The beautiful city of Sinaia, Romania, hosted the first transnational coordinating meeting of the IRRESISTIBLE Project, in 2016. Even the whole team expected to have snow and white landscapes, the nature was kind and offered to partners nice weather, mostly sunny days and wonderful mountain scenery.
Being located just at 60 km from Targoviste and 120 km from Bucharest, Sinaia borrowed its name from the 17th-Century Monastery built by a Romanian nobleman after his pilgrimage to Mount Sinai, Egypt. The “Carpathian Pearl” - as it is known -, Sinaia is the most famous mountain tourist resort in Romania, hosting the Romanian Royal family during the last part of the XIX and the first part of the XX centuries past summers. Its well-known castle - the royal residence: Peleș Castle - is one of the best-preserved royal palaces in Europe. The IRRESISTIBLE team found some time to visit it, remaining with an impressive experience…
Two days and a half was full of work. Main issues related to the development of the project, aspects concerning the final form of the Training Modules, issues regarding the organization of the Project Final Exhibition, but also a video-conference with the Project external evaluator were pointed out. In addition, a visit to Prahova Natural Science Museum was organized, where the partners had the opportunity to meet a part of the Romanian Project Community of Learners, but also students who took actively part to various project activities in the last year.
The entire group took a tour of the Museum, visiting also the Exhibition: “The Sun and The Nano World”, set up by the IRRESISTIBLE students, teachers and researchers. With this occasion, the Director of the Prahova Natural Science Museum, Prof. PhD. Emilia Iancu, specified that “… for the Museum, the IRRESISTIBLE project means a lot, because it justifies the international collaboration on various problems concerning young students’ education, especially related to science education. Practically, the Museum is a school-museum, making education and research, and having the possibility within IRRESISTIBLE to underline the role of the museum on promoting and involving research in education, reaching so an important peak. The IRRESISTIBLE Project is not the first international project in which the Prahova Natural Science Museum participates, but it proposes an important environment created by the Project Community of Learners to come with a major contribution.”
Regarding the meaning of the project for the participating students, a 12th form student, Alexandru Manea, expressed that: “… I am a student from “Elie Radu High-School” Ploiești, and I participate in this project because I am really tired of how science is presented in ordinary classes. Really, I didn’t come due to my teacher, but I am so curious to know more, to extend my knowledge, to become part of a generation which try to bring a change in the society! Like a conclusion, I can state that my participation and involvement in the Project Module Activities has given to me more than I expected: new knowledge, new opportunities, more friends and people I may encounter again!”
