Next meeting Thursday 19/06/08 in SEM2 @ 13:00

Dear all,

Next meeting for all of us this Thursday, 19th of June, at 13:00 in SEM2 on the 4th floor.

Topics to discuss:
- General stuff: Website/ Contact address/ Communication issues
- Summary Café Scientifico and Outlook
- Open day: Where are we and what is missing
- Interviews/ short films: Info on first interview with Harry Kroto
- Scientific writing contest info
- Darwin celebrations: overlap with open day and how to join forces

I hope you can all make it, please let me know if you have any other issues we should discuss among all of us, so I can put them on the agenda.

Thanks
Tobias

Creative Writing Contest - Meeting

There's a meeting scheduled for those interested in the creative writing contest. It will take place on Monday 19th at 16:00 on the sofas of the 5th floor.

The main issues to discuss will be:

1. The topic of the stories that we want for the contest (which can range from a description of a research line in an everyday language to fictional stories with science as the background)
2. Length of the stories, languages allowed, awards, etc. Also, how restricted the contest will be: for PRBB researchers only, for members of research groups in Barcelona/Catalonia or open to members of all research groups in Spain.
3. Funding
4. Selection of an award jury

Cafe Cientific -EXTRA- Meeting

Dear all,

a Cafe Cientific Meeting has been scheduled for next Monday, April 21st at 13.30 at the terrace of the 5th floor.

The time is getting close for the organization of the first of the series so pending issues are to be discussed regarding:

1. Logo
2. Exact dates
3. Names of speakers
4. Short summaries
5. Advertising-related issues.

Next meeting of all of us

As announced by email today, we are meeting on Thursday, April 24th at 13:30 in SEM2 (4th floor).
Topics will be:

• Update on Café Scientifico
• Update and organization of Open day
• Update on Movie project
• Call for new projects to be started

Anything else? Please comment this post.

26th of March SmS Meeting Summary

Maruxa Martínez (a member of the Communication Department of the PRBB) and Elinor Thomson (responsible for the Education Program of the PRBB) joined the meeting and explained what they are currently doing at the PRBB.

1) Workshops and Courses at the PRBB:

Elinor is organizing several Workshops (WS) aimed to educate scientist and non-scientist from the PRBB in issues related to science but which are not directly science. Some of them are listed below:

• Communication WS for PhD students and young Post Docs.
• Public engagement WS. For the moment it is just an idea planned for the end of the year. It would be like a symposium divided in two days, a first day common for everyone and a second day were people would split into groups (were they will be able to learn how science can be spread in a radio program, in a documentary, etc. )
• Management training WS for Group Leaders and Senior Post Docs.

To register to any of these WS, we will have to use the PRBB web page (it will be available soon).

An additional idea that Elinor presented was a “Responsibilities of scientists towards society” Course (which would include ethics, bioethics, ...). This is, right now, still out of the Education Program.

Isabel suggested that these workshops could be done once per week in the afternoon during a short period of time instead of planning them for two full days.

2) Lectures at the PRBB:

Elinor also advertised the Lecture that Harold Kroto (Chemistry Nobel Price for the discovery of the fulleren structure). For additional information, see the links sent by Michela.

She also informed us about the free breakfast that the PRBB will offer us once a month. This will be used to present programs and similar stuff run at the PRBB. If we are interested, we could get a slot there to present our projects.

3) We next moved to discuss common issues that may involve the PRBB and the CRG:

a) Science and Society CRG « PRBB:

Maruxa will send an e-mail to the communication department of each of the institutes that are located in the PRBB announcing our next meeting (Thursday 03.04.2008). Additionally posters will be hang on the corridors and an ad will be posted on the PRBB news e-mail that is sent to everyone the Fridays.

Elinor also offered us the possibility to link our web page and the PRBB web page.

b) Cafes Científicos:

Mara Diersen will participate in the first Cafe Científico (beginning of May). The topic will be “The brain in love”. Michela will ask Mara which other two speakers could be invited to the Cafe.

