A girl of big dreams. At the age of 13, Mariana Moreira Akamine is already venturing into the vast world of science. "I participated in some Science Days and it is one of the best sensations, because I can teach and share about something I like, being able to add more and more to the lives of young people, inspiring them to dedicate to their studies and to follow their dreams", said the young woman, who won a gold medal at the Brazilian Astronomy Olympics and took a big step towards the realization of her own dream: studying mechatronics engineering.

The interest in astronomy arose at the age of six, when the young woman dreamed of traveling to other planets and galaxies to explore the universe and discover extraterrestrial lives. "One of the phrases that I take into my life is: 'Somewhere, something is waiting to be discovered'. This phrase is from Astronomer Carl Sagan”, she said. Motivated by her passion, Mariana did not hesitate to sign up for the OBA, being classified as gold medalist. The girl pointed out that "participating in OBA means that there are no major challenges that cannot be faced".

Dedication and commitment. The student set aside a few hours of her day to learn even more about this area that fascinates her, doing everything she could to achieve her goals. The achievement, however, was only the first step: Mariana still sees for her future “working in a large space company, creating innovative projects and performing maintenance on satellites and rovers”. Mariana affirmed that "you have to go through all the steps so that at the end, when you see the results, you say: 'Another challenge is done and now it is time to prepare for the next ones that are yet to come'".

“We are proud to be part of the development of this new generation of big dreams. We believe that these young people are the key to starting a better world.” – Jefferson Michaelis

- Luma Keily
International Correspondent

​An inclusive, innovative and inspiring event. Through the Science Days Challenge, children and teenagers in love with science are able to have the unique opportunity to connect with the vast universe of space exploration through playful and motivating activities. “Having the opportunity to participate in an event like SDC is very exciting and makes everyone very thrilled. I never imagined that a project of mine would have such visibility”, said Feleepe de Brito, one of the members of the Carbon Dioxiders team.
 
For student Leonardo Vaz Ferreira, participating in the friendly competition provided by Science Days was enriching. The young man expressed that he was able to learn how to deal with frustrations and maintain his determination despite the difficulties. “By participating in Science Days I learned many things that I can take into my life, such as not giving up so easily and knowing that most of the time projects go wrong, but we have to learn from these mistakes”, he shared. The young man also pointed out that the experience helped them emotionally and mentally.
 
The “Breathing Out” project was born through a physical exercise that the students of the Colégio Cristão Jundiaí institution had to perform. “When my friends and I finished this task, we got the strange feeling of wanting more,” said Amanda Rabello Anarelli. The group competed with the experiment “The air that keeps you alive, can it also kill you?”, Winning the Double Award in the Best Use of Science and Best Science Concept category. “We may not yet have the power to change globally, but, as our biology professor says, it is our way of acting locally while thinking globally. So, I think we are doing what we can to transform our world into a better place”, added the student.
 
“Science Days is building on four years of success. We are going to grow internationally to achieve our worldwide mission” – Jefferson Michaelis, Science Days Challenge global outreach 
 
- Luma Keily
International Correspondent