Santiago Monsalve Silva

Santiago is a budding scientific education researcher who has already contributed to the dissemination of knowledge with the publication of 22 academic articles in different languages. He is currently studying chemical engineering and natural sciences at the University of La Sabana, training as a researcher in the area of science and engineering education. His passion for uncovering knowledge has led him to work as a student researcher in the CAPSAB research group – where he is a leader of research projects in engineering education – and in the GEMA group, where he helps develop research on sustainability in chemical engineering processes. His work focuses on the development of support tools for learning in engineering, the teaching of chemistry, and the simulation and evaluation of chemical processes. 

Santiago’s sense of vocation as a science education expert began early. Since high school, he has been invested in helping his classmates with their learning: as one of the co-founders of a Green Chemistry Research Hotbed, he worked with several students to develop research from their interests. Leading the technology representative group, he also directed more than 80 students from pre-kindergarten to eleventh grade – managing competitions and meetings with other schools as well as encouraging the development of programming, robotics and problem-solving skills. In college, he continued his commitment to leadership and service by supporting new students of chemical engineering, early childhood education and natural sciences in their transition to university life. 

Santiago has also developed various ways to promote STEM education beyond his own institution. His programme entitled "Scientific Education as an Opportunity to Transform Quality of Life" implements challenge-based learning to promote scientific competencies and skills among young people from public schools in Pereira and Dos Quebradas. Since 2019, Santiago has been working on an initiative called "Scientists at your Fingertips" with the aim of making science accessible and attractive to students by using a mobile application and website with scientific content and learning resources. By providing instructional resources and learning strategies, the platform facilitates the understanding of key scientific concepts and the development of scientific skills. Santiago’s dream is to expand this project nationally and internationally, hoping to inspire others to explore the fascinating world of science. To date, part of this dream has come true with the development of Chemquest – a line of games and physical strategies for learning chemistry. 

With the Global Student Prize funds, Santiago would finance the design, construction and donation of STEM educational kits to institutions across Colombia. These educational kits would be valuable tools for promoting active, hands-on learning in STEM disciplines: they would include physical materials, interactive digital resources, and activity guides that facilitate teaching and learning in school and community settings. Santiago’s long-term goal would be to establish a sustainable programme of production and distribution for these educational kits nationwide, ensuring that they reach the communities most in need.