MILAN (ITALPRESS) – One only has to look at the awe-filled eyes of the children to know that the goal was achieved. Once again this year, the International Engineering Festival, now in its fourth year, attracted dozens of families, who braved the uncertain Milan weather to satisfy their curiosity to see Politecnico faculty and students at work. A three-day event that began on Friday, Sept. 13, and will end on Sunday, Sept. 15. The mission is to bring as many people as possible closer to the world of science, dispelling the myth that engineering is just a set of algorithms and complicated formulas. “It wants to be a real celebration,” says Professor Isabella Nova, delegated pro-rector of the Polytechnic. “We believe that research, innovation and technology are and should be one of the foundations on which to build a sustainable future. We want to dispel the myth of the difficulty of Stem subjects by letting people experience firsthand what an engineer does. “This edition’s theme is “Technology for Humanity,” which includes a pathway of five clusters: Play, Grow, Make, Dream and Move. Just play is the first cluster, intended especially for the youngest children. Lots of activities for children in the 6 to 13 age group: from figuring out how to arrive at silk thread starting from the cocoon produced by the silkworm to making a handcrafted compass to always find north, passing through the interactive chemistry lesson among colored test tubes, vapors and reactions of all kinds. “These are all ways to ensure that we develop a tendency toward science subjects from an early age, particularly on the design side. Our ambition is to train these children as engineers someday,” says Professor Nova again.For teenagers, on the other hand, the Math Escape room, autonomous driving and metaverse mechanics have been designed specifically for them since this year. Lots of entertainment for adults, too, who have more than 25 booths and 25 educational meetings at their disposal during which they can delve into the new frontiers of technology guided by Politecnico faculty. Topics of discussion include the challenges of artificial intelligence and sustainability in space missions, as well as electric mobility and the thousand faces of nuclear power.Among the Festival’s highlights are also the great infrastructures, such as the Wind Tunnel in which the endurance of bridges is tested and the driving simulator, in a 6-by-6-meter platform that virtually catapults one onto a circuit that really exists and is located in Canada. Those who are not afraid to be alone with their thoughts can try entering a very quiet anechoic chamber, while space enthusiasts can delve into current satellite studies. Make way also for those with a soft spot for motors: in fact, among the stands that welcome visitors one can admire the self-driving car that participated in the 1000 Miglia.All days, full of appointments and workshop activities for young and old, are enlivened until the evening thanks to shows dedicated to music and AI with Alex Braga and Rocco Tanica. There is no shortage of guests, numerous and of depth. From the explorer of the extreme lands Alex Bellini, through the inventor of Arduino Massimo Banzi and the confrontation between architects Carlo Ratti and Cino Zucchi, to the discovery of the houses that in the future will be built in space with Chiara Cocchiara and Valentina Sumini, there is really something for everyone.To be involved are not only the facilities of Campus Bovisa. The big news of this fourth edition was in fact the Fuori Festival, organized in collaboration with ATM, the Civico Planetario “Ulrico Hoepli” of Milan and the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. “They all lent themselves to serve as venues for initiatives and activities sponsoring technology in its various forms, so they contributed to a broadening of the community and the territory surrounding the Festival,” Professor Nova concludes.Between augmented reality viewers, theoretical lectures and desks set up by student associations, a show goes on stage that reminds everyone that science can also be fun, with parents and children united by the same expression of surprise in front of the effects of a simple chemical reaction.
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