Over the past few months, I had the opportunity to engage with students from several high schools as part of the NANAQUA outreach activities. It was a rewarding experience to step outside the laboratory and share both my research and the broader purpose of scientific research with young students.

During the sessions, I introduced the NANAQUA project, its main research objectives, and the opportunities offered through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). I also emphasized that higher education is not simply about earning a degree, it is about developing knowledge and using it to address real challenges faced by society, both in Europe and worldwide.

A particularly exciting part of the sessions was a simple dye decolorization experiment, designed to give students a glimpse of the work we do in the laboratory. The visible change immediately sparked curiosity, leading to many questions and lively discussions.

Although many students were already familiar with conventional wastewater treatment, Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) and Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) were new concepts for most of them. This provided a great opportunity to explain why conventional treatment may not always be sufficient and why advanced technologies are being investigated to tackle emerging water-quality challenges.

The students’ enthusiasm, questions, and feedback made these outreach activities especially memorable. Most importantly, the experience showed how a simple experiment can turn scientific concepts into curiosity and perhaps inspire the next generation to see research as a way of finding solutions to real world problems.