The Saló de l'Ensenyament fair was once again held at the Fira Barcelona venue near Montjuïc during the last week of March. The event, aimed at secondary education students, seeks to help them navigate their next professional stage. For that purpose, the biggest part of Saló de l'Ensenyament is the professional guidance area, with more than 250 stands and different activities taking place every day.

In there, students are presented with a wide range of options for continuing their education after high school, from university studies to vocational training, as well as language learning and artistic or sports courses. In parallel, there are other spaces where students can explore ways to further develop their interests, including a sports area and a science section called Espai Ciència.

Espai Ciència inside Saló de l'Ensenyament | ICMAB-CSIC

The ICMAB stand

It was in this last zone, Espai Ciència, where the SUMAN researchers set up their stand. On this occasion, Mar Tristany, Ona Mola and Thomas Günkel (SUMAN), and Ferran Vallès (Magnetometry and Low Temperatures Lab) were the ones guiding the activity. Transporting the equipment and setting up the stand is the most challenging part; the two hours of activity fly by.

The ICMAB team and the quantum levitating train | ICMAB-CSIC

The levitating train is a great attraction to both spark curiosity and provide the perfect opportunity to explain the state-of-the-art research conducted at ICMAB. Questions such as: How do you liquefy nitrogen or helium? What are superconducting materials? Can they be found in nature? Do trains like this actually exist? were just some of the questions inspired by the exhibit.

The fair has closed beating the previous editions numbers: More than 110,000 students, family members, and teachers attended the fair from March 26 to 30, with 56% of them being ESO students and 32% from the Baccalaureate level. The ICMAB researchers have observed a varied audience to the fair and specially ICMAB's stand, quite balanced in terms of gender, though it may have attracted slightly more male students.

Other references:

ICMAB-CSIC at the Saló de l'Ensenyament (ICMAB, 2024)

The quantum levitating train at the Saló de l'Ensenyament 2023 (ICMAB, 2023)

ICMAB Basics: What are superconductors, and why do they levitate? (ICMAB, 2021)