The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UCM hosted the first session of the 2026 edition of the project “Ciencia con VETUCM: Singular activities to bring Science and the University closer to young people”. Around sixty third-year ESO students from IES La Dehesilla, in Cercedilla, were divided into three practical workshops and attended a motivational talk.
The workshops included preparing gummies, identifying bones and cave paintings, and extracting DNA in a biosecurity laboratory, observing infections by parasites such as Leishmania. The event, held on October 15th, featured a motivational talk by Rebeca Atencia, director of the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre in Congo.
María Arias, Vice-Dean of Research, Transfer, and Library at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, explained that the project, funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) and in collaboration with the Empieza por Educar (ExE) Foundation, aims to introduce university life to secondary school students, showing them their future possibilities and encouraging them to pursue any career.
The initiative unfolds over three days, each featuring a conference by an “inspiring woman” to foster scientific vocations, particularly among girls, and workshops designed to make science accessible and fun. A visit to the Veterinary Faculty's teaching farm concludes each session.
Rebeca Atencia, who is also the director of the Jane Goodall Institute in the Republic of Congo, shared her work in reintroducing various animals into the wild and encouraged students to pursue their dreams, emphasizing the ability to find solutions to any challenge.
The final conference of this edition, scheduled for December, will be delivered by Eva Martínez, veterinary manager of the Madrid zoo.
