CANSAT stimulates interest and fascination of young people for space, says Regional Director for Science and Technology
The Regional Director for Science and Technology stated on Santa Maria that scientific and technological training is a "key factor" for the economic and social development of the Azores. He highlighted the importance of initiatives such as CANSAT to "stimulate the interest and fascination of young people, the educational community and the population in general for the theme of space."
Bruno Pacheco spoke Thursday at the opening of the fourth edition of CANSAT national competition, a contest aimed at secondary school students whose main goal is to build, set up and launch a mini-satellite about the size of a soda can.
In his speech, he stressed the importance regarding the fact that this national competition will be held for the first time in the Azores, especially on Santa Maria, where there are several space related-infrastructures. The government official recalled that a team of Santa Maria students projected the Azores in this European competition for the first in 2013.
By joining this event, the Government of the Azores intends to "provide experiences in the areas of scientific and technological development, favouring the interest for these areas." In this regard, Bruno Pacheco added that this initiative contributes to the "national and international projection of the Region regarding the development of educational projects in technological areas."
"We believe that technology can play a key role in motivating young people to learn, thus contributing to their success at school and to their personal development," said the government official.
The Regional Director noted that projects such as CANSAT promote "an intense involvement of students in the resolution of technical-scientific problems, challenging them to seek for solutions, discuss and implement new ideas as well as to become inventive, collaborative and proactive."
Bruno Pacheco pointed out that the Regional Government is creating "a strategy for the consolidation and dissemination of scientific and technological culture in the Azores," which will cover "increasingly modern and emerging areas such as space, programming and robotics, and the sea".
Organized by Ciência Viva in partnership with the Government of the Azores, CANSAT Portugal 2017 runs until Sunday on Santa Maria and features the participation of 15 teams, including two Azorean teams from Flores and São Miguel islands.
The winning team to represent Portugal in the European Final of CANSAT 2017. The event is hosted by the European Space Agency and will take place in Bremen, Germany, from June 28 to July 2.