The final stop of the 2025–2026 academic year takes place at the University. With primary schools
The stop in Cagliari marks the end of the 2025–2026 academic year tour of Coding Girls & Women, the Fondazione Mondo Digitale programme that promotes digital skills, an interest in STEAM subjects and female participation in scientific and technological fields.
Last Friday, 22 May, at the Sa Duchessa campus of the University of Cagliari, secondary school pupils from Sardinia took part in the final hackathon Make Your Voice Heard, following a training course on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and communication. The day was also attended by the pupils of Class 5B at the Efisio Carboni primary school, part of the Assemini 2 comprehensive school, who took part in a special session discussing the use of artificial intelligence with teachers and experts.
The day began with opening remarks from Gianni Fenu, Vice-Rector and ICT Delegate at the University of Cagliari, Riccardo Scateni, Head of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Maria Cristina Carrisi, Career Guidance Officer for the Faculty of Science, and Cecilia Stajano, Community Manager at the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS. The hackathon jury consisted of Elisabetta Gola, Vice-Rector for Communication at the University of Cagliari, Diego Reforgiato Recupero, coordinator of the degree course in Applied Computer Science and Data Analytics, and Stefano Federici, researcher in computer science education.
From primary to secondary school
The distinctive feature of the Cagliari event is the dialogue between different age groups. On the one hand, primary school children share what they have learnt about technology and ask questions of the experts. On the other, secondary school pupils work in teams, develop a pitch and present their solution to the jury.
The schools are being trained by Aurora Serra and Simone Dessí. The following schools are involved: the ITE Pietro Martini in Cagliari, led by headteacher Domenico Ripa; the IIS Paglietti in Porto Torres, led by headteacher Daniele Taras; the IIS Francesco Ciusa in Nuoro, led by headteacher Silvia Meloni; the Liceo Giorgio Asproni in Iglesias, led by headteacher Daria Pisu; and the Efisio Carboni primary school in Assemini, led by headteacher Monica Massenti.
“It was a day full of inspiration,” says Caterina Scotto Di Uccio, who attended the event. “I was struck by how the Year 6 pupils were able to tackle the topic of AI with maturity, understanding the potential of this tool without underestimating the risks. After studying AI in class, they asked the experts questions worthy of experts, such as: what happens if two AIs communicate with each other? Will AI ever surpass humans in intelligence?”.
The same perspective is evident in the work of the secondary schools: “It was interesting to listen to the boys and girls presenting their projects before a jury of experts and their peers. Despite their nerves, they tackled the challenge with seriousness and creativity, demonstrating their ability to address important issues with enthusiasm.
This made me think that FMD’s contribution is to encourage everyone to unleash their potential.”
The winning projects
The award for best overall project goes to ParkAble AI, created by Marco Rivella, Gabriele Cinus, Luca Orefice, Alessio Sanna and Manuel Schirru from ITE Pietro Martini. The project tackles the problem of finding parking spaces, with a specific focus on spaces reserved for people with disabilities. The solution envisages a system capable of identifying free parking spaces in real time, automatically recognising car dimensions and the presence of a disability badge, predicting peak occupancy times, suggesting alternative routes and reporting any misuse of reserved spaces.
The prize for the most innovative project goes to AuraWear, created by Angelica, Giulia, Lucia and Costanza from the Liceo Giorgio Asproni in Iglesias. The idea proposes an ecosystem for breast cancer prevention, featuring a garment equipped with integrated technology, a removable chip and an app designed to support the user with reminders, a guide to self-examination and quick access to contacts and bookings.
The prize for the most inclusive project goes to the MCs team from the ITE Pietro Martini, comprising Matteo Devola, Matteo Carrus, Matteo Giua, Christian Melis and Michael Farris. The project, entitled MoveAble, combines accessible mobility and smart logistics: a single app to book transport suitable for people with mobility, visual and hearing impairments, manage deliveries with customised time slots, track the route in real time and coordinate drivers, couriers and volunteers through an AI-based matching system.
The prize for originality goes to Inside Out, a project by the IIS Francesco Ciusa in Nuoro, created by Maria Zarra, Gianni Manca, Giannicola Spanu, Piermario Satta, Gianfranco Partenza and Luigi Fais. The project addresses the theme of well-being and mental health, offering an informative guide on personal balance, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, healthy lifestyles and strategies for seeking help when needed.
Skills that become a voice
The Cagliari event reaffirms the Coding Girls & Women approach: learning by doing, working in teams, using technology to identify community needs and devising possible solutions. The hackathon thus becomes a space where digital skills are not merely abstract, but are applied to accessibility, health, mobility, wellbeing and quality of life.
The voices of the participants: between creativity and the future
For the young participants, computer science is not just code, but a tool for personal expression. As one student put it: ‘Computer science is freedom because it allows me to be creative whilst at the same time building a future based on my passions’. Another student added that this discipline represents ‘the ability to bring any idea to life through code... to make everything that crosses my mind a reality’.
Teamwork was at the heart of the challenge. The winners of the ‘Best Overall’ award highlighted the importance of ‘teamwork, engaging with others and presenting a project on important issues’. The teams awarded for innovation also emphasised how the activity helped them to ‘create a product that can also help future generations in such a short time’.
A brand-new initiative: AI explained to young children
This year’s edition introduced a significant new feature: the involvement of a primary school (Istituto Comprensivo Assemini 2) to introduce the basics of AI to children. Teacher Maria Cristina Carrisi explained: “It was certainly a huge challenge… There is a great need for people to learn how to use these tools and learn to use them responsibly”.
The children’s enthusiasm also impressed the researchers. Andrea Pinna noted that the youngsters “brought a new and fresh perspective… highly precise and interesting questions that make even us adults reflect on what we are doing”. Along the same lines, Ilaria Lunesu said she was struck by how such young children had “knowledge of artificial intelligence that wasn’t superficial… as if they had already begun to experience it first-hand".
Towards more inclusive technology
The Coding Girls project aims to break down gender stereotypes in the tech sector. Aurora Serra, a tutor and master’s student, described her role as that of a “role model”: “I hope, in a way, to have sparked something in them... to pursue a career in the world of computer science‘.
The need for a pluralistic vision was reiterated by Andrea Pinna, who believes it is essential to ’create gender inclusivity within technology... because the combination of the perspectives that men and women may have... certainly makes a better, more comprehensive contribution to this discipline".
A commitment to the local area
The initiative, supported by academic and institutional partners, represents a moment of collective growth for Cagliari. According to Vice-Rector Gianni Fenu, this programme helps young people to ‘understand the importance of a path within the digital disciplines that leads to a future, to awareness and to the management of some of the scientific issues in research and innovation’.
The event concluded with an awards ceremony for projects that stood out for inclusivity, innovation and originality, leaving participants with the realisation that the digital sphere is, first and foremost, a space for active citizenship
