Once again the BioSurf and the SUrPLaS teams were together at the European Researchers' Night (September 29th, 2023) in Pavia (Italy)!

We had a lot of fun at our booth "Enzymes in action!" (n. 22).

Two new (colorful) experiments to teach children what enzymes are and how they work, keeping an eye on sustainability and waste up-cycling. In the catalase experiment, kids have experienced colorful bubbles of oxygen coming from the degradation of hydrogen peroxide by baker's yeast. On the other hand, amylase was used to hydrolyse the starch in the pasta cooking water turning the solution from purple to transparent very quickly. Does this sound intriguing to you? You can also try these experiments at home, using what you have in your own kitchen and in the first aid kit.... 

...and we also jumped in the "micro" world of enzyme crystals!

Once again the BioSurf and the SUrPLaS teams were together at the European Researchers' Night (September 30th, 2022) in Pavia (Italy)!

The (unexpected) winter weather did not deter at all kids and their families from being part of this long night and venturing through the ERN's booths! We had a blast at our booth (n. 35) about the circular economy!  We are ready to come back next year with new hands-on experiments and many surprises! See you on September 25-30, 2023!

"New eyes for new solutions": this sums up the exciting brainstorming around the major issues of sustainability, circular economy, eco-design. The need for a rapid change from the current linear economy model to a sustainable circular economy requires a big effort in research, but also in training and education of young generation, in strengthening cooperation and communication between different disciplines, and in opening up to a cross-sectoral and holistic vision.

"Students-researchers-industry: an interconnected world" that can become a powerful tool to catalyze opportunities for young people. Which actions were proposed by the young researchers at the round table? Orienting activities, permanent networking and cultural exchange, University personnel/units to support them in embarking in independent careers, financial support to needy and deserving students and dedicated funds for cutting-edge instrumentation.

During the morning session, we were pleased to see the enthusiasm of  high school students with diverse educational backgrounds in learning more about green and sustainable technologies, such as biocatalysis, which can be used in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients as well as other industrial relevant products. 

Not only theory for our visitors...but also a little taste of biocatalysis during the laboratory session!

Sostenibilità dei processi di produzione degli alimenti

The teams of BioSurf and SuRPLaS projects met the high school students from ITST Artemisia Gentileschi and Educandato Statale Emanuela Setti Carraro Dalla Chiesa (Milano) for a round table about sustainability of production processes and waste valorization in the food industry. Students, organized in teams, presented the results of their research on different food products by introducing the origin of each selected food product, how it is produced/processed, and which waste is associated with its production/processing. Is this waste currently recycled and/or upcycled into new products? Or new technological solutions are needed for its valorization? We were really impressed with the work done. All students deserve a big round of applause!

Dr. Robescu was appointed as Adjunct lecturer for supplementary teaching activities ('Professore a contratto per attività di didattiche integrative') (30 hours) by the University of Pavia (Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani"). A mix of seminars and on-site lab training activities were delivered to the students: they learned how setting-up a biotransformation, from the enzyme selection to its characterization (concentration and activity determination), immobilization and application in the synthesis of a specific molecule. Moreover, students were involved in hands-on experiments about circular economy and, of course, about the BioSurf project. 

The European researchers' night 2021

We enjoyed a lot playing with kids (from 3 years old!) at our booth "Let's use the waste!" (booth n. 12). We explained science behind solubility, pH, density, surface tension, by hands-on "colorful" experiments. 

"The colors of milk" experiment was used to explain what a surfactant is and how it works. "Two thumbs up!": participants have performed more than 200 experiments! 

In the "A thousand of colored bubbles", the experiment about density was performed with used cooking oil: learning the value of waste recycling! 

For the "Sweet rainbow of colors" experiment, "colors" were extracted from vegetable waste (onion peels, red cabbage, spinach), added with different amounts of sugar and used to pipet the "rainbow" in a test tube. Cool!

Discover more about our booth in the video below (around 5 h and 45 minutes).

Waiting for the European researchers' night

We opened our lab to people willing to learn more about the impact of enzymes in our daily life and how researchers use these powerful catalysts for waste valorization and a greener chemistry. From the 5R principle of circular economy (Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle) to the aim of the BioSurf project. Not only theory for our visitors...but also a little taste of biotechnology experiments! Good job!