PIBIC High School student presents work at national event

The Scientific and Technological Initiation Program at Bahiana (PIBIC Secondary Education) has been revealing great scientific talents, both in undergraduate and postgraduate courses and in High School. This was the case of Nicolas Moreira Natale, just 16 years old, who is part of the Bahiana and, from an early age, demonstrates his interest in research. “I always liked this more academic part of scientific research. So, when I discovered this possibility of being able to join a scientific initiation program while still in high school, it was wonderful! Because, in addition to being able to be in environments with researchers, master's and doctoral students, which favors the absorption of a range of knowledge, I realized that being able to see, in practice, the progress of scientific research is fascinating”, he says.

Nicolas's interest expanded beyond the borders of Bahiana and, after participating in the “Sementes da Bahia” workshop, promoted by the Youth Center for Sciences and Culture (CJCC), he produced the work “Papel de Sansevieria Trifasciata: foil; water and nothing else”, presented at the 75th Meeting of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science. Under the guidance of professor Laísa Brandão (CJCC), he developed a paper-making project from the fibers of the São Jorge sword. The student noticed that the plant's foliage, when dry, had the same appearance as the leaves produced by the Egyptians in Antiquity, called papyrus, used as a writing surface at the time. “Throughout the entire process I had a lot of support from my professor/supervisor and this was the difference in the great success of the research. Another very important point of the experience of developing such a project was focusing on academic writing, having to follow all ABNT standards, which helped me enrich both my vocabulary and the writing of cohesive texts”.

Nicolas also says that being part of the Scientific and Technological Initiation Program at Bahiana contributes to their academic performance. “Being in study environments, with people who encourage and discuss academic language, even if sometimes not directly, contributes significantly to the learning of 'N' subjects covered at the College, as world views and how we interpret things are enriched, facilitating interpretation and stimulating critical thinking”, he concludes.