Two vocational training students from CIFP Camino de la Miranda in Palencia have won the second edition of RedSteam in the SDG Challenge. This national competition, created by Radia, aims to promote scientific and technical professions among girls aged 14 and 16 to inspire their interest in contributing to a more sustainable world. Participants should create technical and scientific solutions to respond to challenges related to the power and telecommunications sectors and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The team composed of Luana Pataki and Amy Seck, in collaboration with their teachers Andres Aguado and Juan Manuel Emperador, presented their project for the Sustainability Challenge. The organization was considering proposals for an innovative solution to problems raised in the Sustainable Development Goals, such as gender inequality, poverty or care for the environment. First year students of the Basic Degree in Computer Science and Communication have created a mini Tenebrio molitor farm, a type of insect suitable for human consumption, with a monitoring system programmed with Arduino.
Thus, they have recreated this farm model on a smaller scale but have adapted some of the breeding and reproduction parameters of this type of insects such as temperature, humidity and CO (carbon monoxide). Furthermore, the initiative aims to address global problems such as hunger and climate change. The winners will collect their prizes within the framework of the Radia Sustainability Conference, which will be held in Madrid on 17 and 18 October. Its rewards include participation in workshops led by the Big Van Ciência team of communicators, scientists and researchers on engineering and robotics, programming or scientific creativity. For their part, educational centers will receive 3,000 euros worth of equipment and materials for STEAM-themed classes. Seven teams emerged victorious in this second edition of RedSteam.
The selected projects are from students from the educational centers of Badajoz, Almería, Córdoba, Madrid, Palencia and Burgos. In this edition, 149 students in the third and fourth years of ESO or FP equivalent from 31 educational centers in 13 autonomous communities participated. The jury has chosen two winning projects in the electricity and SDG challenges, and, exceptionally, three proposals in the telecommunications challenge. Other projects winning in different categories include devices that generate electrical energy while walking, reduce the risk of wildfires or assist people with mobility problems. A solar electric seeder and a prototype of a sustainable pond for cleaning river water have also been designed and constructed. The jury was composed of Eva Pagan, Corporate Director of Sustainability and Studies at Radia; Maria Teresa Paramio, President of the Association of Women Engineers and Technologists (AMIT); Ana María Molina, Corporate General Director of Hispasat; Rosalia Rivas, head of Red Electrica’s power system reliability department; and Elena Nogueroles, head of Red Electrica’s line maintenance department.
The competition was organized at STEAM Alliance of the Ministry of Education.
There is still considerable gender inequality among students in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in Spain. This means that female talents remain a minority in the productive sectors that are essential for the country and its transition to a sustainable, fair and inclusive development model. According to the equality report in the statistics of the Ministry of Education and FP for 2023, in both Baccalaureate, FP and university degrees, the percentage of female students in these branches is very low. The largest gap is in computer science, where female students represent only 13.5% in higher level professional training and 14.1% in universities. RedeSTEAM was born within the framework of the ‘STEAM Alliance’ for female talent. ‘Girls at the Foot of Science’, from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, of which the company is a member and which aims to promote STEAM occupations among girls and youth to reduce the gender gap in these subjects. The competition promotes the study of STEAM subjects among young women in order to develop female talents from an early age and strengthen an educational and training system without gender stereotypes, which promotes real and effective equality in a diverse and plural society. Contributes to progress. Perspective and capabilities.