Sandra Olim Wins Third Place in Founding Inspiring Futures 2024
Sandra Câmara Olim, a postdoctoral researcher at the Interactive Technologies Institute, has been awarded third place in the Intermediate Prototype Projects category at the Founding Inspiring Futures 2024 (FIF 2024). Her innovative project, “Periodic Fable,” was recognized for its innovative approach to teaching chemistry through augmented reality (AR).
The Founding Inspiring Futures 2024 Award, organized by the Department of Informatics Engineering of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), is part of the INSPIRA programme. This initiative promotes gender balance in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and is supported by the University of Coimbra and Feedzai. This national award celebrates and rewards projects led by women in ICT across both academic and business sectors in Portugal. This year, six projects were honoured at the award ceremony.
Periodic Fable: Chemistry in AR
Periodic Fable is an educational game designed to make learning chemistry fun and engaging for young students. This game uses augmented reality to teach fundamental chemistry concepts, aiming to change children’s perception of chemistry, often seen as a difficult and complex subject.
The game features several exploratory activities where children use smartphones to learn about various chemical elements. Students can view text, audio, tridimensional models or animations about each element’s properties. These tactile and interactive experiences were designed to make the learning process immersive and enjoyable. The project is part of Sandra Olim’s doctoral research supervised by Professor Valentina Nisi, Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico.
The award ceremony took place on July 31st at the University of Coimbra where Sandra Olim presented “Periodic Fable” and received her award, celebrating the project’s potential to revolutionize chemistry education. The recognition from FIF 2024 highlights the impact of her work and its contribution to promoting gender balance in ICT.
