The night lasted a whole afternoon. The European Research Night landed yesterday in Tarragona to bring children and families closer to the curiosity of the world of science. Piazza Corsini was too small for the large venue that had been set up, from four thirty in the afternoon until nine in the evening: hundreds of participants exceeded the best expectations of the organization and saturated forty workshops with more than two hundred scientists and researchers. In short, Nit de la Recerca, a complete success: science has not lost any interest among the young.
Under the organizational leadership of the University of Rovira i Virgili, registered in the European umbrella promoting the Nit de la Recerca across the continent, several organizations have joined the event. The Catalan Institute of Classical Archeology, the Catalan Institute for Chemical Research, the Per Virgili Institute for Chemical Research and the Catalan Institute for Paleontology and Social Evolution did not want to miss the opportunity to connect with citizens through their workshops. “The goal of Nit de la Recerca is to bring science and research to the streets and make it participatory,” explained Montes Cartana, a technician in the URV Science Communications District. Kartana, together with Christina Mallo, was responsible for organizing this science festival that is celebrated all over Europe and that includes all scientific disciplines: chemistry, physics, biology, history, psychology, anthropology, etc.
Josep Manil Recard, a chemistry professor at Rovira E Vergili University and head of a workshop, explained to Diary Visual attention of the boys and girls who came to his store. They learned different ways to turn chemicals into electricity, using utensils and products found in the home. Professor Ricard asked them: “During a power outage, what would you do if you had no candles to light?”
Adrià Torrente, an archaeologist at Gresepia, a research center associated with the URV, emphasized the importance of reaching children and doing so at an early age: “It is very important that they are encouraged from a young age and as they grow, that they come home and say they want to be archaeologists. Even if they don’t end up being that way.” In his workshop, the children discovered, through the bones of various types of animals, the usefulness and type of life of our ancestors, a science called geoarchaeology.
“Having this place full of kids is key to their vocation, and a lot of times they think they won’t be able to be what they want because of stereotypes, but that’s why it’s so important that they come in and find out that’s not the case,” Montse claimed. Cartañà, surrounded by children. Young people are not interested in the problems of adults, they just want to learn and have fun, and any curiosity can become their profession.
Daniel, Ona and Elena leave workshop with a new backpack full of papers and learning. They will not agree to decide which one they like more, if one eats or one smells glass. We didn’t entertain them much because they wanted to go to another workshop but they assured that on Monday they would tell everything in class. Ariana, Carlos and Mark, their parents, were delighted with the reactions of their children (all under eight) knowing. “It is important that they discover science from a young age, that they experiment, that they love it and want to know more, and this is a good place to do that,” the parents said.
