This June, the CCS-UPF participated in the 18th Festa de la Ciència, an annual outreach event aimed at all citizens and organized by the Barcelona City Council.
Enligned with the Mac4Me project, CCS-UPF crafted an activity, titled “Create a superhero story: discover macrophages!”, which was designed for children aged 8 to 12 years. The objective was for participants to learn about macrophages in a fun and creative way, while also experiencing collaborative content creation.
To convey this knowledge, we asked the children to imagine their bodies as a city with its streets and buildings. We introduced the idea of “unexpected visitors” or “villains” that cause illnesses, connecting with their own experiences. Next, we presented the immune system as the body’s defense team, explaining the role of blood as a transport system for components like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
The main focus was on the white blood cells, the body’s fighters, and particularly on macrophages. We highlighted that they are the largest and fastest and that their Greek name means ‘big eater’. Their primary power is phagocytosis: the ability to engulf and destroy anything that shouldn’t be in the body. We simulated how body cells send distress signals when there is a problem, and how macrophages, alert to these ‘calls for help’, quickly arrive at the site of infection to act.
With this scientific foundation, we invited participants to become science communicators, explaining that the task of scientists is not only to research but also to communicate their discoveries in an understandable way. The mission was to create a comic, divided into panels, illustrating the story of macrophages and their function. This activity highlighted how comics can simplify complex ideas, fostering creativity and learning.
It was a very enriching day of science, creativity, and learning. We sincerely thank all the children, families, and organizers of the Festa de la Ciència for making this experience possible. Their curiosity and enthusiasm were the best reward for the entire CCS-UPF team.
