The Catalan Association for Science Communication (ACCC) has selected the CatMart project as one of the six finalists for its annual science outreach award. The winner will be announced on December 10 during a ceremony at Casa Golferichs in Barcelona.
CatMart, which has reached more than sixty schools across Catalonia, is based on classroom kits containing “Martian” soil collected during the Hypatia I and II missions, along with everything needed to run experiments and explore whether life could exist on Mars. The project also includes audiovisual materials adapted into Catalan Sign Language.
The project was conceived by Dr. Laia Ribas—analog astronaut on Hypatia I and researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC)—with the aim of inspiring scientific vocations, especially among girls.
CatMart was carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) and funded by the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), the Government of Catalonia, and the European Union (Next Generation EU).