BCAM welcomes more than 300 students from various schools in the Basque Country in November

• Some of these visits took place as part of the OREskolak initiative and the First Lego League initiative.

This month, more than 120 3rd ESO students from the Escolapios school visited BCAM to attend the talk titled "The Powers of the Wizard Shazam: AI, Music, and Floating Wind Power", delivered by Vincenzo Nava, researcher at BCAM and Tecnalia. During the session, students learned how the Shazam app identifies songs in just a few seconds, linking this process to concepts such as signal analysis and digital fingerprints generated by mobile recordings.

The talk went beyond music, demonstrating how this knowledge can be applied to floating wind turbines by using artificial intelligence to detect and address structural challenges. This activity is part of the European MSCA ORE4CITIZENS project, which aims to bring marine renewable energy research closer to society.

From Marine Geology to Sustainable Energy at the First Lego League

As part of the OREskolak initiative within the ORE4CITIZENS project, BCAM also participated in the First Lego League, hosting two sessions on November 28 and 29. Vincenzo Nava, in collaboration with Lidia Rodríguez-Méndez and Néstor Vegas, researchers from the UPV/EHU Department of Geology, conducted an interactive activity where students explored the characteristics of the seabed in the Bay of Biscay and its impact on installing structures for wind turbines.

Using real samples of sediments and rocks, participants analyzed how submarine geology influences the design of marine platforms. Additionally, with models of jacket-type and semi-submersible wind turbines, they learned about the components and adaptations required to sustainably harness offshore wind energy.

School Visits to BCAM

In addition, BCAM welcomed students from Beasain BHI High School and Colegio Vizcaya, offering them an up-close look at the work carried out at the center. Sixty-five high school students from Beasain BHI participated in interactive activities from the Stat Wars project, led by Leire Garmendia Bergés and Mikel Pérez Arrieta, Research Technicians at BCAM. They discovered how applied mathematics contributes to advancements in fields like health and sports.

Meanwhile, students from the Mathematics Workshop in 4th ESO and high school at Colegio Vizcaya, who are interested in pursuing a mathematics degree, enjoyed a talk delivered by Onintze Zaballa (postdoc) and Imanol Gago (PhD student). The session included activities tailored to their level, showcasing the challenges and rewards of a career in mathematical research.