Boardgames for educative purposes

Leader: Ricardo João Ferreira Simões, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Portugal

WG7 kick of meeting, 6th July 2022, hybrid (Brescia, Italy)

The aim of this meeting was to introduce PRIORITY COST Action objectives to the participants of WG7. Self-introduction of the participants was conducted. The structure of WG6 was discussed and the results of the survey about participants were presented. In addition, a road map for WG6 activities was discussed.

2nd WG7 meeting, 21st September 2023, hybrid (Brussels, Belgium)

Several oral presentations were organized as an introduction to the discussion:

1. Sabine Kienzl – Promoscience srl, Italy – IMPTOX project and NanoNinja video game

2. Andreas Gondikas – NKUA, Greece – Sailing4Science

3. Lara Dronjak – Center of Environmental, Food and Toxicological Technology (TecnATox), Environmental Engineering laboratory, Department of Chemical engineering, University Rovira and Virgily, Spain – TecnATox activities to increase the synergies with society and education

4. Milica Velimirovic – Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Belgium – VITO activities to increase the synergies with society and education
   Interactive session was organized as a brainstorming session on the paper for the journal Frontiers for Young Minds, which is planned to be prepared by the WG7 participants.

Interactive session was organized as a brainstorming session on the paper for the journal Frontiers for Young Minds, which is planned to be prepared by the WG7 participants.

3rd WG7 meeting, 23rd November 2023, online A highly productive and creative meeting was held to plan the upcoming Frontiers for Young Minds paper. The discussion focused on how to best represent the contribution of the PRIORITY network in a way that is engaging and accessible for young readers. Several potential themes were proposed, including:

• Microplastics long term effect in organisms, easy ways to determine and predict by kids

• Towards Zero Microplastic Exposure: How Kids Avoid Microplastics from Foods

• Detecting the Invisible – Scientists use cool tools to find and study microplastics. Join the adventure of uncovering the invisible pollution!

• Be a Zero Microplastic Hero – What can kids do to help keep microplastics out of nature?

After a dynamic exchange of ideas, the group agreed to focus the article on the concept of becoming environmental detectives, guiding young readers to discover how to track and understand microplastic pollution. 

4th WG7 meeting, 23rd March 2024, online The WG7 meeting was convened to discuss upcoming activities and to prepare for the Full Action Meeting. The session aimed to consolidate ongoing efforts and define priorities for the next phase of the Action. Three main sub-groups were identified for further development and coordination:

• Boardgames for Educational Purposes – exploring interactive tools to promote learning about microplastics and related topics.

• Science Communication Group – designing effective strategies to share COST PRIORITY outcomes with diverse audiences.

• Citizen Science – fostering public engagement and participation in data collection and awareness activities.

Following a fruitful exchange of ideas, the participants agreed to focus the theme of the upcoming Full Action Meeting on Citizen Science, recognizing its strong potential to connect research, education, and public involvement in the study of microplastics. 

5th WG7 meeting, 18th June 2024, hybrid (Novi Sad, Serbia) Several oral presentations were organized followed by vibrant discussion time:

1. Esplora | Interactive Science Centre // Irene – Island Guardians resources (the books, etc.), Sarah – science communication/engagement, Tal – workshop developed that focuses on climate change and plastic waste in the food sector.

2. Antonia Praetorius – META citizen science project // University of Amsterdam

3. Violetta Tsitsiliani – Dimitris Kokkinakis – Remedies antilitter campaign // Impact Hub Athens

4. Konstantinos Tsoukalas // WWF’s Adopt a Beach initiative

5. Line Debaveye – Plastic Pirates // VLIZ

6. Valerio Villa – citizen science activities // University of Brescia

7. Interactive session – Theo Zacharis // Greek Scientist Society

• 6th WG7 meeting, 17th February 2025, online

• This WG7 meeting was dedicated to exploring potential Citizen Science initiatives within the COST Action PRIORITY, with a particular focus on two emerging topics of public and environmental relevance: tumble dryer “lint” fibers and bioplastics in compost.

• The discussion highlighted how both issues represent everyday sources of microplastic and microfiber pollution that can be effectively investigated through citizen participation. Participants exchanged ideas on how to design simple yet scientifically meaningful protocols that could be implemented by schools, local communities, and environmental groups.

• The meeting concluded with the agreement to further develop both themes into structured Citizen Science pilots, to be presented and discussed in detail during the upcoming PRIORITY FINAL CONFERENCE.