Second-grade students (8 years old) from José Echegaray School have won the first edition of the Primary Education Awards in the field of Chemistry, presented by the Catalan Society of Chemistry of the Institute for Catalan Studies. The jury decided to grant the award in the category for 1st and 2nd grades of primary education for the research project “Nature’s Camouflages and Resilient Spies.” The award recognizes the rigorous research carried out by the students and the school’s commitment to an educational model in which science is present at all levels, promoting projects that encourage students to adopt a deep scientific perspective, learn how to investigate, formulate hypotheses, and understand real-world phenomena. The jury also highlighted the methodology used, which has the capacity to inspire scientific vocations and foster critical thinking among children.
Presentation of the project 'Com podem fer joguines sostenibles pel nostre pati?'
The Award-Winning Project
Through the observation of insects and spiders, the students identified the “superpowers” of these animals, such as their ability to camouflage themselves or produce highly resistant silk. By formulating hypotheses and conducting experiments after analyzing spider morphology, the students tested the flexibility and strength of spider webs. By studying how spiders act as “nature’s engineers,” they reflected on how materials science advances through inspiration from observation of nature, in this specific case through the study of spider silk.
Second-grade students from José Echegaray in the middle of an observation
The research, carried out in collaboration with scientists from the Materials Science Institute of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) through the MAGNET project, stands out for its application of the scientific method and for connecting professional research with classroom learning. The project had previously been presented at the event “Research Goes to School,” during which 13 educational centers participating in the MAGNET program showcased the results of investigations conducted with the guidance of research teams from Catalan universities and research centers.
The Award
The award was presented to José Echegaray School during the XXXVIII Chemistry Debate, an event that brings together Catalonia’s educational and scientific communities to discuss the latest innovations in the field. The Catalan Society of Chemistry Awards were created with the aim of promoting interest in chemistry and recognizing outstanding research projects from primary education through upper secondary education and vocational training programs across Catalonia.
José Echegaray students and teachers who received the award
More references
A March full of very young visitors: José Echegaray students visit ICMAB (ICMAB, April 2025)
Vibrem amb la ciència, materialitzem el futur (Magnet, 2025)
Second year of the MAGNET program: Bioinspiration and a consolidated relationship (ICMAB, July 2025)
Nature inspires science, a collaboration by ICMAB and Escola José Echegaray (ICMAB, January 2025)
ICMAB celebrates the European Researchers' Night with the José Echegaray School in Martorell (ICMAB, October 2024)
