On the afternoon of November 20th, a group of sixteen 11th grade, Computer Science and ITGS students had the opportunity to attend the 19th Annual Science Fair at the Dr Matias Delgado University. The students were accompanied by their teachers Mrs Serrano and Mrs Garcia. This fair, hosted by the Engineering department, provided a great range of projects, from mechanical and electrical,l to prototypes aimed at helping our planet, as well as the animals and humans that inhabit it.
Projects that really caught our eyes were the manually operated hydraulic pump, automated medicine dispensers, protective gear for pets and devices to save and filter water, to name just a few. These particular projects were all related in one form or another to the UN SDGs, which is an area we work quite hard to develop in both ICT lessons and the LRC, as well as through other subject areas.
It was a brilliant chance for our students to interact with students a few years older than themselves, learn more about the work they do at university and in doing so better understand the broad range of applications for their own learning, while witnessing first hand how important skills and knowledge in the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Maths and the Arts, can be applied in the development of innovative products and prototypes. 
We asked the students to feedback on their experiences at the fair. Their responses are below.
Natalia Mayorga Rivas: There were a lot of cool projects. I think the one I found the most interesting was the earthquake sensor. There were a lot of expositions though, so we weren’t able to look at all of them it was nice to see so many students working on so many cool projects.
Majo Delgado: I was amazed by how many cool projects were they and how complex they were. I was particularly shocked by one that in a way replaces ice and maintains ice-cream cold for about 12 hours.
Diego Huezo: It was very interesting to go around interacting with the students and each of their group’s projects. The amount of creativity along with the many eco-friendly approaches demonstrates the change they are willing to make in our world. The idea of recycling oil after being used for cooking and turning it into soap was one of the best ideas I saw.
René Serrano: I was captivated by the creative thoughts that were poured into the projects that I was able to view and learn about. Most of the projects had parts that I am genuinely curious about, I learnt many new things and how circuit boards, pistons, motors, and many other components can be brought together to suit different applications and create a functional build that is useful and ingeniously made.
Martin Atanacio: I really enjoyed watching the wide variety of projects and ideas people had in this event. What impressed me the most was the fact that many of these innovations shared a similar characteristic; they were designed to be eco-friendly. This clearly demonstrated to me that people our age and bachelors really are trying to make a change on our planet. Some of the projects were made for fun, and others were the definition of innovation.
Pablo Hernández: I enjoyed watching all the projects and ideas all the students had. They were very creative and innovative, and some ideas could be of great help in our society and planet, for example, the sugar cane sower. Some others applied engineering and physics, for example, the thermal lunchbox and the instant pill machine. They were all very interesting to watch and being explained, as well to see all the enthusiasm the participants had for them.
José Jiménez: I really enjoyed visiting the university fair because it showed me how hard work and effort can be put together in order to gain success. After watching all of the student’s projects I learn how creativity can create such wonderful things. Much of the projects I had never seen them before and I think they can be really useful later on.
Jackie Chen: I was fascinated at the fruition of the ideas brought forth by university students, most projects were either eye-catching and satisfyingly functional, fulfilling their purpose of revolutionizing engineering or contribute to a global issue. Presentation for each stand I observed is on-point, with the confidence of presentation and the asking of questions, which they were able to answer them all. Finally, all the fair participants showed full enthusiasm for their project.
Daniel Mejia: I really enjoyed the university fair as I was really impressed by the hard work and very creative ideas that some of the students came up with. One thing that I liked was that most of
the projects were eco-friendly and/or were meant to help society or the environment.
One of the projects that I liked the most was The Eco-Dron, as it was economical, and
Eco-friendly as it used parts from other Drones.
Gerardo Monjarás: The fair at university José Matias Delgado was a really nice experience in which we got to see various projects which inspired us and demonstrated what we are able to do if we follow a career in computer science.
Adriela Grijalva: Visiting the fair was a very enjoyable experience, there were so many awesome projects and most of them were eco-friendly too. It was really interesting to see how people only a few years older than us are attempting to make a change by coming up with ideas such as the “Canewer” which was a robot that planted sugar canes, the students had realized the problem with kids working in the fields when they should be studying. These students even visited the fields and experienced first-hand harsh work can be so they came up with the robot to propose a solution. Thanks to this I was able to see how a career in engineering can actually help us make a difference.
Fernando Gálvez: It was an eye-opening experience about what we are all truly capable of achieving and how our country is full of talented and smart individuals which can really make our country better. The creativity shown on their projects shows how there is so much talent, we just need to support it.
Rodrigo Cruz: The fair had many interesting projects. Some of which were of great benefit to society, focusing upon the environmental and social issues around them. Overall it displayed the amazing talent of the students and a great learning experience.
Diego Kury: This fair was a very interesting experience as we could see many intriguing projects.
Andrea Cromeyer: Going outside of school in order to explore a different environment, and understand how the technology that we use every day can be altered in order to create a more efficient and advanced society, is inspiring. As ABC students I believe this is what we should be aspiring for, and it has been a privilege to attend.
