Cardano for STEM Brazilian Students

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

Additional Applicants

Mateus Granha @mgranha

Igor Gibernoot @gibernoot

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project outputs be fully Open Source?

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

[METADATA] SDG rating

Month 1 Milestone: Courses preparations

1. Disclose the course and tutorial for STEM students in Engineering and Science at our local University.
2. Communication with the community: engage students, professionals, and enthusiasts using Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, Slack, and Instagram posts and discussions.
3. Selection of students.
4. Preparation of class notes and presentations on Blockchain, Cardano and Catalyst. 
5. Registration of the students in our online education platform.

Months 2 and 3 Milestone: Material, Lessons & Challenges

1. The course starts / Welcome Class!
2. Classes will be given every week covering the proposed syllabus.
3. Interaction with students and assistance with questions after class.
4. Preparation of tests and scores.
5. Engaging students in the Catalyst community during the course.
6. Monitoring of discussion groups on the topic of study. 
7. Course closing. 
8. Catalyst Tutorial starts.
9. Assistance to students who want to propose a project in Catalyst.
10. Preparation of a report regarding the proposed project with an analysis of the results and future perspectives. 
11. Issue certificates for the students. 

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Learning blockchain technology is fundamental for the next generation of Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) professionals once they can apply it to improve fields such as cryptocurrency, supply chain, data management, healthcare, governance, and others. Even so, there is a lack of courses and content in our Brazilian institutions related to this important topic. Most students interested in learning about this technology need to dominate English and attend international online classes about this subject. This proposal aims to provide free lectures given in Portuguese for Engineering and Natural Science students about Blockchain and Cardano from a scientific perspective. 

We will offer an introductory course on Blockchain and Cardano at a Brazilian University. The classes will be part in-person at the University of Pernambuco, Brazil, and part on the online platform zoom with a total of 10 hours.

We will also provide tutorials on how to submit proposals for Catalyst funds and how to create startups on Blockchain and Cardano technologies.

The audience will be Brazilian STEM undergraduate and graduate students, and the lecturers will be doctors and graduate students in Physics and Engineering.

Course: Introduction to Blockchain Technology and Cardano

syllabus:

1. Introduction to blockchain technology 
2. Security concepts in blockchain
3. Cryptology of blockchain
4. Differences between the crypto networks 
5. Consensus on blockchain
6. Cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ethereum 
7. Third generation blockchain
8. Blockchain to improve the business
9. Proof-of-work versus proof-of-stake
10. Introduction to Cardano
11. Decentralized application and smart contracts 
12. Staking and rewards

Tutorial:

1. What is the Catalyst ecosystem?
2. How to get funds for Blockchain and Cardano Startups?
3. Tutorial on how to submit a proposal in Catalyst

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Introducing the blockchain and Cardano technologies to STEM students will ignite this field of research and its applications in our institutions, companies, startups, and communities. We believe academia is crucial for attracting new high-qualified members to the Cardano ecosystem. Moreover, we expect these students will be multipliers of these tools inside their communities. Providing knowledge about Blockchain and Cardano protocol will revolutionize how STEM students deal with challenging daily problems. This project will also help to disseminate Cardano in Latin America. 

Moreover, we will teach the students to submit their proposals in Catalyst and how to create startups supported by Cardano. This will promote new STEM's undergraduate and graduate Brazilian students in the Catalyst ecosystem.

This project is a continuation of a funded project that started in Fund7 (https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/381790) and continued in Fund9 (https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/64463). The project will executed every semester, as we intend to create a Blockchain and Cardano hub in our Brazilian University.

This round, we will focus on students' engagement in creating startups supported by Catalyst. For this purpose, we will give a tutorial on how Catalyst works and how to submit an idea. We will also advise the students during their submission process in Catalyst..

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

• Number of registered students for the course and tutorial;
• Number of students registrations in the Catalyst ecosystem;
• Number of new proposals by our students in the Catalyst Challenges;
• Number of access and views on the online class platform;
• Student feedback.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

• The advances of this project will be published in our website http://blockstem.io/
• The results will be detailed in the monthly reports and will be send to Catalyst team of this challenge.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Our capability to deliver what is proposed is high. The three team members are Physicists, two graduate students, and an Associate Physics Professor, all with experience giving classes and seminars at important international scientific meetings and conferences. The course/tutorial content will be available online and with free access. The free course and Catalyst tutorial will be disclosed to Brazilian STEM students in their native Portuguese language.

Besides that, we will provide reports about our work containing the list of the registered students, pictures and videos of our meetings, and an analysis of our results and challenges during the execution of the project.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

• Goal: Increase the number of STEM students introduced to Blockchain and Cardano. Validation: Number of participating students in the course and tutorials.
• Goal: Increase the number of Brazilians as Catalyst members. Validation: Number of registered students in the Cardano.ideascale.com
• Goal: Increase the number of proposal at Catalyst by Brazilian STEM students. Validation: Tracking the number of proposal by STEM students in the next Catalyst funds.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Project's breaking down along three months:

Month 1 Milestone: Courses preparations

1. Disclose the course and tutorial for STEM students in Engineering and Science at our local University.
2. Communication with the community: engage students, professionals, and enthusiasts using Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, Slack, and Instagram posts and discussions.
3. Selection of students.
4. Preparation of class notes and presentations on Blockchain, Cardano and Catalyst. 
5. Registration of the students in our online education platform.

Months 2 and 3 Milestone: Material, Lessons & Challenges

1. The course starts / Welcome Class!
2. Classes will be given every week covering the proposed syllabus.
3. Interaction with students and assistance with questions after class.
4. Preparation of tests and scores.
5. Engaging students in the Catalyst community during the course.
6. Monitoring of discussion groups on the topic of study. 
7. Course closing. 
8. Catalyst Tutorial starts.
9. Assistance to students who want to propose a project in Catalyst.
10. Preparation of a report regarding the proposed project with an analysis of the results and future perspectives. 
11. Issue certificates for the students. 

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Deliverables for month 1: Courses and tutorial preparations

• Preparation of folders and contents for the website blockstem.io
• The project team will meet every week to prepare for the project execution.
• Disclosing the course and tutorials in different media (Instagram, website, e-mails)
• Registration of STEM students.
• Preparation of slides and written tutorials in Portuguese for the students.

Deliverables for months 2 and 3 Milestone: Material, Lessons & Challenges

1. In-person/online free classes in Portuguese every week.
2. Seminars are given by the graduate students on the course topic.
3. In-person/online tutorials about the Catalyst system.
4. Supporting STEM undergrad and graduate students in writing proposals for Catalyst challenges.
5. Preparation of monthly reports.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

The funds will be used along three months as described below:

Books expenses and Materials preparation (ADA 1,000)

Marketing and Websites (ADA 2,000)

Coffee break for the students (ADA 1,000)

Coordination (ADA 15,000)

Personnel payment (ADA 20,480)

The classes and tutorials will be free for the students.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The fund will cover costs for website maintenance, digital media content creation, preparation of presentations and tutorials in Portuguese, coffee breaks, Lecturers, and coordination. An average salary for a Doctor Lecturer in Brazil is typically 50,000 USD per annum; for a graduate student, it generally is 10,000 USD per annum. 

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.