See you in January · Nos vemos en enero · Fins gener

Due to problems with dates and our personal work needs, we shall leave the next Scientific Cafe 'till January.

See you in January!

Debido a problemas de fechas y nuestra carga de trabajo actual hemos decidido postponer nuestro próximo Café Científico hasta enero 2011.

¡Nos vemos en enero! 

A causa de problemes de dates i la nostra càrrega de feina hem decidit postposar el proper Cafè Científic  fins al gener.

Ens veiem al gener!

2010 Open Day Scientific Cafe: All equal, all different

During the Open Day we had a really interesting Scientific Cafe, adressing the general topic of this year's celebration: All equal, all different. Jaume Bertrandpetit, Ricard Albalat and Roberto Elosua led a really participative session, closing a really successful Open Day.

All equal, all different
How has the genome of Homo sapiens evolved throughout history?
How have the different human populations been generated?
Is it possible to create a personalized medicine based on diversity between populations and individuals?
Environmental conditions interact with different genomes. How does this affect us?

Tots iguals, tots diferents
Com ha evolucionat el genoma de l’homo sapiens all llarg de la història?
Com s’ha generat les diferents poblacions humanes?
És possible una medicina personalitzada en base a la diversitat entre poblacions i individus?
Les condicions ambientals intervenen en els diferents genomes. Com ens afecta això?

What a great Open Day!

Once again, we finally made it!

It was a lot of hard work, but once again the volunteers got down to business, proving they'd done their homework to make things flow, and the visitors were really happy with the whole experience!

The collaboration with Hangar made possible two interactive installations and the brilliant virtual reality game, the books loaned by Sagrada familia library made it possible to create a reading area for kids and adults, where PeReBabaus enacted a couple of stories, and a sponsorship on the sweets made it possible to use 300 kgs of sweets this time!

But all this would have been impossible without the 182 people who turned up on Saturday, kind of on time and ready to make people really enjoy their visit to the PRBB. All the planning beforehand and all the work done during months would be useless if we didn't have the support of the Open Day volunteers, and we really want to thank you!

It was interesting to see how we had some "outsiders" among the volunteers -some relatives of PRBB-ers, but some are just SmS fans, who wanted to help out and join us in our work to promote science! I don't know if you realized, but the three girls at the Reading Area in the morning were all SmS supporters, and a few more were distributed among visits and experiments. We also got a few other visitors asking if they could help somehow in a future occasion... It seems like things are working well ;-)

It was also obvious that we had more youngsters and teens interested in what we were doing. I have heard from a few Science teachers at high schools prompting their students to come along and write a piece on our Open Day, adding marks to their next exam!

Here are some estimates made by the PRBB Communication team:

And now, it's time to comment on what was great and what could be improved at our meeting on Wednesday, and celebrate our great team work on the lunch party on Thursday!

PS: If you have any good photos of the Open Day, share a link or get in touch so we can show them here! I'll start uploading some next week ;-)

Everything's ready for today!

Volunteers have been trained, installations installed (hehe) and tested, tables are ready to go to the square, electric needs are being seen to...

Curious about what it all looks like the afternoon before the Open Day ;-)

Our banner overlooking Darwin Square reminds us what we're up to

Artistic installation based on Microarrays

Marking the area for the interactive sound installation

There's still some more flyers to hand out, let's get a move on!

Meeting points for visits are marked.  Will people actually queue?

The reading - chill out area is almost ready... Where are the books?

The Open Day starts at 10, but volunteers will be there from 8 in the morning to get the last minute stuff ready -see you there?

Remember:

What?  Science Meets Society's PRBB Open Day
Where? Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, PRBB.
             Doctor Aiguader, 88 and Charles Darwin Square
             (next to Hospital del Mar)
When? Saturday, October 2nd 2010. 10 - 19:00h
How much? For free! Plus cheap bar service all day long!

October 2nd: Science Meets Society's THIRD PRBB Open Day!!!

Open Day poster

PRBB Open Day 2010: The same and Different

Science Meets Society, together with Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona and all its institutions, invite you once again to spend the first Saturday in October visiting labs, testing your skills at the experiment area, relaxing at the videoroom or reading a bit, chatting with researchers at the scientific cafe or throughout the whole day...

Photos of the first Open Day, 2008

This year we have also an exciting collaboration with the artist collective Hangar, with three interactive activities where science and art get together to surprise you ;-)

 Programme (also available here)

What?  Science Meets Society's PRBB Open Day
Where? Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, PRBB.
            Doctor Aiguader, 88 and Charles Darwin Square
            (next to Hospital del Mar)
When? Saturday, October 2nd 2010. 10 - 19:00h
How much? For free! Plus cheap bar service all day long!