In June we will have the Cafe Científico of “Transgenic food” and then in July we will have the “Bioethics” one. Isabel will take care of the first one and Roser (Z) and Vincent will take care of the second one.

In two weeks we should have the name of the invited speakers, a date for the Cafe and Abstracts to start preparing the flyers and so on.

Elinor mentioned the convenience of contacting Gemma Revuelta (she works half in the “UPF” and half in the “Ajuntament”). Gemma is involved in a serial of Cafes Científicos that are currently running in Barcelona. Roser mentioned that these Cafes were running at least till the end of 2007.

c) Documentary project:

Solenn and Isabel briefly explained the aims of this project.

Elinor mentioned that in the IMIM web page there is a short documentary already.

From the discussion it came out the idea that this project could also be coordinated with the Communication Workshop.

d) Open Day project:

The Open Day people (Marija, Roni, Sylvain, Antoine and Roser (P)) also briefly described the project. It seems that there is nothing planned from the PRBB that could overlap with this idea. We agreed in that we need to know if the other institutes are interested in joining our open day before doing next step.

All communication departments from the PRBB institutes meet once a month. Maruxa offered us the possibility to join them once to explain the open day project in more detail.

e) Economic issues:

If people from other institutes are interested in joining our activities, they should also look for founding. This issue should be made clear in the next meeting. The PRBB does not have any special budget to finance such events but might have money for very concrete activities or allow us to use the “auditori” for free.

Isabel proposed to Maruxa that the PRBB should try to apply for grants in order to co-finance activities like the ones we are proposing.

Cafe Cientific Meeting

We spoke with Mara and we can meet with her to discuss about the café Científico next TUESDAY @ 1:30.
Because we want to get this going soon, we should try to make a more definitive plan next week.

In our “agenda” we will have to decide on:

• final venue
• dates (for all the 3 cafes)
• speakers (Roser, Vincent, Isa, could you maybe already contact your speakers and get the topics and maybe a short description of what they want to discuss with the public?)
• dissemination
• a nice image or a logo…I’m not sure who is the most creative in the group J
• …so a little homework for all the people who want to get involved in the organization J did I forget something?

I booked ALTSUD but if it’s sunny (and warmer than today!) we can meet on the terrace.

Ciao

Michela

19th March S&S meeting summary

Summary of our wee meeting this afternoon, not much to tell but here goes:

Café Scientific:

• To do the café scientific in both bars and the library, was decided as it might attract a different audience in both places, helping us to reach a wider area of society.
• The advantages of the library are as follows: being free help to set up, advertise and pick the brains of those who have done it before.
• However there was concern about the which/ and the location of the library but these details will be arranged by the café scientifico sub-group individually, by emailing the library contact (Isabel (think?).
• The first three café scientificios will be held in April/ May and June.
• First one in the last week of April

2. Next Meeting:
• THURSDAY 27^th March 1:30pm in South Attic level 5
• Invited next week will be Mara, Eleanor Thompson, and Maurcha (Sorry for spelling!)
• Marucha (PRBB): in order to discuss the best way invite/ and inform the PRBB as a whole of the work we are doing and let people know they can participate and that this is not a closed doors initiative.
• It was decided that the best way to do this is probably via ellipse and the PRBB mailing list, in order to reach as many as possible, although this can be discussed further with the PRBB next week.
• Mara invited to discuss the café scientific, plans.
• Michela is going to email them to invite them and send the full proposal, for next week.

posted by Roni

12th March S&S meeting summary

We have basically talked about:

1. How to present the projects to the CRG: Right now we have a written "proposal" for all the projects (open day, café científico and interview series) except for the movie project of Solenn+Isa (they will do it today). The people in charge of every project should send a final version to Bruna Vives or Gloria Lligadas, who will reorganize all the project in a unique document. Very important: to calculate an estimate budget (for the projects that need it). Bruna or Gloria will give that document to Isabel Vernós or Juan Valcárcel, who will present it at the next Executive Committee meeting (Monday 17th of March).

