Forty Mexican secondary school students spent a day at the Botanic Garden of the University of Turku as part of their international experience study trip. They carried out scientific experiments and got acquainted with the activities of the LUMA Centre as part of the global educational services of the University.
In May 2026, a group of Mexican students from Colegio Europeo de Mexico Robert Schuman visited Finland to experience the Finnish education. The group spent the day at the Botanic Garden of the University of Turku in Ruissalo, where they explored the outdoor gardens and the various rooms of the greenhouse and carried out scientific experiments in workshops. Some of these experiments included analysing water properties, such as pH level, salinity and turbidity, and programmed LEGO robots, among other things. The visit is part of the University’s global educational services.
During the first week of their study trip, the Mexican students spent time in a school in Espoo getting to know the everyday life of a Finnish school. This immersive experience also included other pedagogical activities, such as visits to Heureka Science Centre, the Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth, and the Mexican Embassy. Dr. Federico Malpica from the educational consultancy Instituto Escalae designed the educational programme for the trip to offer a meaningful and enriching multicultural and academic international experience.
Dr. Malpica explains that the aim of the trip was to offer young people an international, out-of-school learning experience and to introduce them to STEM subjects and the Finnish way of studying them. According to him, STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – are known to be important in Finland and Finnish education, and that it is internationally recognised that Finnish students perform well in these subjects.
"This trip is not just about travel and tourism, but more for the students to develop necessary 21st century skills, like communication, collaboration, and resilience. Compared to last week, here in Turku the idea is to do other kinds of activities than just attending a school, like these STEM workshops organised by the LUMA Centre at the University of Turku. Tomorrow we will go to Kuralan Kylämäki village, where the students will get to do some other workshops."
"What I have seen in these past weeks is that this is more than just a learning experience, it is a life experience for these kids. They will develop different kinds of skills during this trip, and also, they are going to remember this for many, many years."
The science workshop activities at the Botanic Garden were organised by the LUMA Centre of South-West Finland. The LUMA Centre operates under the Department of Biodiversity Sciences at the University of Turku within the Faculty of Science. The LUMA Centre provides science education for people of all ages, and its aim is to increase interest in science, particularly among children and young people, and to attract future students to these fields.
Matleena Tuomisto, coordinator at LUMA Centre, held a water testing workshop at the garden, where the students got to use equipment to measure various water properties, such as pH, turbidity, and salinity. LUMA Centre also lends this equipment to schools.
"School classes can visit the University and do various laboratory experiments through LUMA’s school collaboration. We also organise after-school activities, such as clubs and camps. Most of our activities are organised for Finnish groups, but after the coronavirus pandemic, visits from international groups are also on the rise again," says Tuomisto.
As the Mexican group was particularly interested in STEM subjects and the University of Turku, they booked the excursion from the University’s global educational services. Coordinator Satu Nurmi from the University's Innovation Services explains that universities provide educational services to international clients through global educational services. These services include, for example, University visits by international groups, training packages and customised training courses, or expert consultations.
"Global educational services are a way of making an impact internationally and also a chance to offer staff international teaching and collaboration opportunities. The University’s global educational services range from short one-day or one-week visits to longer training courses. Another way we export educational services is by sending our University staff abroad to teach for a few days or weeks, instead of the group coming here to Finland,” explains Nurmi.
Text, translation, and photos: Elli Elo