2 de octubre, PRBB Open Day: Jornada de Puertas Abiertas en el PRBB

Cartel del Open Day

PRBB Open Day 2010: Iguales y diferentes

Science Meets Society, en colaboración con el Parc de recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona y las instituciones que residen en el PRBB, os invitamos una vez más a pasar el primer sábado de octubre visitando laboratorios, probando tu habilidad en la zona de experimentos, descansando mientras ves unos vídeos o lees un poco, charlando con auténticos investigadores tanto en el café científico como a lo largo del día...

Imágenes del primer Open Day, 2008

Como ya sabéis, Science Meets Society es un colectivo de voluntarios, investigadores en el PRBB y allegados, que dedicamos nuestro poco tiempo libre a organizar actos y eventos para difundir la ciencia entre la sociedad. Hacemos varios cafés científicos al año, hay un premio de divulgación en colaboración con el PRBB y, una vez al año, organizamos un gran evento multitudinario, con unos 150 voluntarios trabajando a lo largo del día para que tú puedas conocernos un  poco más ;-)

Este año, además, contamos con la colaboración del colectivo de artistas Hangar, y presentaremos tres actividades interactivas donde ciencia y arte se unen para sorprenderos ;-)

Programa de actividades (disponible aquí)

¿Qué?      Science Meets Society's PRBB Open Day
¿Dónde?   Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, PRBB.
              Doctor Aiguader, 88 y Plaza Charles Darwin
              (al lado del Hospital del Mar)
¿Cuándo? Sábado, 2 de octubre 2010. 10 - 19:00h
¿Cuánto? ¡Gratis! Servicio de bar durante todo el día, precios razonables

Remember: Open Day 2010 is coming soon!

More public/Més públic

More activities/Més activitats

More Volunteers/Més voluntaris

Sign up now!!!/ Apunta’t ara!!!

Volunteers needed for Open Day 2010

Que fan els voluntaris?

- Explicar i fer els experiments i tallers a la Plaça Charles Darwin
- Organitzar i acompanyar als visitants per dins l’edifici
- Explicar i conduir les activitats multimèdia
- Informar als visitants i fer les inscripcions de les visites guiades
- Col.laborar en l’organització general

MOLT IMPORTANT:
ben aviat es farà una formació prèvia de cada activitat. Per això és important inscriure’s el més aviat possible.


What do the volunteers do?

- Explain and make experiments and workshops at the Place Charles Darwin
- Organise and accompany visitors inside the building
- Explain and lead the multimedia activities
- Inform visitors and do the registrations for guided tours
- Collaborate in the general organization

VERY IMPORTANT!
Soon there will be some specific training for each activity, so please join ASAP!
You don't need to speak Catalan or Spanish, there's work for everyone!

Open Day 2010: October 2nd!

How are the holidays going? Or are you chilling at the lab?

Before the heat melts our brains even more, a quick note to remind you that the next Open Day is on October 2nd and we're already looking for volunteers to join us -it wouldn't be possible without your help!

If you think you can spend some hours making the magic of our Open Day work, please sign in at this form. It's really worth the effort!

See the program by clicking on the banner · Verás el programa pulsando en la imagen

Puertas Abiertas 2010: Sábado 2 de octubre

¿Cómo van las vacaciones? ¿O tienes la suerte de estar fresquit@ en el laboratorio?

Antes de que el calor nos derrita aún más el cerebro, os queremos recordar que la Jornada de Puertas Abiertas de este año es el 2 de octubre y estamos buscando ya voluntarios para hacerlo posible.

Si crees que puedes dedicar unas horas a la magia del Open Day, apúntate en el formulario de inscripción. Verás cómo no te arrepientes ;-)

Scientific Cafe: Getting to know your DNA to improve your health

After the long weekend ahead, we'll be ready for the new Scientific Cafe on using DNA information to improve people's health!

Personalized medicine... what does that mean?
Genoma solving the misteries of human health?
Are we ready for this kind of medicine?
Do we really want to know that much about ourselves, or is this going to make us all become patients some way or other?

Xavier Estivill, from the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and Eduard Serra, from the Institute for the Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC) shall tal about all this and more during our next cafe, on Tuesday, June 28th, at the same loation as these last cafes:

• When? Tuesday, June 29th, 19:00 - 20:30h 

• Where? Auditori Centre Sant Pere Apòstol. C/Sant Pere més Alt, 25 - 08003 Barcelona

• Free admission - Please arrive on time 

Science Meets Society has its own website!!

We had been planning it for a while, but we are all quite busy in our "day jobs", so it was a matter of having time, energy and even more time to be able to set up something worthwile.

Thanks to Antonios, we finally have the one and only SmS website, in English, Spanish and Catalan!

We have such a mixture of nationalities among SmS members, volunteers and audience that the 3 language approach seems a great idea, don't you think?

Our idea was to have a proper website we could address people to, when interested in our activities, besides this blog which is a mixture of info for SmS members, volunteers AND our audience.