2. Movies project: Solenn and Isa explained a bit the idea of their project. They also have the possibility to contact TV3 for getting the needed budget.

3. Café científico: Dani will talk to Mara, who is (among lots of other things) the president of ICuB (Institut de Cultura de Barcelona). This institution could help us in the publicity of the "café científico" activity and could also offer us the possibility to do it in the public libraries of Barcelona. Once we know exactly how they could help us, we will discuss the options. Another point was to do it in CCCB's bar (and then we may have publicity from CCCB as well). I could ask for that possibility and also other optional bars (closed to Pl.Universitat) and so, for the next meeting we can finally decided which will be the place for Café Científico activity.

I think that's all.

Next meetings:

- Wednesday 19th at 13:30h at the 5th floor terrace (if the weather is good, if not, let's go to Altell Sud :)) We realized yesterday that maybe we need another meeting before the one with Juan, Mara and Eleonor to specify a little bit more the projects... We didn't decide a date for next week meeting, but since is closed to Eastern, many people will be gone already on Thursday.

- Thursday 27th at 13:30 at Altell Sud: with Juan Valcárcel, Mara Dierssen and Eleonor Thopson

Que tingueu bon dia tots!

Roser

6th March S&S meeting summary

The main aim of the 6^th March meeting was to volunteer for some of the projects. So here are the projects, the people involved and the topics discussed (given that some of you were not there on this meeting, the doors are not closed …Don’t hesitate to join any of these…).

- Communication : Christoforos, Vincent, …

Get a contact with the Ellipse magazine (Maruxa Martinez : mmartinez@prbb.org)

…to get some space to be able to announce the different events we will set up.

…to present our S&S group, projects, expectations (I think Tobias (?) raised this idea a few weeks ago)

- Scientific cafés : Todos !!

…The website sent by Michela (http://cafescientifique.org/index.html) should learn us a lot about what exists, what are the different strategies, the different topics…

…the place ? It has been proposed to keep the Mantra (for the moment of “forever”) and investigate for possible places near Placa Universitad.

…Evreryone should be involved in this project, but it has been proposed (although I’m not sure at all it’s consensual…give me your feedbacks…) that a small group of people get dedicated to one specific subject to contact speakers and prepare all the documents they can propose to the rest of the group.

Subjects :

- Genetically Modified Food/Organism : Isabel proposed a speaker she already contacted (who prefers short presentation followed by participative debate, rather than a dual “for” versus “against”debate)

- Neurosciences (proposed speaker : Mara Dierssen) : to be discussed with Mara for a next meeting.

- Philosophy/BioEthics : (volunteers : RoserZ, Vincent)…contacts through Solenn and Isabel.

- Open Door : RoserP, Sylvain, Roni, Marija, Antoine

…Contact the CMIMA (via Elisabeth…see Solenn) to learn from their experience of such activities on the Placa Darwin (down the PRBB building).

…See what is already proposed by the PRBB/CRG, and how proposed ideas can be implemented.

- Sense about science :

Roni contacted her former association in UK to ask if translation in Spanish was possible.

- Movie : Isabel, Solenn, Vincent (?)

- Interviews series : Tobias, Uli (proposed), Vincent (?), Christoforos (cf mail)

Concerning these two later projects, a question was raised about the possibility to get benefit of the new PRBB TV to diffuse the images….

About the fundings,

Gloria and Bruna advised us to group all the fully described projects in one single big “Science&Society funding request”.

About the next meetings,
- Thursday, 13^th March, 21 P.M, at the Mantra ( www.myspace.com/barmantra ; C/salva 21 poble sec). For this meeting, every subgroup (/ project) should write a one page on the proposed project.
- Thursday, 20^th March : break (too close to Eastern)
- Thursday, 27^th March : 13:30, Sala Altell Sud, with the presence of :

Eleonor Thompson (Programme Coordinator, Continuing Professional Development, interested in our activities (notably cafes scientificos)
Juan Valcarcel : to hear opinions of a PI interested on our project, who was involved in the S&S committee in EMBL…
Mara Dierssen : to discuss about the Scientific Coffee on Neuroscience.

