Spanish and Belgian scientists bring science closer to society with humor

Brussels, Jun 26 (EFE) .- Spanish and Belgian scientists carry out various projects in which they use humor, entertainment and the defense of equality as tools to bring science closer to society and disseminate among the youngest the importance of of scientific knowledge.

Representatives of different scientific dissemination projects met this week, in an online seminar organized by the Embassy of Spain in Belgium, to expose the work they do in order to make science more accessible to all citizens.

How does coffee help us wake up? o How does gene editing work? These are some of the questions that Sandra Ortonobes, biomedical scientist and creator of the YouTube channel “La Hiperactina” explains in a simple and entertaining way.

The goal of the Ortonobes project is to help its audience understand how the human body works, especially the very young.

This Spanish biomedical also teaches what it means to be a scientist and offers some tips for those who study or want to study subjects related to biological sciences.

On the other hand, thanks to art and entertainment, the Spanish project Big Van Ciencia promotes scientific culture and transforms scientific communication into an attractive product for all types of audiences.

The founder of Big Van Ciencia and doctor in biomedicine Helena González delved into the educational project that they carry out in schools and institutes, where they try to “turn young people into scientific communicators, so that they also spread knowledge in their community”.

Likewise, the director of Big Van Ciencia projects, Oriol Marimon, pointed out that they use art to generate dialogue and use humor because in this way they create a conversation “that places the scientist and young people at the same level”, which encourages their participation and interest in the subject.

In addition, González stressed that with this project they also seek to eliminate stereotypes, both social and gender, that children and young people have about scientists.

Along the same lines, Christine Bingen, coordinator of the Soapbox Science project in Brussels and physicist at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, assured that society’s perception of scientists must be changed.

“Not all scientists are men with white hair, a bit disheveled and wear glasses,” stressed Bingen, for which he explained that the objective of Soapbox Science is to demonstrate that there are other professional models, promoting the work of women and men. non-binary scientists.

In this sense, Bingen assured that the fact that there is more female presence in science is not only a matter of justice, but studies show that gender parity “increases the creativity and quality of the work of scientific teams” .

The Culture and Science Counselor of the Spanish Embassy in Belgium, Sergi Farré, highlighted the importance of exchanging experiences between Spanish and Belgian scientific disseminators, who take science beyond the laboratory. EFE

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