The Foundation for Partnership and Civil Society Development

STEM June in the Scientific Garden in Pula ties the whole project together

Foundation Istria, in collaboration with the Pula Community of Technical Culture, the Mathematical Society "Istra," the Robotics Society Istra, the Marine Educational Center, the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula - Faculty of Natural Sciences, the Istrian Development Agency - IDA Ltd., and the City of Pula, started two years ago with the implementation of the project "With the Power of Technology, Education, and Motivation of Associations for Popular STEM - STEM Associations for Popular STEM," during which numerous results were achieved in the function of education and stimulating interest in STEM sciences among children primarily.

All of this was discussed at a press conference on June 15, 2023, at the Center for the Popularization of Science and Innovation of Istria County (CPZI) and the related Scientific Garden in Pula (Glavinićev uspon 3) by the representatives of the project partners.

At the conference, which also marked the beginning of the "STEM FEST" event as part of "STEM June," the rich program of the June initiative was presented, and the results of the project were initially discussed by Helga Možé, the manager of the Foundation Istria. She noted that, thanks to the project, over 150,000 EUR was invested in the equipping of the Scientific Garden in Pula and the procurement of equipment for the project partners. Since March of 2023, numerous events have been held through the project to popularize STEM among children and adults. Valuable equipment was procured, such as 6 interactive installations of the "Scientific Park," 6 installations showcasing various forms of renewable energy, composters, telescopes, a weather station, Fab Lab equipment like 3D printers, 3D scanners, a filament-making machine, a plastic grinding machine, wood cutters, and similar. Good cooperation between project partners was also achieved, and thanks to the project, the partner STEM associations were strengthened, which will contribute to the sustainability of the project after the end of ESF funding, Možé emphasized.

By the end of June, when the project concludes, numerous free workshops and round tables will be held on topics of innovative and creative ways of teaching, encouraging curiosity and critical thinking in children, connecting STEM associations and the private sector, and many others.

Anton Pletikos, the secretary of the Istria Centre of Technical Culture, said he is extremely satisfied with the project investments in CPZI and highlighted that in the past 3 months, more than 1,500 children visited the Science Garden, which means 100 different groups from preschool age to high school, and 143 different workshops were held, as well as a STEM camp with 30 children, which was in high demand. All this was achieved with the collaboration of 12 engaged educators. There were also 5 scientific breakfasts for the general public, which were very well attended.

Ivana Sokolov, head of the Administrative Department for Social Activities and Youth of the City of Pula-Pola, emphasized that in collaboration with the Naranča Theater, a play "Little Scientists" was created, which was watched by 30 kindergarten groups in Pula, or about 500 children.

Branka Antunović-Piton, president of the Mathematical Society "Istra," highlighted that thanks to the project, the MDI association received valuable equipment for conducting math workshops as well as the Math Open Days and math workshops attended by more than 450 elementary and high school students.

Dragan Pantić, president of the Robotics Society Istra, pointed out that thanks to this project, DRI acquired equipment for conducting numerous free robotics workshops throughout Istria. Interesting pieces were procured, Pantić noted, such as the AlphaMini humanoid robot with functions that use artificial intelligence, a robot dog with artificial intelligence, the Robotis Mini robot, the STEMI hexapod spider robot, mobile robots Photon, Bee Bot, Sphero Bolt, Sphero RVR, and others that visitors had the opportunity to directly interact with during the STEM fest, and upcoming workshops in Labin and Kanfanar are announced by the end of June this year.

Karin Spiech from the Marine Educational Center Pula talked about the Natura 2000 workshops conducted across Istria in collaboration with Aquarium Pula, attended by around 300 interested children and adults.

Moira Buršić from the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula highlighted among the results the conceived concept of the Science Garden and the Open Days of FabLab Pula, numerous workshops for children and youth and educators, 20 interactive boat workshops for around 200 high school students and students from the Istria area aimed at raising awareness about sea conservation, and lectures across Istria for over 700 high school students and university students.

Tamara Kiršić, deputy director of the Istrian Development Agency - IDA , concluded by emphasizing that the project results represent a quality upgrade of the investments that IDA, in collaboration with the Pula Community of Technical Culture, achieved when it first established and equipped the CPZI of Istria County in Pula with the help of EU funds, for educational work outside school institutions, which has so far been attended by more than 7,000 students from across the county.

More information about free public events within "STEM June" and event registrations can be found at: www.civilnodrustvo-istra.hr.

The total value of the project "STEM Associations for Popular STEM" is 326,766.42 EUR, of which 277,751.46 EUR is co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund, while the remaining part is provided by the Office for NGOs of the Republic of Croatia.