{"id":111248,"date":"2025-07-03T17:07:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T16:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flad.pt\/colegio-valsassina-wins-the-2024-2025-atlantic-junior-award\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T17:24:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T16:24:51","slug":"colegio-valsassina-wins-the-2024-2025-atlantic-junior-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flad.pt\/en\/colegio-valsassina-wins-the-2024-2025-atlantic-junior-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Col\u00e9gio Valsassina wins the 2024\/2025 Atlantic Junior Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Col\u00e9gio Valsassina, in Lisbon, is the big winner of the Atl\u00e2ntico Junior Award 2024\/2025, a partnership between FLAD and Ci\u00eancia Viva. The three students, supervised by Professor Pedro Jorge, developed an ecranoplane, <\/strong>an aircraft that combines characteristics of ships and planes, designed to fly at low altitude over water or land, taking advantage of the ground effect generated by proximity to water\/ground.<\/h3>\n

The team \u2013 composed of Miguel Pin\u00e9u, Hugo Bizarro and Jo\u00e3o Castro \u2013 wins the 2024\/2025 edition of the Atl\u00e2ntico Junior Award with the Waverider<\/span> project. The winners will receive 2,000 euros in the form of equipment and technological materials, and a trip to Boston, in the United States, where they will have the opportunity to visit places and institutions of scientific interest.<\/p>\n

The project It involves the construction of an ecranoplane, an aircraft that combines characteristics of ships and airplanes, designed to fly at low altitude over water or land, taking advantage of the ground effect generated precisely by proximity to water\/ground. With this project they intend to explore the advantages and potential uses of this type of aircraft, since the growing concern with the environmental impact of transport and the need for more sustainable solutions motivate the search for efficient and innovative alternatives. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2nd place<\/u><\/strong>, the team from Escola Secund\u00e1ria da Maia with Clea<\/span>. The project proposes an innovative solution to reduce plastic pollution in the cosmetics sector by developing biodegradable and water-soluble shower gel capsules. Produced with sodium alginate, a biopolymer derived from seaweed, the capsules offer a single dose of the product, eliminating the need for plastic packaging and promoting more sustainable consumption. The gel is formulated with natural ingredients, free of sulfates, parabens and microplastics, ensuring safety for the skin and the environment. <\/span>The team is composed of Isabel Soares Oliveira, Maria Cardoso Toga, Nuno Teixeira Aroso and Vasco Teixeira Cardoso, and the guidance of Professor Isabel Allen.<\/p>\n

In 3rd place<\/u><\/strong>, ex aequo<\/em>, two were chosen: the B+S Bispo D. Manuel Ferreira School with the project Banana waste for a more sustainable future<\/span>, a continuation of a work started in 2017 and that has been developed to this day, in which the potential of banana waste is explored, given the abundance of this crop on the island of Madeira. In this way, they intend to test the potential of biofilters in air biofiltration, building a prototype from the reuse of materials, proposing a sustainable alternative to commercial filters for household appliances, such as vacuum cleaners <\/span>; and Agrupamento de Escolas de Alcanena with Policurt<\/span>, a project that was born with the objective of to create biodegradable biopolymers from waste from the tanning industry, namely protein hydrolysate and vegetable wet waste, promoting environmental sustainability and the circular economy. The focus is on reducing pollution caused by conventional plastics, preserving the oceans and protecting marine ecosystems. <\/span><\/p>\n

About the Award:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Atl\u00e2ntico Junior Award is aimed at secondary and vocational schools across the country, and aims to promote scientific and technological culture through the appreciation of the Atlantic as a natural system and its role in the sustainability of the planet and society. The project follows the FLAD Science Award Atlantic and aims to create in young people a taste for technology, from a perspective of teamwork and learning by doing, giving visibility to their role in understanding the Atlantic and its importance for the sustainability of the planet and for the communities that surround it.<\/p>\n

This award distinguishes scientific projects focused on the Atlantic and the sustainable use of its resources. In the 2024\/2025 edition, the competition focused on the following topics:<\/p>\n