22/06/2022

The Brazilian aerospace hub is the subject of a column in Folha.

Hangar da Embraer em São José dos Campos é um dos locais a serem visitados pelo grupo de crianças do Prêmio Sócios-Mirins do ITA | Fotos: Agência Força Aérea

Reproduction of Marcelo Viana's column in Folha de S. Paulo.

Years ago, my children watched a children's adventure series set at the Butantan Institute. They were so fascinated that at the first opportunity we took a weekend trip to São Paulo, with the Butantan Institute as the main attraction.

The children were a little disappointed not to find ghosts or pharaoh mummies, but they loved seeing the real images of Paul Ehrlich, Vital Brazil, Carlos Chagas, and other scientists, and learning a little about what they did. For a while, there was a lot of talk at home about antivenom and vaccines.

According to research conducted by the multinational company 3M, regardless of social class, age, gender, and technical knowledge, 92% of Brazilians trust science and recognize its importance in their daily lives. This is the highest number in the world.

This is remarkable because, in reality, the Brazilian population has few opportunities to engage with scientific research. How many can name a scientist (Einstein doesn't count!)? Worse, how many can remember a Brazilian scientist, or point to a significant advancement made by national science?

Initiatives aimed at bringing Brazilian society closer to the science and technology carried out in our country play an important role in changing this situation and in the education of our young people. One such initiative has just been launched by the Association of Engineers of the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (AEITA).

This is the Junior Members Award, which will select ten students from across the country, aged 7 to 14, to visit São José dos Campos, the Brazilian aerospace hub and home to Embraer, the Technological Institute of Aeronautics, the National Institute for Space Research, and other research institutes and technology companies. Costs will be covered by AEITA. Applications are open until June 30th on the award's website . What are you waiting for to tell your daughter, your son, your students?!

To read the full text, visit the newspaper's website.