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The theme of the event’s latest edition is “inclusive science” which aims to raise the general public’s awareness about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The goals range from the eradication of poverty to protecting the planet and the fight against climate change. The UC3M has several activities which address these issues, including three round tables related to energy poverty, Artificial Intelligence applied to sustainable development, and SDGs targeted at gender equality and business from the perspective of legal compliance. The UC3M also has three workshops on how to detect fake news about sustainability, learn about how light is used as a tool in ecology, and how to design infographics that support these causes. There will also be a Wikipedia edit-a-thon about inclusive science, and a learning experience that uses a botanical walk as an educational tool to publicise the plant diversity on the UC3M’s Colmenarejo Campus.

This edition of the Science and Innovation Week coincides with the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the first moon landing. The University has therefore organised several related activities which include an immersive theatre experience about travelling to the moon that uses smartphones, and a series of dictionary based research activities to discover more about all the aspects involved in the journey of Apollo 11. Other activities related to aerospace engineering also include guided tours of the UC3M Electrical Propulsion Team's laboratory and workshops about satellite communication, the monitoring of Earth orbits and how to detect cosmic rays using a household fish tank. There is also an exhibition about the removal of space junk using experimental technology. The UC3M Auditorium will also host a theatre performance aimed at secondary schools, which focusses on astrophysics and the universe.

Interactive workshops and children's activities 

The UC3M will hold twenty workshops as part of the more than 40 activities it has on offer at this edition of the event. In them, participants can book in advance to find out about the key aspects of LiFi mobile communication, the legal protections related to workplace harassment and the construction of virtual worlds using mobile phones. There are also introductions to 3D printing and programming with Arduino. Other activities let participants see how to overcome the difficulties of using new technologies, protect messages using the cryptography associated with playing cards, manage large volumes of information when conducting studies or, weather permitting, build and launch a water rocket. Another workshop takes participants on a journey into the microscopic world of everyday objects.

Children between the ages of 4 and 8 also have the opportunity to take their first steps in programming robots by using a variety of games and toys in a specially designed workshop for young learners. A storytelling activity for young children takes place at Madrid’s “Eugenio Trías” Public Library, in Madrid’s Retiro Park, which deals with the subject of “El Crucero Universitario por el Mediterráneo” (a famous educational experiment carried out in Spain) which took place in 1933. An adult audience will have the same opportunity at an event that takes place the day before at the same venue. 

Another way to get an insight into the University's R&D+i is to see it in action on site. The University offers several opportunities including a tour of the aerospace and aerodynamics design laboratories, where visitors can learn about the materials used in the manufacture of aeroplanes. Visitors can also tour the Robotics Lab, where research is carried out into social and humanoid robotics as well as robotic exoskeletons. For those interested in the health sector, there is the opportunity to get a glimpse of the operating theatres of the future, while Madrid’s history will be dealt with in an educational activity that shows how the discovery of Pompeii and the influence of Rome on many of Madrid’s artists, who had visited the city, transformed the capital’s appearance between the 19th and 20th centuries.

Women in science 

The goals of this outreach event are to promote science as a career and remove the gender barriers present in early years education. The UC3M will present several events looking at the role of women in research. This includes an exhibition highlighting the importance of female scientists in the history of science and technology. It takes a look at how their work has changed the world and how those who have followed them continue to do so. Another event in Madrid deals with feminist science fiction while there will be two round tables at the Getafe and Leganés campuses entitled “Mujeres de Ciencia” (Women in Science).

Other talks discuss how a range of technological advancements are impacting our daily lives. Drones and self-driving vehicles are just two examples which could significantly transform the transport industry, while other advances in Artificial Intelligence are already affecting social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. All these topics will be covered over several talks that will take place at the Polytechnic School on the Leganés campus. There will also be an additional talk held in collaboration with the Spanish Centre for Subtitling and Audio Description (CESyA in the Spanish acronym) that analyses the various prototypes and tools related to sensory inclusion. 

The Madrid Science and Innovation Week is an event that promotes public participation in science. The event is organized by Knowledge Foundation Madri+d, which seeks to actively involve the people of Madrid in Science, Technology and Innovation. The UC3M has been participating in the event for more than a decade and it offers the public an opportunity to get a closer look at the work researchers at the University carry out across its various campuses, as well as the results of its R&D+i. This edition is also supported by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT in the Spanish acronym).  

More information: 

The UC3M Science Week

www.uc3m.es/semanaciencia