Activities

The main objectives of the SoSTEAM project are 1) developing and evaluating educational and dissemination methods based on sonification of chemical, physical, and biological entities and phenomena; 2) creating a network of interested partners and stakeholders; and 3) structuring a project proposal under the Horizon Europe 2030 program aimed at fostering and facilitating the dissemination of STEAM in education and society, with an inclusive approach.

Our society needs a solid scientific foundation in order to adequately deal not only with emergencies but also with our daily existence by overcoming the pitfalls of increasingly aggressive and damaging misinformation.

In this context, any research activity on communication strategies aimed at increasing the interest of young persons in scientific issues overcoming limitations and cultural barriers is not only desirable, but an absolute priority in the perspective of advancing knowledge.

Over the past decades, this problem has been addressed by numerous national and international bodies, including the EU, which have supported programs to disseminate scientific culture in various forms primarily targeting educational institutions. While the importance of these activities is unquestionable, there is also a need to work on the implementation of communication approaches that foster and facilitate the dissemination of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) disciplines. The new call of the Horizon Europe Work program 2023-2024 “HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-01-08: Cultural and creative approaches for gender-responsive STEAM education” goes in this direction.

In the last 5 years we have been working on new teaching-learning strategies based on sonification, capable of promoting students’ motivation and engagement starting from secondary schools in our territory (Apulia, Southern Italy), with particular reference to science teaching and science communication. In addition, we aim at studying the effects of the proposed teaching strategies on reducing the gender gap in students’ careers and related learning performance in science. Preliminary experimentation conducted in recent years by some of us gives indications of the effectiveness of this innovative approach in scientific communication in mineralogy and crystallography (Aural Structures). The peculiar musical experience resulting from sonification strategies is inclusive and provides an opportunity for personal cultural growth.