Within the 21st edition of the program “Ciência Viva no Laboratório - Ocupação Científica de Jovens nas Férias”, our IT poles in Covilhã and Lisbon both organized once again two internships to introduce secondary school students to the world of telecommunications.

Held between 26-30 June, in a joint organization between IT and Faculdade de Engenharia – Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI), the internship “Initiation to Electronics and Telecommunications” showed participants what´s being done at IT in terms of research and development. The young trainees attended lectures that provided them some basic concepts in electronics and got the chance to learn more about mobile and wireless networks. From theory to practice, participants had the chance to engage in experiments and to try their chance at assembling electronic kits. With practical activities and visits to the different labs being the big favorites, their testimonies show how much they´ve appreciated this learning experience. “Teachers were very friendly and were able to turn a very complex and difficult task into something that was captivating. I learned a lot and the internship was very complete. ", said one of the young participants.

In Lisbon, between 3-7 July, IT in association with Instituto Superior Técnico hosted for the 6th time the INTELE1 and INTELE 2 (Introduction to Telecommunications). With mornings being dedicated to group presentations, laboratory visits and experimental sessions, in the afternoon, participants were challenged to assemble "kits" of FM broadcast receivers and optical communications. With a general enthusiasm for the more practical activities, the trainees also revealed they´re understanding on the importance of learning theory first. “I loved the assembling of the kits and the practical application of the knowledge previously acquired in the lecture”, said one of the participants. To finish in style, on the last day of the course students had the opportunity to attend to Daniel Tani´s talk at IST. The American astronaut from NASA shared his 132 days experience aboard the International Space Station.