Public Engagement
We seek to raise public awareness of chemical research as a key factor in the progress of our society. ICIQ is also committed to engage and encourage youngsters to pursue a career in chemistry research. To this end we carry out several outreach activities to audiences of all ages as a way to get chemistry closer to society.
Science Outreach
ICIQ has a very solid and successful strategy in science education and communication. We want to maintain our status as a reference point on topics related to science communication and education. In this regard, we have several activities addressed to the educational community (‘From the lab to the classroom’; Chemistry workshops for high school students and ‘My First Experiment’ directed to primary school students), courses (ICIQ Summer Camp) and open access educational material for ICIQs educational platform (ICIQ Virtual Laboratory) to better support teaching and learning chemistry methodologies.
We also have alliances with the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera with the programmes ‘Crazy About Chemistry’; BIYSC and ‘Youth and Science’.
10th edition of “Crazy for Chemistry” course
Organized by ICIQ with the support of Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, it is aimed at talented students with a special interest in chemistry and research and has a particular impact on the experimental part of chemistry making use of the Institute’s equipment and facilities.
The course combines theoretical and experimental sessions that take place over 12 Saturdays, from the end of January to the beginning of December and in the 2022 edition had 21 students.
Barcelona International Youth Science Challenge (BIYSC)
Organised by ICIQ with the support of Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, the program aims to stimulate scientific talent among high school students and encourage their interest in conducting scientific research. It is a two-week residential approach that brings together more than 100 young people (between 16 and 18 years old) from all over the world who put into practice a scientific project.
This year we participated with the program «Photochemistry: Hand son training in molecular spectroscopy», designed by researchers Javier Pérez and Eduardo Escudero from the Department of Characterization Technologies, CTD-ICIQ.
Youth and Science
Organised by ICIQ with the support of Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, this program is aimed at 4th year ESO students (16 years old) and has a duration of three years. Students will participate in the different phases of the program during the summers of 4th ESO, 1st year and 2nd year of high school.
The program is structured in three phases:
1st year | Phase 1: Scientific stays at MónNatura Pyrenees: 50 students are chosen to carry out a scientific research experience working in one of the 5 projects led by top level researchers and spending 13 days living in the Valls d’Àneu environment.
2nd year | Phase 2: Stays in research centers.
3rd year | Phase 3: Stays in international research centers, where students will carry out a research project.
In 2022, ICIQ hosted three students from the Phase 2 during the month of July in the groups of Prof. Antonio Echavarren, Dr. Katherine Villa and Prof. Emilio Palomares.
Day of Women and Girls in Science – February 11, 2022
This day aims to recognize the fundamental role women and girls play in science and technology, despite the bias they continue to face. It is a way of highlighting equality to achieve sustainable development.
On the occasion of this event, various lectures were held in which women scientists from ICIQ participated. Among others, the following researchers took part: Neus Sunyer and Bahareh Khezri (Prof. J.R. Galán-Mascarós’ group); Alba Pérez, Gal·la Ogalla, and Imma Escofet (Prof. Antonio Echavarren’s group); Sara López (Prof. Feliu Maseras and Dr. Mónica H. Pérez-Temprano’s group); Bruna Sánchez (Prof. Feliu Maseras’ group); Carlota Odena (Prof. Ruben Martin’s group); Eugenia Martínez (Prof. Emilio Palomares’ group); and Maria J. Hueso (technician in the Chromtae Unit).
Katherine Villa participated in the Roundtable of the Global Women Breakfast (organized by IUPAC) hosted by URV on February 16, both in person and online.
Nit Europea de la Recerca – September 30, 2022
ICIQ participated on September 30, 2022 in «La Nit de la Recerca» event that for the fifth year is organized in Tarragona within the framework of the European Researchers’ Night program, held simultaneously in 300 cities across Europe.
The aim of this proposal, which is coordinated by the URV, is to promote public recognition of researchers, show the importance of research in society, and make it clear that research is fascinating.
Repte Experimenta
It is a training program promoted by the URV, an online platform which aims to arouse interest in science among children. ICIQ collaborates in some training parts, such as the creation of training capsules, this year on emulsions, which is part of the training videos on the YouTube channel.
The project seeks collaboration with the educational community and offers workshops, a video contest of experiments, and a science fair. The platform itself is also a resource for home and school experiments.
More information about the project: https://www.repteexperimenta.cat/
InspiraSTEAM
Inspira STEAM is a pioneering project for the promotion of the scientific-technological vocation among girls, based on awareness-raising and guidance actions, taught by professional women in the world of research, science and technology.
It comes from the University of Deusto, but here it is coordinated from the Engineering department of the URV.
From the ICIQ we joined 5 women: Bruna Sánchez, Meritxell Díaz, Imma Escofet, Katherine Villa and Laura Hernández to participate. It is about 6 1-hour sessions to be held in 5th and 6th grade classes.
More information about the project: https://inspirasteam.net
Green, educational and scientific project in La Canonja
ICIQ collaborates with La Canonja City Council in the activity » La Canonja: Divulgació i Formació en Química Verda», where workshops and talks are organized to promote scientific literature among primary and secondary school students, as well as between young people and old people. This collaboration began in 2021 and is fundamental to fostering scientific-technological vocations from an early stage.
Summer camp
The ICIQ Summer Camp, started in 2016, was temporarily suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic restrictions. However, it was successfully resumed in 2022. This engaging program takes place over a 2-week period in June and July at the Learning Lab. Two exciting proposals are offered: » Fem química», which provides an introduction to chemistry through hands-on experiments, aimed at students in 5th and 6th grade of primary school (ages 10-12); and «M’agrada la recerca», designed for 1st and 2nd year ESO students (ages 12-14), where they learn various laboratory techniques and discover the potential of chemistry to make positive changes in the world.
“Blau de Prússia” – Podcast
The ICIQ has also opened up to new media for scientific communication. In collaboration with Tarragona Ràdio, the ICIQ co-produces the first chemistry podcast in Catalonia: «Blau de Prússia«. The podcast has been broadcast fortnightly on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. with the aim of bringing science and research closer to people, stimulating knowledge among young people, dissemination and, above all, encouraging future vocations in the world of chemistry and science in general. From January to December, 20 programs have been produced, with the coordination of Israel Macho and Laura Hernández on behalf of the ICIQ.
Supervisió de Treballs de Recerca
The «Treball de recerca TDR» (research work) is an academic work that all high school students in Southern Catalonia must do.
From ICIQ, we offer the students of the Crazy Chemistry Course to carry out the practical part of their research work (TDR) in our facilities, and this call can be extended to other candidates in case of availability.
In 2022, 17 students of the Chemistry Crazy Course carried out the practical part of their research work at ICIQ
Media Relations and Social Media
We present to the general public the research results achieved by ICIQ through various media outlets. In 2022, ICIQ was featured 399 times across multiple media channels. The majority of these appearances occurred on online platforms (74%), followed by print media (18%), radio (7%), and television (1%). Additionally, ICIQ maintained a presence on social networks, utilizing channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
*We only count articles where ICIQ and its researchers are the main subject.