European Regional Development Fund
Students from the village of Rankovce in eastern Slovakia took part in the Study tour to the Steelpark in Košice. The students were aged 12-16 and were accompanied by mentors. In the Steelpark Science Park, the students had the opportunity to try out physical or technical principles for themselves, they had to test hypotheses, solve puzzles or discover natural and technical laws. The Science Park provided students with the opportunity to foster their natural curiosity in a new and stimulating environment. As the park focuses on many fields, students had the opportunity to learn about industries they may not have come into contact with before. The day at the park was aimed at broadening the horizons of the rural students. The students learned in a fun way that science and research are not necessarily boring and that, on the contrary, they represent possible future directions of study for them.
Mentors, who have been working with the students for a long time, were present at all times and helped them to solve practical tasks. At the same time, they tried to offer them a link between the theoretical knowledge they acquire at school and the practical demonstrations they could experience themselves in the science park.
After the study tour, the students took part in a discussion with teachers from TUKE. Educators discussed with students their further career orientation and introduced them to the possibilities of studying at secondary and higher education institutions in Košice.