we come from? What is life? How was the earth born? Are we alone in the universe? These are the questions that the Ideatorio asks to students of schools from Lugano, through its new project “Small, great and alive!”

Until June 17, 2016 at the headquarters of Ideatorio in Castagnola, we will try to investigate what connects the cells and the sky, since the man’s appearance. The workshop, intended for elementary and middle school students, is a project supported by MINT Switzerland (the entity for the Swiss Academies of Sciences that brings science to a young audience). 

“Small, great and alive!” is created by USI’s Ideatorio in cooperation with the School Institute City of Lugano and it targets children and teenagers from 6 to 15 years of age. The leitmotiv is origin: the origin of life, the universe, the earth and of human beings. To tackle such broad topic, participants will use their knowledge of biology and astronomy to look at the key question “where do we come from?” with renewed wonder. A question filled with uncertainty and complexity, chosen to prove how scientific research carries a growing complex knowledge over uncertain topics.

The project aims at giving young people a global vision that narrates our story: among billions of stars and galaxies, in a corner of the universe, matter has come to life that lead to the creation of humankind. All disciplines will mix, allowing to find a link between cells and the sky, between the atom of a star and the material apple pies and our hair are made of. Everything tells the same tale. Our origin is one of the greatest mystery of humanity and the history of the universe. Students will explore planets, discover life through a microscope, and venture on a journey in search for life in the universe.

The project brings children and young kids closer to science, biology and astrophysics, in order to feel how science is everywhere and to create a positive and enthusiastic approach to the subject.