By Andrea Hargraves 
Three young people from Odemira received a silver medal in the largest science competition in Italy – I Giovani e le Scienze, promoted by the Federazione delle Associazioni Scientifiche e Tecniche (FAST).
Ana Ramos, Bruna Matos and Mariana Gonçalves represented Portugal in this scientific competition by researching the potential of some fungi in the biodegradation of polyethylene. The scientific project presented by the young women, as students from the Odemera Group of Schools under the guidance of Professor Paola Canha, had already won in 2023 the National Competition for Young Scientists and Researchers, organized by the Youth Foundation, which included participation in the Italian Competition.
The municipality of Odemira says that the study tests some environmentally sound alternatives to solve the problem of the accumulation of plastic waste in greenhouses in the municipality of Odemira, such as biodegradation through fungi, instead of traditional disposal.
The 2024 edition of this Italian competition for young scientists was held in Milan, from 16 to 18 March, and welcomed 35 scientific projects from Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Luxembourg, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Tunisia, with Alentejo ascending the podium to take second place in the competition.
Photo: Odemira Municipality