Science Sights

Science Sights aims to make it possible for a certain (scientific) gaze to hover and land in natural spaces, transfiguring and revealing them as a source of multidisciplinary knowledge and learning. In this sense, city itineraries (Braga), mountain routes (Sameiro, Arga and da Estrela) and along the coastline (Litoral de Esposende and Amorosa) are proposed, so that Nature reveals itself to the different Sciences, in angles, sometimes (almost) geometrically equal, sometimes complementary.

Not being initially aware that we were treading “humboldtian” terrain, in fact we were only following, at our scale, the path opened by Alexander Von Humboldt (1769-1859), German scientist, polymath, naturalist and environmentalist. In his enormous appreciation for the paradox of Nature's diversity and uniqueness, either because of the affinity with the volcanoes he knew, or because of the similarities and differences of fauna and flora, throughout his very long journey he undertook, treading Humboldt's paths is persisting in facing Nature as a result of an interrelationship of phenomena, all painted, as he said, with a “wide brush”, incessantly seeking the true “painting of nature”, his Naturgemäld.

It is common sense that some of the Sciences, due to their more naturalistic character, have an appetite, one would say visceral, to take the field as their laboratory. But, for sure, the emanation of scientific knowledge sprouts from the magma of natural phenomena, which are the sum and substance of them all. In fact, all physics-chemistry-mathematics-geologies-biologies are in the breeze-sea-river-mountain-plant-street-church-glacier.

It all starts with the ability to get amazed by the observation and, little by little, we learn how to open doors to the stone and to the drop of water and to the flower, asking them to let us in into their intimacy. Afterwards, aware of some of these intimacies, as if the world is going through a metamorphosis.

It is our wish that the testimony we put forward in these pages can be evidence that it is possible to design multidisciplinary field trips, to build a repository of topics to be addressed in these outdoor activities and to demonstrate that we can see as long as we know how to observe!

The itineraries proposed for these field trips were selected due to the easy access to each of the points of interest, providing privileged spaces for observation and integration of multidisciplinary knowledge. These are not closed routes, as the visitor finds multiple opportunities to pursue his curiosity.

The chapters referring to the coastline of Esposende and Amorosa, Serra de Arga and Serra da Estrela, as they were part of a Field Guide written within the scope of the “Projecto Sentidos da Ciência” of the School of Sciences, University of Minho, were revised and expanded.

In this book routes are suggested, with stops and respective geographic coordinates (obtained by GPS, in WGS84), and for each one of them several activities and observations are proposed. Each chapter starts with a summary of the topics to be addressed in the visit, followed by a detailed presentation of the itinerary, in which the topics presented are further explored, using, for example, some theoretical notes that allow explaining the phenomena under observation, and even, sometimes, some suggestions for simple experiments that can be carried out in the field.

To complete and for better interpretation of the information provided, a list of recommended bibliography is included, as well as a glossary that will allow the understanding of language and scientific and technical terms used throughout this fieldguide, and also a Geological Time Scale.

As an Appendix, there is a list of support materials to assist the guides of field trips (teachers, tour guides, among others), whose scientific-pedagogical approach is intended to be unitary and multiple!