Conference Agenda

Eco-Footprints at School is a K–12 engineering outreach initiative developed by the Universidad Católica de Temuco in partnership with Complejo Educacional La Granja, an urban-rural public school in Vilcún, Chile. The program introduced 8th-grade students to engineering through a hands-on sequence focused on sustainable construction, territorial identity, and school-based problem solving. Its core challenge was to co-design and build ecological pavers using cement reinforced with locally available quila fibers, connecting environmental education with real engineering practice.

The initiative included school workshops, a university laboratory visit, experimental testing, collaborative construction, and a final public presentation. A distinctive feature was the active participation of senior engineering students as volunteers, who supported the workshops as mentors, facilitators, and role models. Their involvement strengthened the project’s bidirectional approach: while school students gained early exposure to engineering, university students developed community-engaged learning, science communication, and socially grounded professional skills. Teachers and parents also played an important role by accompanying activities, encouraging participation, and reinforcing the connection between school, family, and university.

The project culminated in the installation of a commemorative ecological space at the school, built with the students’ pavers and complemented by low-water-demand plants and environmental signage. The experience was later showcased at the 3rd Multidisciplinary Engineering Meeting, where school students presented their work in a scientific outreach setting. Beyond the physical intervention, Eco-Footprints at School fostered scientific curiosity, territorial belonging, and meaningful school-university collaboration, showing how place-based engineering can open early STEM pathways for rural school students.