Sensational Education - A local project, which becomes national

In physics and natural science classes, our children learn a lot of interesting things. They find out about climate, pollution, climate change, the quality of the environment. But they only get the theoretical side of this information.

Thus, these concepts, essential for the society future remain intangible for the. It is non-functional information, archived in the knowledge baggage and ready to be forgotten. Unfortunately, it is a reality of the formal education system. But things are starting to change!

In 2017, we set out to take a first step towards change. We put our idea on paper and launched it in the project competition "Ideas from Andrei's Country". Our idea started with the possibility of building modern devices to measure and "show": climate, environmental quality, pollution and climate change.

Of course, such devices exist in the scientific community. But we wanted to build them for children in secondary schools and high schools. What would it be like for these young people to be able to learn in front of a computer, looking at and manipulating real-time environmental data?

Instead of using the ability to read and memorize, they would use their ability to select data, understand it, and interpret it. They would have access to a functional side of the concepts they study at school and could learn to use them. In addition to the usefulness they may have in the future, young people will be able to use them for the benefit of society.

OMV Petrom evaluated our idea and decided it was worth a try! Thus, we received funding for a year. Three high schools from Buzău Land: Buzău Economic College, Buzău Technical College and Lopătari Technological High School joined us in this adventure. Thus, the project "Sensational Education" was born - variant 1.

We can tell you a lot about the project and how we worked with the young people from these high schools. But we prefer to show you :)

The project was a pleasant experience and was successfully implemented. We liked it so much that we decided not to stop here. This project, in addition to benefiting local secondary schools and high schools, could be useful to all high schools and secondary schools in Romania. Moreover, it could be useful for anyone who wants to know more about the environment and climate. So, we decided to take the big step!

Now, 2 years later, we are in the process of optimizing the entire system: from stations to server. Our plan is that the Sensational Education network can be accessed by secondary schools and high schools from anywhere in Romania. The only resource needed is an internet connection.

Moreover, we will prepare an online application that can be used directly in class. Children will be able to query data, build predefined graphs and receive instructions and tips. Let's see who recognizes the first solar storm! Or who "sees" the eruption of the next volcano in Europe. What day is the highest pollution level, and why? Why did the atmospheric pressure drop and the dust level suddenly rise? These are just a few possible applications. The beauty is that it can be adapted to the age of the children. A local idea that can have a national impact! We will keep you posted on our progress :)

Here is the news:

• June 2019 - 2 of the 4 stations are in Bucharest for improvements. We are rethinking the power supply system and improving the transmission system.
• December 2018 – it has been 1 year since our stations started sending information. The sensors are stable, but the power system has minor problems.