Following three editions dedicated to “sparking curiosity in the youngest children”, the initiative ‘Explain it like I’m 5 – Science talks at Técnico for curious children and adults’ is returning to Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, for a new series of sessions throughout the 2026/2027 academic year.

From October 2026 to May 2027, in Técnico’s Great Hall at the Alameda Campus, eight Técnico researchers will engage with pre-school and primary school students on various science and engineering topics taught at the School.

Each session will cover topics ranging from the magic of trains to vaccine development, artificial intelligence, and how the human body works. The format starts with a simple, everyday question to introduce scientific concepts in a way that resonates with younger participants. Each session will conclude with a question-and-answer session where students can interact with the guest researcher.

Registration for schools is now open, with the first session scheduled for 21 October 2026. When registering, teachers should indicate one or more preferred dates for their class and await confirmation from the “Explain it Like I’m 5” team. As in previous editions, all sessions will be recorded and made available online at a later date.

Now in its 4th edition, the “Explain it like I’m 5” initiative continues to open the doors of Técnico to the curiosity of young children and their accompanying adults. The initiative brings researchers and children together through engaging conversations aimed at sparking curiosity and encouraging the exploration of the world around them.

Upcoming sessions:

• 21 October 2026, 10 a.m. – “What is the magic of trains?” – Hugo Magalhães (IdMEC)
  Trains are a special means of transport because they are both environmentally friendly and passenger-friendly. But why? How do trains run on tracks? How do the wheels interact with the rails? What exactly is a rail?…
• 11 November 2026, 10 a.m. – “How are vaccines made?” – Ana Azevedo (iBB)
  We all know that vaccines help keep us from getting ill. But who makes them? Is it a cell? How can a tiny cell become a medicine factory? We’ll need millions of cells!
• 9 December 2026, 10 a.m. – “Can music be measured?” – Diogo Oliveira e Silva (CAMGSD)
  We will explore symmetries, uncover amusing paradoxes, and face the concept of infinity. Each topic will be illustrated with both mathematical and musical examples. At the end, we will have time for a guided tour of a magical place.
• 20 January 2027, 10 a.m. – “The incredible world… of Artificial Intelligence” – Luísa Coheur (INESC-ID)
  Who are ChatGPT and Claude’s grandparents? How do these Artificial Intelligence models manage to talk to you as if they were people? Will all this turn out very well, or could it also turn out very badly?
• 17 February 2027, 10 a.m. – “What can we do to ensure that no one is left without a home?” – Sílvia Jorge (CiTUA)
  We will talk about our cities, our neighbourhoods, and how we can all help to create a world where everyone has a place to live.
• 10 March 2027, 10 a.m. – “How small are very tiny things? – a journey into the fantastic world of nanotechnology” – Rogério Colaço (IdMEC)
  Would you like to go on an extraordinary journey through the different scales of the Universe? We’ll start with galaxies and planets, zoom in on Earth, pass through a city, go to school and arrive at… a person. Then we’ll continue until we find bacteria, cells, molecules and atoms.
• 7 April 2027, 10 a.m. – “How does the planet ‘create’ glass bottles?” – Ana Carvalho (CEGIST)
  Does a glass bottle travel far and undergo many changes before it reaches us? Where do the things we use every day come from? And what happens to them after we’ve used them?
• 12 May 2027, 10 a.m. – “What makes your heart beat?” – Hugo Plácido da Silva (IT)
  Did you know that your heart started beating even before you were born, and hasn’t stopped since? Sometimes it beats faster (like when you’re running). Other times it beats more slowly (like when you’re asleep). But why does this happen?

More information: Registration | All episodes