Apel·les Mestres Secondary School + IRSICAIXA + Barcelona Science Park
The school specialises in biomedicine, and will participate in the tandem with IRSICAIXA and Barcelona Science Park.
The tandem arrangement between Apel·les Mestres Secondary School, IrsiCaixa and the Barcelona Science Park started during the 2012-2013 academic year. The tandem has set up a centre that focuses on problem solving, in which students carry out significant and meaningful activities involving cooperative teamwork.
Aside from learning the content on the curriculum and applying it in a practical way, students also learn to regulate their own learning process, how to be critical and creative, how to manage their emotions and develop social skills, among other skills.
Four projects are carried out during the academic year in which students are indispensable and play an active role in choosing the topic, activities and final products. The groups and levels are mixed, and students work in a multidisciplinary and cooperative way to develop a final product, which can be a specific task, campaign, trip, conference, festival, or a workshop for primary school students, etc. So they are working towards a concrete objective.
Collaboration with Barcelona Science Park and Irsicaixa allows students to stay connected to biomedicine and nanotechnology, and to continue to collaborate with them.
Leading centres and institutions
The Apel·les Mestres Secondary School, based in Hospitalet de Llobregat, is a public institution offering ESO and Baccalaureate education, with 410 students and 43 teachers.
The IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute is an internationally renowned institute that contributes to improving knowledge, prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS, with the ultimate goal of eradicating the disease. Its Biomedical Research Dissemination Unit (UDR Bio) implements innovative educational programmes based on different areas of biomedical research. Its aim is to reduce the gap between research and education, while offering inquiry-based science education.
Barcelona Science Park is part of the University of Barcelona. It is a leading biotechnology research centre whose mission is to offer the right environment for research of excellence by both private and public companies, which encourages synergies, knowledge transfer, and sharing technology and innovation. At the same time, it seeks to foster and spread scientific culture throughout society.