Presentation of the project “Chemistry Is All Around Us” What is C.I.A.A.U.?

“Chemistry Is All Around Us” (C.I.A.A.U.) is a European Project that intends to promote a comparison between the strategies implemented in the 6 countries involved (i.e. Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy and Turkey) for the promotion and diffusion of a more aware and interested approach to Chemistry at all level of the Educational and Training Systems, in order to develop an internet portal, where to collect, share and experiment the best practices in the field.

Among the scientific fields, Chemistry is identified as an exemplary Case Study as it is recognised as one of the most problematic subject. That is because, Chemistry suffers from a growing unpopularity due to the fact that Media often make improper connection between Chemistry and the ideas of pollution, health threats, manipulation of natural ingredients etc.

Presentation of the project “Chemistry Is All Around Us” Why C.I.A.A.U. ?

The project idea was born on the evidence of common needs within the countries involved and in Europe in general, related to the lack and insufficient diffusion of scientific culture and awareness, that starting from the school level (primary and secondary education) affects all level of educational and training systems and therefore citizens in general. Promoting Life Long Learning strategies for scientific issues is much more difficult, if compared to other subject areas (e.g. humanistic subjects, business management, language learning) as when the compulsory educational path ends up, those that are not interested in science are much more likely to abandon completely the subject.

That is mainly caused by these factors: Scientific issues are often taught at school in a theory oriented approach that often discourages students interest, proposing the idea that sciences are difficult and useless in everyday life Those who do not follow their studies in the scientific field through the higher education or vocational training path, usually loose completely contact with the subjects and their knowledge gap increases so rapidly that it become for them impossible to learn about it any more The main channels of informal information about scientific issues, mostly media, usually provide incomplete and misleading information that affects heavily the possibility for the non-expert to really learn something reliable and scientifically consistent.

Presentation of the project “Chemistry Is All Around Us” What's C.I.A.A.U. aim ?

To address this situation, the C.I.A.A.U. project intends to identify the existing successful strategies for the promotion of Life Long Learning in scientific issue and spread them through the potential of ICT, in order to provide a method and related educational tools, that can give to learners, starting from the school level the knowledge and the skills to be able to informally learn about science throughout their life.

This general aim will be achieved through this specific objectives: 1) Identify and share techniques and practical solutions that could be used to arise the curiosity of the general public towards scientific issues and stimulate their aware and active approach to learning, by experimenting them in the specific issue of the learning of Chemistry. In this way the project will exploit the development of a new “language” to be used to fill in the gap between the world of scientist and researchers and common people.

3) Present Chemistry under a renewed and positive attitude, by giving evidence to how it affects our everyday life and how it can contribute to the explanation of many phenomenon that people encounter everyday. The objective is to make research and science, with a specific focus on Chemistry, more attractive and understandable to wider public, to enhance the interest and awareness of people in technical branches particularly in Chemistry.

Presentation of the project “Chemistry Is All Around Us” Who there is in C.I.A.A.U.?

University of Genoa, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (Italy), Project Coordinator Technical University of Gabrovo (Bulgaria) Institute of Chemical Technology Prague Czech Republic Deutsche Angestellten-Akademie Berlin Germany Technological Educational Institution of the Ionian Islands Greece Connectis Italy Kırıkkale University Education Faculty Turkey

Presentation of the project “Chemistry Is All Around Us” How can you work with C.I.A.A.U.?

The Chemistry Is All Around us Portal will collect and make available all the outputs resulting from the project activities, proposing itself as a centre of reference for an exchange of information and successful experience of the promotion of Life Long Learning in scientific subjects. The Portal will contain: The Database of Publications, Statistics, Surveys and existing experiences concerning Life Long Learning strategies in scientific subjects The Collection of Case Studies The National and Transnational Reports on Life Long Learning in scientific subjects The European Strategy for the promotion of Life Long Learning in scientific subjects The pilot educational material Internet Portal

And now see together the project site:

Our work is almost finished: in this moment the evaluation process is in progress. This conference is very important for us, because it is the most important dissemination of the project, at least here in Italy. We need that the project is known and appreciated to support is sustainability. For this reason we ask you to comment this portal, because we want to know if this great effort is really suitable for our aim.

For me, the first goal has been the possibility to know people as Anna, Dionysios, Elisabetta, Milena, Murat, Mustafa, Riccardo, Susan, Thomas, and to work with Aldo, Anna, Laura, Marina that today are here with us, and also with all people that are not here now, as Andrea, Cristina, Francesco, Irene and the other foreign friends whose contribute has been fundamental for the result. I thank them very much... and also YOU ALL!