The ICMM-CSIC welcomed over a dozen 4th-year high school students to undertake internships for one week

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The Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM-CSIC) has hosted a total of 16 4th-year high school students in two periods during March and April, who spent four days at the center learning about working in science. These stays took place within the "4th-year of ESO + Business" program organized by the Community of Madrid.

For these 16 spots, nearly 80 applications were received, which were later selected by Íñigo Bretos, María Eugenia Dávila, and Eva María García Frutos, who led the three groups the students were integrated into. Thus, six students were in Íñigo Bretos' group in March, another six were with María Eugenia Dávila, also in March, and in April, four were selected to spend a week with Eva María García Frutos' team.

Over four days (Monday to Thursday), the students were divided into mini-groups to spend the respective days with researchers from the ICMM-CSIC, who taught them the secrets of daily work in a research institute, a completely unknown task for almost all of them.

Chemistry, Physics, and even Biology and Engineering were subjects these young students could learn, as they soon will have to choose their path at the beginning of their educational career. "What I liked the most was the prosthetics lab, it's very practical," said Amanda in an interview conducted by the students themselves during one of their Scientific Communication practices. "I was amazed by the tunnel microscopes, they're very curious and huge," added Ignacio, who even dared to explain how these devices work.

César, one of the interviewers, also asked his peers what surprised them the most: "People don't always wear lab coats, the devices aren't like in the movies," Amanda said, who happened to be in the middle of a chemistry practice and, yes, she was wearing her lab coat. She even mentioned that she liked the physics labs the least because she's more tempted by chemistry. Her classmate Ignacio, sitting beside her, said just the opposite. Because that's how science works: there's something for everyone.

They thus completed an experience that they all described as "fun" and "interesting" and, if all goes well, will be repeated next year.