The “Faculdade de Ciências” (FCUP) is major school within “Universidade do Porto” (UPORTO), Portugal's largest university with a proud history of achievement and an ambitious agenda for the future. UPORTO has a powerful legacy of research and teaching success in Exact and Natural Sciences, with a focus on an interdisciplinary approach within its areas of expertise, and its mission is to contribute to the development of society by providing high quality Education, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as lifelong learning, and by carrying out internationally recognized Research with the highest standards, as evidenced by the more than 2000 papers in the last five years (near 540 in 2008). A highly-qualified teaching and research staff, all 260 holding a doctoral degree, spanning Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Informatics and their applications, support a strong commitment to postgraduate training, with more than 600 Master and 340 Ph.D. students. UPORTO attracts postdoctoral students and junior scientists, to strengthen existing areas, or to develop new research projects, many within the framework of the numerous research units in which its researchers play key roles. Awareness of the social implications and general interest of many of its research areas, led many researchers to become engaged in public activities that include: school projects; science fairs, summer courses, and popularization of science.

João Paiva is an Assistant Teacher in the Chemistry Department of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto - Portugal. He is the coordinator of the mastership in chemistry and Physics education and he is related with the mastership “Multimedia in Teaching” and with the phD program on teaching and Scientific dissemination. He is also the coordinator of the Teaching and History of Sciences Group (Centre for Computational Physics – University of Coimbra – Portugal). Has given lots of seminars in the area of computers applied to teaching in schools, universities and other institutions. His main professional interests are the pedagogical applications of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), particularly in Chemistry. Part of his research is published, alone or in co-authorship, in articles in magazines of Physics, Chemistry, Teaching and other subjects, school manuals, computer programmes for Chemistry teaching and web pages for science learning. He is a member of the Portuguese partner group in the European project “CROSSNET”.

Carla Morais is a teacher of Physics and Chemistry in a secondary school. Graduated on chemistry and Master in Multimedia Education, in 2006, in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. She is a member of the Education and History of Sciences group in the Centre for Computational Physics of the University of Coimbra and a PhD on teaching and scientific dissemination. Her interest areas include chemistry teaching. She is involving on production and evaluation of multimedia pedagogical applications for science learning.

Susana Fonseca is a teacher of Physics and Chemistry in high school (10th to 12th grades) as well as middle school (5th to 9th grades), where she also taught Natural Sciences and coordinated computer-supported activities. Graduated on Chemistry and Master in Multimedia Education, in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. She is a member of the Education and History of Sciences group in the Centre for Computational Physics of the University of Coimbra. Her interest fields include Sciences and particularly Chemistry teaching and the pedagogical applications of ICT. She is a member of the Portuguese partner group in the European project “CROSSNET”.

José Barros is a teacher of Physics and Chemistry in high school but no he is working on a computational multimedia company producing software. Graduated on physics and Master in Multimedia Education, in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. His interest fields include Sciences teaching and modulating and programming computational simulations for learning science.

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