This year, the European School Science Symposium (ESSS) was held in Belgium’s capital at the European School of Brussels II (EEB2), with 151 students from 23 schools across Europe in attendance.

The symposium took place from 8 to 11 March, with a packed programme that left little time to explore the city centre. There was, however, plenty of opportunity to engage with science and to socialise. Students spent time discussing their projects at Eurocontrol – a European organisation responsible, among other things, for ensuring aviation safety – and visited Technopolis, where they experienced a range of interactive exhibits, from cycling in mid-air and riding a square-wheeled bicycle to landing a virtual reality plane and navigating an almost impossible maze.

All international participants stayed at the Ibis Budget Hotel, conveniently located near the airport, the host school, and Eurocontrol. This is where much of their time was spent outside the main programme.

A significant focus of the symposium was on student projects. These included innovations such as colour-changing bandages that both accelerate healing and detect infection, shoes that generate electricity while walking, medicinal plants with potential alternatives to antibiotics, and new methods for fully recycling plastics. These projects had been developed throughout the school year and represent the core of what ESSS is all about.

Students from S1 to S7 form groups of up to three and develop a research question. The strongest projects from each school are selected to represent them at ESSS. Projects are then divided into two categories: Junior (S1–S4) and Senior (S5–S7). The top three projects in each category, as selected by a panel of judges, along with the winner of the public vote, receive awards. The overall winner in the Senior category goes on to represent ESSS at the European Contest for Young Scientists.

This year marked ESLJ’s first participation in ESSS. The school was represented by four students from S1, S2, S4 and S5, accompanied by their mentor, Mrs Charlesworth. It was an inspiring and eye-opening experience, and one that we hope will become a regular part of our school’s activities in the future.