Young people in Villanueva de los Infantes promote science outreach with the First “Outdoor” Science Week

From August 10 to 13, Villanueva de los Infantes hosted the first edition of “Science in the Open Air Week,” an initiative of the Ciencia y Pasanteo Association (CPa), with the goal of bringing scientific culture to all citizens.  The event was organized in collaboration with the City Council through the Department of Education, Festivals, and Equality, coordinated by Ana Belén Rodríguez.

The cultural space in the courtyard of the Municipal Market hosted a series of lectures in which young people from the region involved in various fields of scientific research discussed different aspects of their professional work, offering a realistic glimpse into the world of science from the inside, while also evoking the approachable and engaging nature of the “pasanteo,” focusing on the personal journeys of each of the speakers.

The first talk was given by Dr. Elena Villar Navarro, a biologist from Villanueva de los Infantes who now lives in Cádiz, where she is a member of the Andalusian Institute of Marine Sciences, part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). She has not lost her connection to her “hometown,” frequently giving talks at high schools in Villanueva de los Infantes. In her presentation, she reviewed her educational and professional background and explained what her work as a researcher in the field of marine biotechnology entails, with a current focus on wastewater.

The other lectures were delivered by Vega M. Barahona Molina, who spoke on “Psychology of the Town for the Town”; Elena García Pérez, with a lecture titled “Reprogramming Plants: The Vegetable Garden of the Future”; and José Ramón Muñoz Rodríguez, who closed the conference with “The Journey of Data: From the Laboratory to the Community.”