The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology highlighted in Lagoa the importance of Science Centres in the Azores for the dissemination of scientific culture in the archipelago.

"If stimulate young people at an early age for scientific areas, we will be contributing to a more developed society and a more competitiveness economy," Fausto Brito e Abreu said, noting that the Government of the Azores promotes the importance of education for science and development of experimental teaching of sciences in the Region.

Fausto Brito e Abreu spoke Friday at Expolab during the "Science Night" as part of the celebrations of the National Day of Scientific Culture, marked on November 24. This initiative welcomed hundreds of visitors and was mainly aimed at the sharing of scientific knowledge with the public, especially with young people.

"After 40 years of Autonomy and the creation of the University of the Azores and after the emergence of major Azorean personalities in the arts, literature, culture and politics throughout our history, the Region may also become the breeding ground of future personalities in the field of science, who are attracted by regional science centres," the government official stressed, reminding the recent awarding of IBM scientific prize to a young Azorean.

"The celebrations of the National Day of Scientific Culture that were held throughout the month of November in the Azores are privileged moments to reflect on the role of the knowledge in today's society and in the future of humanity," said the government official.

The "Science Night" included several activities, such as laboratories, lectures, scientific workshops, living science with scientists, holography and demonstration of robotics. The event involved the six science centres of the Region, namely the Environmental Observatory, the Volcanological and Geothermal Observatory, the Microbial Observatory, the Santana Astronomical Observatory, the Sea Observatory and EXPOLAB, in addition to the participation of various scientists from the University of the Azores.

The National Day of Scientific Culture was officially established in 1997. It is celebrated on the date of Rómulo de Carvalho's birth, honouring is career as teacher and author of scientific dissemination books.