📣 Dissemination and Dialogue: SteamCity at the Heart of Communication Events

Between February and May 2025, SteamCity participated in four public-facing events across France and Italy. These sessions brought together teachers, students, and education partners to explore the project’s tools, share practices, and experiment with inquiry-based activities rooted in urban challenges. From unplugged robotics to microcontrollers, from formal teacher training to informal networking, each event contributed to expanding SteamCity’s visibility and pedagogical impact.

🇮🇹 Arzano – Multiplier Event with STEM Teachers

11–13 February 2025

Held over three days in Arzano, this multiplier event brought together 50 secondary school teachers for a focused programme on STEM teaching practices. The event began with a presentation of the Erasmus+ framework and the specific contribution of the SteamCity project to the development of inquiry-based approaches in urban contexts.

Participants then took part in extended hands-on sessions involving STMicroelectronics boards, where they explored how microcontrollers and sensors could be used to support student experimentation. The experience, while centered on digital tools, opened discussions about curriculum integration, interdisciplinary challenges, and the potential of SteamCity protocols to address energy, mobility, and data literacy in meaningful classroom projects.

Teachers appreciated the opportunity to reflect on how science education can evolve to better engage students with contemporary urban issues. Many expressed interest in accessing the project’s protocols and incorporating them into their local teaching contexts.

🇫🇷 Paris – Networking with Teachers and Educational Partners

12 March 2025

In Paris, a networking event was organised with 24 participants, including secondary school teachers and representatives from educational institutions. The aim was to share the goals and resources of SteamCity in a flexible, discussion-driven format, outside the context of formal training.

The session included a presentation of the Erasmus+ programme, followed by an overview of educational tools developed by Vittascience. Three digital stations were set up to allow participants to independently explore selected SteamCity activities and test their accessibility. A cocktail moment encouraged open exchanges between teachers and project partners.

Participants highlighted the relevance of the project’s themes and the need for this type of resource in science education. Many were eager to receive updates on the release of protocols and expressed interest in integrating SteamCity activities into both STEM and cross-curricular settings. The event also served to strengthen local networks around science and civic education.

🇫🇷 Salon-de-Provence – STeaMI Board Demonstration

15 May 2025

At a large public education fair in Salon-de-Provence, the SteamCity team introduced the STeaMI board to over 200 primary school students through a series of rapid, hands-on demonstrations. Each group participated in a 15–20 minute session that included an introduction to electronics, a showcase of the board’s capabilities, and direct interaction with a preloaded program.

The STeaMI board, designed for educational settings, combines accessibility with real coding potential. Students experimented with sensors and LED feedback using simplified interfaces like MakeCode, while teachers learned how to deploy the board in classroom projects involving environmental monitoring, motion detection, or interactive games.

Despite time constraints and limited digital infrastructure on-site, the event allowed a wide audience to engage with practical STEAM education, confirming the interest and usability of the board. Feedback from teachers was particularly positive regarding the potential for cross-disciplinary activities and the alignment with early digital skills education.

🇫🇷 Marseille – Bio-Inspired AI at ITER Robots

22 May 2025

As part of the ITER Robots regional event, SteamCity designed and hosted a bio-inspired learning workshop that welcomed nearly 300 students from CM2 to Terminale. The session was based on the SteamCity protocol “Discover bio-inspired learning processes” exploring how trial-and-error processes and feedback loops can mirror the learning mechanisms found in both human cognition and artificial intelligence.

Using a grid, physical tokens, and a game mechanic, students were invited to explore unknown paths, collect rewards, and avoid obstacles — all while reflecting on their strategies and adapting their behavior. A memo sheet allowed students to document moves, build maps, or test hypotheses collaboratively. The activity concluded with a facilitator-led debrief linking the gameplay experience to AI concepts and decision-making processes in smart cities.

This event, part of SteamCity’s final multiplier series, demonstrated the project’s capacity to adapt its protocols to large-scale, playful formats without losing their educational core. The activity was well received by students, teachers, and external observers, including engineers from CEA and ITER, who noted its relevance for introducing complex STEAM topics in a format accessible to all ages.

These four events, taking place across different contexts and audiences, illustrate SteamCity’s commitment to developing relevant, adaptable, and engaging science education rooted in the realities of urban life. Whether through electronic devices, unplugged simulations, or collaborative dialogue, each encounter served to test and share tools that help students become active, critical thinkers in the cities they inhabit.

Upcoming public sessions are planned in Spain, Belgium, France, and Bulgaria as the project moves towards its final phase of dissemination and resource publication.