University of Colima launches Explora 2.0 STEM workshop for 26 secondary students

From July 30 to August 7, the University of Colima, together with steelmaker Ternium, ran a 28‑hour "Explora 2.0" program in Cuauhtémoc. Twenty‑six secondary‑school students attended intensive sessions on programming, Arduino electronics, 3D printing, virtual reality, podcast production and Maker‑culture projects.

The workshop took place in the Intelligent Library of the university’s Bachilleratos 12 and 13 and was led by teachers Saúl Gutiérrez, Joel Serrano and Armando Ramírez. Participants applied active‑learning methods such as challenge‑based learning and gamification, identified local problems and designed solutions using the mentioned technologies. The itinerary also included a guided visit to the Cerro Nahual mine and a tour of the El Palapo ecological park.

The initiative aimed to shift students from passive technology users to creators of digital and physical prototypes, linking classroom learning with real‑world environmental and community issues.