The University of the Azores is stepping beyond lecture halls and into the classrooms where it all began. By joining the latest edition of the “Scientist Returns to School” program—an initiative led by the Native Scientists network—the university is helping bring science back to its roots, reconnecting researchers with the very schools that first shaped their curiosity.

The program aims to boost scientific literacy by sending researchers into primary school classrooms, where they lead hands-on workshops and share their personal journeys. The goal is as much human as it is educational: to demystify science, to show students that scientists are not distant figures in white coats, but individuals who once sat in the same desks, asked the same questions, and dreamed the same uncertain dreams. By placing lived experience alongside experimentation, the initiative seeks to spark curiosity and open doors for younger generations.

This year, the University of the Azores is represented by researchers Ana Teresa Alves, Bruno Rosa, and Gonçalo Rosa. Alves traveled to Lisbon to lead workshops במסגרת the city’s Priority Neighborhoods and Intervention Zones program, an initiative designed to expand educational opportunities in underserved communities. Meanwhile, on March 5, Gonçalo Rosa returned to his former school in Horta, where he led a session supported by Caixa Geral de Depósitos. Bruno Rosa is scheduled to visit Lajes do Pico, where he will share his academic and professional journey with local students, offering a living example of what is possible.

University officials say the initiative underscores a broader commitment: to ensure that science remains accessible, relevant, and rooted in community life. By fostering direct contact between researchers and students, the University of the Azores is not only transferring knowledge—it is cultivating imagination. In classrooms across islands and cities, the message is clear: science is not reserved for the few. It is a path open to all, regardless of background or geography, waiting to be rediscovered where it first begins—in the minds of the young.

In Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director.

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.