(Marija will send them an “invitation” with a brief explanation of our projects.)

Here it is,

See you,

antoine

Weekly Meeting (14/02/2008)

2008-02-14 Science and society:



I. Participants: the ones present at the date in bold


Antoine Graindorge antoine.graindorge@crg.e

Bruna Vives bruna.vives@crg.es

Frank Herrmann frank.herrmann@crg.es

Isabel Peset isabel.peset@crg.es

Marija Mihailovic marija.mihailovic@crg.es

Michela Bertero michela.bertero@crg.es

Roser Pinyol roser.pinyol@crg.es

Roser Zaurin roser.zaurin@crg.es

Solenn Patalano solenn.patalano@crg.es

Tobias Maier tobias.maier@crg.e

Ulrike Brandt-Bohne (Uli) ulrike.brandt-bohne@crg.es

Gloria Lligadas Peñarrubia gloria.lligadas@crg.es



II. Projects


Since I was not present the first meetings I can only suggest that you please list here the projects proposed by now and maybe add a short summary at the end or as an extra document. Thanks.


Project 1. Isabel Peset + Solenn Patalano …. Videoclip

Project 2. Tobias Maier …. Interview

Project 3. xxx…Science Café

…..



III. Discussed topics


1 Planned project by the CRG: (Gloria Lligadas Peñarrubia)


1.1 web page (linked to the existing CRG page)


- could be a platform to present specific proposed activities (proposed by participants at S&S meeting, e.g. short movies, interviews, blogs…)

- this page is not yet set up – still in the planning period (!) – application for fundings on to do list


- in the context of this page a cooperation with a scientific journalist exists: Luis Angel ( Writer/author of booklet about the CRG)


1.2 Planned activity for students (age 17-18) to visit the CRG: (Gloria Lligadas Peñarrubia)


background: an activity organized by the Sociedad Catalana de Biología has already taken place in December 2007 (ask Uli for more details), meaning that a bulge of students came to see us in our lab and we explained our research and showed them the experimental procedures necessary for data collection. This was done to show the kids what science means, to explain what kind of profession you can exert here, what possibilities you have, fundings… and we just talked about our CV and experience.


News: `visiting the lab´ activities will now be planned by the CRG directly.

Gloria:

- will inform the group leaders ask for their interest in participating at this activity

- will, according to the feedback, set up a timetable for such activities



2 Proposal form


…for possible future activities (suggestion Gloria Lligadas Peñarrubia and Bruna Vives, brainstorm all of us)


- no lack of ideas, but rather a lack of budget supporting the planned projects

- in order to ask for fundings a proper proposal form needs to be set up

- kind of `universal´ proposal form possible to make life much easier?

- therefore: we have to think about the necessary content of this form

- drafts for a project proposal form should be done by each of us – so we can decide in the next meeting which points are essential and which ones are not..


As we all are scientists it is like planning an experiment, isn´t it?


 Possible proposal form should include: (!?)

*

project name
*

project idea (summary)
*

`significance´ of the project: Why you do it and why you think it could be of interest for others
*

Promotion: how will people know about the planned activity?
*

`experimental´ procedures: meaning the course of action
o

Time you need for the work
o

People included
o

Material – list of material
o

Etc.
*

cost estimate/budget: Costs for personal, material, promotion…
*

justification/outlook? E.g. why you plan to present your project at a specific place…., the proposed project could be a serial event


3 new timetable for Science and Society meeting?


- it was proposed to move the time and location of the Science and Society meetings to the evening and a bar. No desition has yet been taken.



III. Next Science and Society meeting


 Thursday 21.02.2008, 13.30 hours , altillo sud, 5th floor