New pilot at UPM: SUTEE engages secondary students in Hands-on environmental awareness activities

During the week of April 4th, the School of Computer Systems Engineering at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid hosted a series of outreach events aimed at 4th-year secondary school students. As part of these activities, the SUTEE – Showcasing Urban Trees for Environmental Education with IoT Technology project conducted a pilot workshop aligned with its core mission: promoting environmental awareness among young people through urban data exploration and the use of IoT technologies.

👩‍🔬 The workshop began with an interactive session introducing temperature, humidity, and air quality sensors. Students learned how to assemble a system to monitor indoor environmental conditions within their classroom. This hands-on experience allowed them to directly engage with the tools and technologies that are central to the SUTEE project.

🎲 The second part of the session featured an educational game using the Climate Cubes, a playful and thought-provoking way to spark creative thinking. After rolling the three cubes—which represent various environmental conditions and challenges—students were tasked with designing a mobile app that responded to the scenarios they had rolled, while also incorporating the live data collected by their IoT system.

💡 The students surprised us with their creativity and insight. From apps that proposed real-time alerts for poor air quality to concepts promoting energy-saving behaviours in schools, the ideas were both innovative and inspiring. Below, we share a few examples of their work.

🧠 This pilot not only offered a practical introduction to environmental sensing and design thinking, but also helped students reflect on the connections between data, sustainability, and urban life—key goals of the SUTEE project.

Stay tuned for more updates and stories from our educational pilots!