CIENTEC and the Sustainable Development Goals

CIENTEC joins the International Science Center and Science Museum Day celebration on Nov. 10, 2016! We invite you to visit our resources (www.cientec.or.cr) and include our activities in your calendar.

ABOUT CIENTEC

Fundación para el Centro Nacional de la Ciencia y la Tecnología (CIENTEC) is a national not-for-profit foundation and NGO established in 1988 to promote science engagement, science communication and improvement of science and math teaching throughout Costa Rica.



CIENTEC's programs include public science communication programs, in-school presentations and workshops for students, community programs and events, citizen science programs,  science and math teacher professional development conferences and workshops, and a traveling hands-on science and math museum.

Resources produced by CIENTEC to promote understanding of science and math and their relevance to everyday life are published in the website (www.cientec.or.cr), include the publication of science and math activities on cereal boxes, and the development of radio programs and podcasts in Spanish on math, science and culture.



Since its inception, CIENTEC’s programs, resources and initiatives have actively contributed mainly to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG), promoting inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities.

For 2016, these include:

• The 10th National Festival of Mathematics attracted 500 educators from Costa Rica and several other countries, and  other 447 students and general public through outreach programs. These Festivals are hosted in different regional centres to provide professional development opportunities for local teachers and educators.
• The annual National Congress of Science, Technology and Society provided education professionals, from preschool to senior secondary, researchers and science education students, with opportunities to learn and develop their knowledge, teaching strategies and innovative approaches to learning.
• Workshops are enabling students and families to investigate the microworld around them through constructing a simple microscope, and using their cell phone or tablet. (SDG 3, 4, 6)
• Excursion to Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast to observe the annual southern migration of millions of raptors and other large birds. (SDG 4, 15)
• The Traveling Museum of Science and Mathematics (Mucym), developed by a network of Universities and CIENTEC, has brought interactive science and math experiences to regional venues, increasing access to students and families living outside of the capital city. (Goals 1, 4, 5)
• Workshops as part of ‘The Hackathon’ to provide strategies to equip and empower young women in Costa Rica. (SDG 4, 5)
•  Publication of the book The mathematics of the everyday: stories, connections and curiosities, a collaborative venture to make mathematics and its contributions accessible to the wider public. (SDG 4, 5)