For yet another year, the Isla de la Cartuja Scientific Research Centre (cicCartuja) has participated in the Seville Science Fair with explanations and experiments aimed at popularising science among the general public, although educational centres, families and the youth and student sectors are the main target groups.
Over the last weekend, 90 stands were set up in the Pavilion of the Future at the 1992 Universal Exposition. Some 4,000 students and 400 teachers from all over Andalusia and two schools from the south of Portugal took part in this 9th edition of the event. In addition to the educational institutions, which came with science dissemination projects, the Science Fair was also attended by some thirty research centres, universities and other scientific foundations.
cicCartuja at the Fair
Under the general slogan ‘Your future is science’, the three research institutes that make up cicCartuja were present during the three days to bring science closer to children and adults alike. Thus, the Institute of Chemical Research (IIQ) carried out a series of experiments with nylon threads, elastic polymers, invisible inks and liquid nitrogen, activities that attracted a large number of visitors during the morning and afternoon of the three days. Chemistry was the chosen theme of several other stands at the Fair, as 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry.
The Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (IBVF) surprised its visitors with samples of the biodiversity of photosynthetic organisms, for which they resorted to the exhibition of algae in culture. Its team explained to the public the relevance of these unicellular beings in obtaining the ecological fuel bioethanol.
The Institute of Materials Science (ICMS) was also very active with workshops related to the refraction of light and the formation of colours, for which they set up a camera obscura within their stand, something that attracted the attention of many students.
The Centre’s generic stand presented to the public details such as the structure and lines of research carried out at the cicCartuja, as well as organising a ‘scientific trivia game’ to promote this discipline in a playful way.
Positive balance
In addition to the specific activities at each stand, the Andalusian Society for the Popularisation of Science – the organiser of the Fair – offered a series of activities related to forests and mathematics, the other themes developed on this occasion, together with chemistry.
The high number of visitors indicates to the organisers that this ninth edition surpassed last year’s 20,000 visitors.
Read here the news that ‘Andalucía Investiga’ published about our participation in the Science Fair 2011.
