Establishment and equipping of the Regional Scientific Center – RaSTEM

The project will establish and equip the Regional Science Center “RaSTEM”, which will be located in 8 locations: in the Incubator of the City of Šibenik and 7 primary schools, 3 of which are located in the City of Šibenik, and 4 in the surrounding towns: Skradin, Brodarica, Municipality of Murter- Kornati, Vrpolje. In this way, it will be possible to achieve economic and social goals, which will favorably affect the improvement of the socio-economic context of the county and the retention of a larger number of families with children in the area of ​​Šibenik-Knin County. In the surrounding towns of Šibenik, where the project is also implemented (Brodarica, Skradin, Vrpolje, Municipality of Murter-Kornati), the influence of STEM activities in primary schools can also have a favorable effect on the retention of young and promising families in the area. In that case, the multiplier effect of the project is strong and the choice of location is justified. For the purposes of establishing a regional scientific center, the framework of the Center’s activities will be defined and created, key documents for the organization and development of the center will be created, and spatial capacities will be established. Cooperation and exchange of experience will be established with other educational centers in the Republic of Croatia and abroad and in donor countries. Through the mentioned activity, the RaSTEM Regional Science Center will be equipped with specialized equipment for STEM content, which includes ICT equipment, mechanisms and machines for practical learning, smart toys and other equipment for students that will be used for STEM content. The main goal we want to achieve by developing a regional science center is to create a common place that is fully functional and equipped with the latest IT technologies, yet easily accessible to schoolgirls, but also to all those interested in the STEM field. Through this activity, the goal is also for the partner schools of the project proposal through the procurement of equipment to improve the conditions in order to further include and interest students in elements of the STEM field in everyday education using appropriate equipment, especially in robotics and STEM technologies in meteorology and climatology. Considering the area where the project proposal is being developed, each school and the Regional Science Center will be equipped with meteorological stations. In the area in front of the City of Šibenik Incubator on an area of ​​261 m2, the STEM park “Faust Vrančić” will be arranged and built. Conceived with the aim of equipping the outdoor space with interactive scientific and educational content intended for all age groups. The content will consist of exhibits based on Faust Vrančić’s inventions. For the needs of the STEM park, an application will be developed in the form of a “virtual teacher” where students using VR glasses or tablets will be able to experience the past in an innovative way of augmented reality. A STEM garden “Robert Visiani” will be built within the Meterize elementary school on an area of ​​300 m2, and it will be intended for the cultivation of plants in accordance with the green economy. Such a garden will serve as a living laboratory and provide students with the opportunity to conduct experiments and learn about climatological processes, and the integration of technology in growing plants increases student motivation and participation. One classroom of the Juraj Dalmatinac Elementary School would also be expanded in order to have the possibility of establishing an outdoor classroom. The project does not plan the construction of new premises, but adaptation and furnishing of the existing premises of LGU Šibenik, Elementary School Meterize and Elementary School Juraj Dalmatinac will be carried out.