Engineering apprentice workshop “a world under your feet”a strategy to promote engineering among secondary school students

Résumé

The Bachelor's Degree in Agri-Food Engineering, from the Higher Polytechnic School (HPS) of the University of Burgos, has been developing for some years a series of teaching innovation strategies to help secondary school students integrate into university life.In 2018, the University of Burgos coordinated a model of scientific-technological activities through workshops and exhibitions in which students actively participated, to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) vocations, which was called "Engineering Apprentice” workshops. The dissemination and promotion of the activities was undertaken by the Student Service, which published it among the Secondary Education Schools of Burgos province, addressed to students in the 4th year of Secondary Education (15-16 years old).A workshop called "Un mundo bajo tus pies" (“A world under your feet”) was carried out by the Agri-Food Engineering professors. Prior to the workshop, to enable the young students to know the basis of the subject, the studies of Agri-Food Engineer were described to them. After finishing the workshop, they visited the facilities of the School (laboratories, greenhouse, vineyard, and fruit experimentation field).The aim of the workshop was to promote knowledge and protection of the soil, to disseminate the role played by the soil in society, in the production of food, raw materials and protection of ecosystems, as well as to preserve the management and use of the soil in productive and environmental aspects.The workshop was conducted in the HPS experimental field and employed a participative methodology, where the students performed in situ, different activities such as soil sampling using the drill and qualitative analysis of some important parameters in agricultural production. Some properties were evaluated such as pH, carbonates by reaction with HCl, organic matter by reaction with H2O2, color using Munsell tables, temperature using a thermometer that allowed direct measurement in the soil, and density using copper cylinders.The survey results indicate high satisfaction of the students and, it is expected an increase in STEM vocations in a near future.