From 16 to 26 July, 12 students from the Physics Group at Instituto Superior Técnico (NFIST) will visit various municipalities in northern Portugal as part of the “Physics on Wheels” project – a travelling physics exhibition. The aim is to present knowledge in a practical and interactive way to local communities across mainland Portugal, offering activities and experiences for people who may never have explored their curiosity in the field of physics.

This initiative is supported by the Department of Physics at Instituto Superior Técnico, the Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth, the Portuguese Physical Society, and the Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN) as well as the municipalities of Estarreja, Fafe, Mondim de Basto, Murtosa, Vila Flor, Vila Real, and Viana do Castelo.

NFIST has organised scientific events in Lisbon such as Physics Week, the Astronomy Summer School, the Physics Seminar Series and the Pulsar Young Researchers Competition.

NFIST brings together university students interested in physics and aims to disseminate this area of knowledge to both the student community and the general public through activities tailored to different audiences and organised by five autonomous sections: Circo, ASTRO, Pulsar, ReCreativa and Info. Circo is responsible for setting up interactive physics exhibitions, which allow us to learn about the operating principles of various everyday objects. ASTRO organises field trips and astronomical observation weekends, along with internal and external training activities, that reconnect us with the knowledge of our ancestors regarding the night sky while fostering a love for astronomy, astrophysics and astrophotography. Pulsar is NFIST’s scientific journal dedicated to science communication.