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The last session of the STEAM Monologues at Cibernàrium 22@. Photo: Barcelona Science Park.
 27.05.2024

The ‘STEAM Talks’ programme uses humour to spread science among secondary school students

Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, in conjunction with the Barcelona Science Park -as part of the RESSÒ–Research in Society programme- and Big Van Ciencia organised this Friday the last session of the ‘STEAM Talks’ at the Cibernàrium 22@. The activity, aimed at secondary school students in Barcelona and the metropolitan area, aims to encourage careers in science and lead students to reflect on scientific and technological advances and their impact on society, through humour and the performing arts.

The talks addressed three topical issues: artificial intelligence (AI), human evolution and new gene-editing techniques. The purpose is to promote a critical opinion among new generations on issues such as the influence of AI-generated fake information on social media and how it has already entered our lives; the role of communication and the scientific method in human evolution; and the ethical challenges posed by genetic engineering.

The activity was held over four sessions in May at the Cibernàrium 22@ facilities, with the participation of nearly 600 students and teachers from 12 schools in Barcelona city, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Montgat and Esplugues de Llobregat.

“Many of my students”, highlighted Dani Miñano, professor of science at the Miquel Tarradell Institute in Barcelona, “commented that the activity was not only interesting, but also necessary, especially the monologue on artificial intelligence, which it has opened their eyes to aspects of this technology that they were unaware of”.

Sofia Magaling, a fourth-year ESO student at the same institute, adds: “I was very surprised by this way of communicating science. I’m not a science person, but I’ve been able to follow the thread of the monologues and understand the scientific concepts perfectly thanks to the jokes and humor.”

“This alliance between the PCB and Barcelona Activa enables us to bring science closer to young people in a city space, the Cibernàrium, which will soon be one of the leading facilities for their professional development”, stated Maria Terrades, director of the Barcelona Science Park.

“At Big Van Ciencia we participate in the RESSÒ programme using the theatrical genre of the Scientific Talk to show science to young people in an informal and fun way. The main aim is to break down social and gender stereotypes associated with the world of science and research, while encouraging vocations in STEAM (science, technology, engineering and maths)”, explained chemist Oriol Marimón, Big Van Ciencia co-founder and project manager.

Snapshot of the day. Photo: Barcelona Science Park.

Barcelona Activa and the Barcelona Science Park work with scientific, educational and economic projects in the city. An example of the close relationship between the two organisations is the BCN Health Booster accelerator, also promoted by Biocat, which supports 11 companies in the health sector located in the Park.