SESAM21: 
Sense, Science & the Magic of Food

See the Danish site

SESAM aims to demonstrate how scientific and digital insight among young people at school can contribute to solving some of the urgent and complex sustainability challenges. SESAM uses the interplay between the city's green transformation and food production/consumption to illustrate the role of science in society. Through the SESAM event and its preparation young people will learn more about careers in science and research.

Dreng der følger udendørs forsøg

Meet the Future Generation Foodies In the SESAM21 program. Young people from primary and lower secondary schools, who will take a scientific and digital approach to rethinking the relationship between food, agriculture and nature together with their teachers and mentors from the university and the business community. During the summer of 2021, we will be in full swing with 6 schools all over Denmark, 300 children and 15 teachers. All of them are in the process of building, constructing, learning and explaining topics in the form of installations inspired by the edible green and blue universe. It is all based on an interest in the interplay between the city's green transition and production and consumption of food products.

Everything will be ready for the Grand SESAM finale, which will take place at the schools on 24th September and at the Experimentarium and the food camp Højer on 25th September.

Food in the city's green transition

The green transformation of the food system, and not least the role of cities in this, is more than ever on the agenda. The cultivation and consumption of food are increasingly part of the planning of cities and their green areas. And these are many of the initiatives that cities use in the development of urban food strategies. Everything from garden cultivation, vertical farming, development of urban and peri-urban food value chains, plant-based cultivation and consumption strategies, green public procurement and reduction of food waste. All of these are themes that the students throw themselves into when they build, construct, learn, understand and be able to explain the installations that are to be presented at the final concluding SESAM event.

SESAM creates interest in science and the digital

From SESAM 2020, we know that working with food, cultivation, nature and climate can create new interest in science and technology from students who have not traditionally been interested. In particular, the SESAM approach has the ability to attract girls because our installations are very tangible and concrete.

The activities at SESAM are a combination of food labs, lounge talks, citizen science, competitions and quizzes.

Forsøg i laboratorium

Welcome in the SESAM universe

Together with the course mentors from the science subjects at schools from Albertslund, Høje Taastrup, Frederiksberg, Hvidovre, Åbenrå and Tønder at different class levels, we are in the process of developing the SESAME installations so that we are ready for the final in September. Keep up to date on linkedin sesame, FacebookSesame and on the Sesame blog. This is done in collaboration with the project partners; Experimentarium, Data Science House and the Snitfladen Studio 17.

Børn der laver saft

Funded by

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement 101036115

Project: Sense, Science & the Magic of Food (SESAM21)
Period: Until 28th February 2022

Project partners

  • Experimentarium
  • Data Science House
  • Snitfladen/Studie 17

Contact

Bent Egberg Mikkelsen
Department of Geosciences and Natural Research Management 
E-mail: bemi@ign.ku.dk
Tel.: +45 35 33 74 64

Our blog

Group picture of children from the SESAM21 project

SESAM21 finale

SESAM21 logo

Programme for the events will follow later.