This week, the Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC) hosted the Ciência Viva Science in the Lab internship programme. Organised annually by Ciência Viva, the programme welcomed nine middle and high school students from schools across Portugal's Central Region, including Coimbra, Leiria, Aveiro, Cantanhede, and Condeixa-a-Nova.
This year's edition marks the 30th anniversary of both Ciência Viva and its internship programme, which has been inspiring young people for the past three decades. In an interview, Ivone Fachada, a member of Ciência Viva's Board of Directors, highlighted the programme's role in strengthening science in Portugal during the 1990s, providing generations of students with the opportunity to experience scientific research firsthand. According to Ivone Fachada, the best way to understand science is by "getting hands-on"—an opportunity that around 700 students across the country will have this summer.
The internships at CNC-UC began on 13 July with an opening session held at RÓMULO – Ciência Viva Centre of the University of Coimbra. The session was opened by Sara Amaral, Coordinator of CNC-UC's Science Communication Office (GCC). It also featured presentations by Mariana Ricardo, co-coordinator of the internships and member of the GCC, and Luísa Amado, illustrator and PhD researcher in training within CNC-UC's Synapse Biology research group. Researchers Raquel Esteves and Ana Rita Álvaro, who supervised some of the internships, also took part in the session.
Sara Amaral highlighted CNC-UC's involvement in the Science in the Lab programme for more than 20 years. She emphasised that the week-long internships give students the opportunity to experience the day-to-day life of a scientist, fulfilling the programme's goal of fostering connections with science and bringing young people closer to scientific careers.
The Thinking Outside the Box internship, focused on Science Communication, has been running for five years, reflecting the centre's commitment to bringing science closer to society and communicating the work carried out at CNC-UC. Sara Amaral also stressed the value of the ideas and perspectives brought by young participants and highlighted the wide range of internship topics available.
The students reported that the internships have fully met their expectations. In the internship Does Parkinson's Disease Begin in the Gut?, supervised by the Gut–Brain Axis research group, students Francisca Garcia and Maria Morgado said they particularly enjoyed learning the immunocytochemistry technique, which involves applying antibodies to cells to produce fluorescence through antibody–protein binding.
Meanwhile, in the internship Do Cells Age Too?! Come and Find Out!, students Mell Navarro and Beatriz Costa agreed that their favourite activity was performing a western blot, a laboratory technique used to separate proteins according to their molecular weight.
The 2026 edition of Science in the Lab at CNC-UC concludes on 17 July with a closing session bringing together all participants. During the event, the students will present the projects they developed throughout the week to their fellow interns and supervisors, marking the end of the programme's 30th edition.
Matilde Morgado & Sofia Santos (Science in the Lab 2026 interns at CNC-UC), with support from Inês Silva and Mariana Ricardo.
