Atoms, rural tourism and school riddles: Science Week kicks off

BarcelonaFrom this Friday until Sunday, November 16, Catalonia will host nearly 400 conferences, workshops, open days, exhibitions, experiments, and science shows to celebrate Science Week, an event organized annually by the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), with the support of universities, research centers, museums, schools, and other organizations. This year, coinciding with the International Year of Quantum Physics, the majority of activities will be dedicated to this discipline, which studies the behavior of matter and energy in the microscopic world. Thus, the event will revolve around atoms, electrons, and photons (particles of light), as well as the diverse applications of quantum science in daily life, knowledge, and social progress. Despite this central theme, Science Week maintains its multifaceted approach: it will also cover economics, artificial intelligence, scientific tourism, and gender perspectives. "Science Week has become a benchmark as a space for communication between society and the academic world, and for disseminating high-quality science on a European scale, bringing research to the entire territory, from small towns to major cities," says Miquel Gómez, Director General of the Catalan Research Foundation (FCRI). Science Week is presented as an event to bring research and technology closer to people of all ages and, more specifically, to promote scientific vocations among children and teenagers. "It is one of the prime examples of the Catalan research and innovation system's repeated commitment to making research results increasingly accessible through engaging, understandable, and motivating communication," says Núria Montserrat, Minister of Research and Universities. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of this national event, in which more than 1.5 million people have participated in some 10,500 science-related communication activities. This year alone, the program includes some 380 free events spread across 36 Catalan regions.

Featured Activities

The Science Week kicks off this Friday at 10 a.m. in the Parliament with the conversation Everyday quantum wonders, between Alba Cervera, senior researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - National Supercomputing Center, and Gemma de les Coves, ICREA professor at Pompeu Fabra University and principal investigator in mathematical quantum physics and universality theory. The event will be attended by the President of the Parliament of Catalonia, Josep Rull; the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat; and the Director General of the FCRI, Miquel Gómez.

Among the scheduled activities is the traditional Science in Schools Day. On November 11, a live stream will take place from the FCRI headquarters in Barcelona with three sessions dedicated to economics, artificial intelligence, and technology. Participating students, from 3rd and 4th year of ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) and 1st year of Bachillerato (Upper Secondary Education), will have to solve a scientific puzzle in class by interacting virtually with researchers. On November 12, the route will take place Women, Forms and Thought: A Mathematical and Artistic Path within the CRM at the UAB's Bellaterra Campus, a presentation on women mathematicians throughout history. And on November 13, in Tremp (Pallars Jussà), the route will be presented. The power of waterA tour of the landscapes and facilities of the Pyrenees as an economic engine of the region.

The full program for the Week can be found atwww.semanaciencia.cat