SmarTerrae: Applied scientific training in geoscience from the earliest educational stages

We present an educational, learn-by-doing model that integrates real-world projects in geosciences, environmental management and conservation with the production and active dissemination of scientific outputs, complemented by digital communication as a largely passive outreach channel. The programme is motivated by a pronounced disconnection among young people—including those enrolled in environmental and territorial studies—and the place-based problems that surround them, a gap that jeopardizes the near-term availability of qualified environmental and land-management professionals. Our objective is to engage secondary, baccalaureate, vocational (FP), and undergraduate students as active participants in problem identification, project co-design, and execution—equipping them with the conceptual and technical tools needed to address environmental and territorial challenges in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula.

A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design without a control group was implemented across multiple educational levels. The evolution of perceptions and competences was assessed using Likert-scale questionnaires, a register of scientific outputs, and baseline Instagram analytics. A distinctive feature of the model is that students are not only active co-designers of each project but also the primary executors of fieldwork and analysis under light supervision. In addition, they regularly present in age-appropriate scientific fora (e.g., school symposia, regional conferences), which deepens their sense of ownership and strengthens the bond with both the project and the territory.

Results indicate general improvements in interest in science and the environment, data-analysis capability, understanding of the research process, and willingness to participate in scientific activities. Tangible, transferable outputs were generated (e.g., a conference poster and articles published or in preparation), and continuity of training pathways was established. The @SmarTerrae profile is consolidating as a knowledge-transfer channel during the programme’s implementation phase, complementing in-person dissemination.