I love the clean look of the web and the choice of main topics displayed and linked on every page. Have a look at it and tell us what you think!

So thanks, Antonios, and congrats on the site!!

New Cafe Cientifico: Nanoscience

This month's SmS Café Científico is held again at the Centre Sant Pere Apòstol's auditorium.

This time we shall talk about nanoscience, this is, miniature science. Some questions to debate are What is a nanoparticle and how big is it?, Where do they use nanoscience? How does it contribute to medicine, ecology, energy production...? and, as usual, anything you may think of during the venue.


Speakers will be Victor Puntes from the Institut Català de Nanotecnologia -ICN, Laura Lechuga from the Centre d'Investigaciò en Nanociència i Nanotecnologia -CIN2, and Elena Martínez from the Institut de Bioneginyeria de catalunya -IBEC.

• When? Wednesday, May 19th, 19:00 - 20:30h 

• Where? Auditori Centre Sant Pere Apòstol. C/Sant Pere més Alt, 25 - 08003 Barcelona

• Free admission - Please arrive on time 

Our latest Cafe Cientifico, at Global Talent

One of the speakers at the Epidemiology cafe has been contacted by Global Talent for an interview. This is how she found the review this site has prepared on our latest cafe: Com influeix l'entorn en la salut.

Com influeix l'entorn en la salut - Global Talent

Thay have made quite a good summary of the cafe, too. Here's the opening lines:

L'epidemiologia és la ciència que busca respondre com l'ambient (familiar, laboral, ambiental, d'estil de vida) afecta la nostra salut. Una de les claus d'aquesta disciplina passa per determinar el percentatge de factors genètics i externs que influeixen en l'organisme i, sobretot, fins a quin punt són reversibles. En altres paraules, l'epidemiologia es troba encara en la dicotomia gen-entorn.

"Vivim envoltats de residus", va explicar la setmana passada Jordi Sunyer, epidemiòleg del Centre de Recerca en Epidemiologia Ambiental, al Cafè Científic organitzat pel Centre de Regulació Genòmica de Barcelona i el grup SmS (Science meets Society): Com influeix l’entorn en la teva salut? "La bona notícia és que la contaminació la generem nosaltres", va afegir.

[See rest of the article here]

Thank you, Ester, for sharing this link with us!

New scientific cafe on Thursday 15th: Epidemiology

The SmS Café Científico is back, and in a new location: The Centre Sant Pere Apòstol is collaborating with us for the next three sessions, offering their auditorium for the cafes.

Our next cafe is on epidemiology, and under the idea of How does our environment influence our health? we are going to have a chance to discuss the effects that our diet, work environment, social relations, or pollution may have on our physical and mental health... and how to prevent the negative effects and work on positive actions.

Speakers will be Jordi Sunyer, environmental researcher and co-director of the CREAL, Michelle Mendez, researcher on Epidemiology and Nutrition and Ester Villalonga, sociologist and epidemiologist.

• When? Thursday April 15th, 19:00 - 20:30h 

• Where? Auditori Centre Sant Pere Apòstol. C/Sant Pere més Alt, 25 - 08003 Barcelona

• Free admission - Please arrive on time 

PRBB Breakfast on 4th March: We need your ideas!

Trying to find new ideas, new activities and new concepts isn't easy. There are many people in SmS sharing thoughts, efforts and knowledge but we really need some more help...

Can you think of any activities, specific topics, posters, kids' workshops, visuals... related to  genetic diversity for this year's Open day?

Would you like to be part of the team working on the Open Day, giving ideas and taking care of some specific part of the activities?


Just share your ideas, never mind how wild or precise, by sending them  through this form. We shall gather all the ideas, names and emails of possible collaborators and see if we can build a strong team, as we have done in previous years. And if you'd only like to propose an activity, feel free to do so through the form!



See you at the PRBB breakfast on Thursday?

New ideas for 2010!

After the meeting on December 21st, new ideas came up for activities to carry out during 2010.

It is important to continue with initiatives that have worked out really well, although they suppose a great deal of work and we shall need new volunteers to help us and perhaps take over the organizing part. These are the cases of the Scientific Cafes, the Open Day or the Creative Writing Contest.

But there are also plans on setting up a new contest, related to art and science experiences, and creating an open source video game about the cell. As to communication, there is a group of people interested in preparing and running a multilingual blog with scientific news in Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese and English. There is also a suggestion to participate in the science week in Geneve.

As you know, the nature of our work at the PRBB often forces us to travel for congresses, for a few months in another institution or even change institutions once we finish our project / contract / internship... So some of those who started Science meets Society are now either working in other, more time-consuming positions or projects, are spending a lot of time away from Barcelona or aren't even working here any more. This is why we really need "new blood" among us, to help, organize, suggest new ideas and funding, write texts for us when we need something on your speciality, give support every now and then...

There are many ways you can contribute, as long as you want to!