Mini STEM Garden 1/3: The City as a Garden – From Idea to Smart Technology

Science Through Practice

In the first part, you’ll explore the concept of urban gardening, its benefits and challenges, as well as different forms of urban agriculture. In the second part, you’ll work with the Arduino development system, learning about its core components, software, and typical applications in simple hardware-software projects.

Why Sign Up?

Because you’ll gain knowledge that connects ecology and technology in a clear and practical way. This workshop gives you the foundation for further experiments and shows how STEM skills can directly contribute to sustainable urban living.

What You’ll Learn

• Why growing food in urban environments is important
• The benefits and limitations of urban gardening
• Different types of urban agriculture
• What Arduino is, its components, and how it’s used
• How to apply Arduino in simple practical projects

About the Instructors

Tamara Đorić Šparović is a geography teacher with 25 years of experience in education. She works at Matematička gimnazija in Belgrade, where she actively participates in the development and implementation of domestic and international projects connecting science, technology, and sustainable development.

She is the author and coordinator of the successfully completed Erasmus+ K2 project “Smart School Garden,” as well as the coordinator of the ongoing K2 project “Rural Tourism – A Step into the Future.” As a team member in the “Digital Challenge” project, she gained additional experience in planning and implementing European educational projects, and as the author of the Erasmus+ KA121 mobility program application, she contributed to the improvement and digitalization of project processes.

She is the founder and leader of the Sustainable Development Section, through which she encourages students to develop environmental awareness and an understanding of sustainability principles. Her work focuses on connecting STEM fields, ecology, and innovative teaching methods, with a strong belief that environmental responsibility is most effectively developed through practical activities, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Jovica Milisavljević is a physics teacher and head of the Applied Physics and Electronics section, with many years of experience in developing modern, experimentally-oriented teaching. He is the author and co-author of professional papers dealing with the application of computers and information technologies in school laboratories, with particular emphasis on improving demonstration experiments and laboratory exercises in primary and secondary schools.

In his publications, he elaborates on the use of digital measurement systems, sensor subsystems, and software for data collection and processing, as well as the integration of interactive technologies such as SmartBoard systems, simulations, and computer models in physics teaching. He advocates for the concept of “learning by doing,” in which students actively participate in experiments, independently measure, analyze results, and connect theory with real physical phenomena. His teaching approach is focused on making modern technologies make teaching more precise, efficient, and motivating, while developing analytical thinking and interest in STEM fields.

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