De Copas Con Ciencia: Francisco J. Fernández, Daniel Betrán and Gloria Seoane.
El Sótano Mágico, calle San Pablo, 43, 50003 Zaragoza
Thu 31st March, 20:00 h
Ponentes:
- Francisco J. Fernández: “Cambio climático. ¿Somos los responsables”.
- Daniel Betrán y Gloria Seoane: “Pensar lo imposible: Aproximación a la relación entre magia y ciencia”.
Are we responsible for climate change and what is the relationship between magic and science? The answer to these questions this month in “De Copas con Ciencia”.
“De copas con ciencia” is an initiative of the research institutes ISQCH (Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea) and INMA (Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón), both joint centres CSIC – Universidad de Zaragoza, which aims to satisfy the scientific curiosity of the general public in a relaxed, entertaining and fun way during leisure time by bringing it to the bars. The activity is aimed at the whole population with scientific curiosity without the need for specific training in science and aims to be a meeting point for science lovers in order to facilitate the creation of scientific debates between experts and the general public.
This month, the activity aims to raise awareness about the role of humans in climate change with a great researcher and disseminator of the ISQCH, and to introduce us to the world of magic and its approach to science, with two magicians and secondary school teachers.
The session, with free entrance, will take place on the 31st of March at 20:00 hours in the magic basement, Calle San Pablo 43, Zaragoza (http://elsotanomagico.com/) and will be repeated periodically on the last Thursday of each month. During these sessions, topics related to chemistry and materials science such as nanotechnology, the environment, crystallography, physics, space, etc. will be discussed.
The next session on Thursday 31 March will feature:
– “Climate change Are we responsible?” – Francisco J. Fernández-Álvarez
Over the last few decades, an enormous economic investment has been made to raise public awareness of the negative effect that consumerism has had on our environment and our planet’s climate. One of the parameters usually related to climate change is the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, which has now exceeded 400 ppm. This is relevant because studies of CO2 content in permafrost strata indicate that over the last 800,000 years the CO2 content of the atmosphere has fluctuated cyclically between 180 and 280 ppm. On the other hand, it is well known that the Earth’s climate in general, and glaciations in particular, depend on parameters that humans cannot control, such as: the orientation of the poles (magnetic field), the precession movement and ellipticity of the Earth’s orbit, as well as solar cycles, among others. During this short talk, scientific knowledge on these topics will be disseminated with the intention of providing the audience with tools to judge the possible anthropogenic origin of climate change on our planet.
Francisco J. Fernández-Álvarez holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). He worked as head of laboratory and quality at the company Sibelco Española, after which he obtained a postdoctoral assistant contract at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). Subsequently, he joined the University of Zaragoza as a postdoctoral researcher, where he has since developed his teaching and research career in the field of Sustainability of Chemical Processes. Currently, he works at the Institute of Chemical Synthesis and Homogeneous Catalysis, ISQCH, and leads one of the research teams of the Homogeneous Catalysis by Organometallic Compounds research group at the University of Zaragoza. His main research interest is the development of Sustainable Chemical Processes using catalysts. In 2013 he was awarded the Research Prize of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Zaragoza for his research on CO2 chemistry. He is a project consultant for several national and regional agencies and works as a regular reviewer for several publishing houses. In addition, he has held various academic and management positions and since January 2022 he has been a member of the governing board of the Official Association of Chemists of Aragon and Navarra.
– Thinking the impossible. An approach to the relationship between magic and science”. – Daniel Betrán Ortega and Gloria Seoane Rodríguez
If we were to define magic as the art of the impossible, perhaps we could ask ourselves to what extent the art of magic can offer areas for scientific reflection on matters of psychological interest such as perception and attention, as well as others of a more philosophical nature regarding the possibility of thinking about what it means to approach the concept of physical impossibility, astonishment and surprise.
Daniel Betrán Ortega: Graduated in Physical Sciences at the University of Zaragoza, he is a mathematics teacher at the Colegio Cardenal Xavierre FESD and has been a member of the Asociación Mágica Aragonesa for the last three years. He is very interested in the relationship between magic and perception.
Gloria Seoane Rodríguez: Graduate in Philosophy from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, she teaches Philosophy and Psychology at the Colegio Cardenal Xavierre FESD. She has been an associate lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Zaragoza, teaching History of Ancient Philosophy and Educational Innovation, among others.
In addition, during the session there will be a face-to-face competition Hi Score Science aimed at the general public, which will reward the scientific knowledge acquired by the attendees with an informative book.
Hi Score Science is a game of questions and answers about science, in Spanish and English, for mobile devices, iOS and Android that is developed between the two research institutes, the ISQCH and INMA, which allows to include explanations of the scientific reality behind each of the answers. The game can be downloaded free of charge and without advertising in the Apple Store and Play Store and for Windows, iOS and Linux at www.HiScoreScience.org. In addition, the application allows users to participate in the project by sending their own questions via a dedicated website www.hiscorescience.org. All questions received and finally published will retain the authorship of the person who submitted the question. Hi Score Science has received the first prize in the international contest of Science in Action in the category “Science Teaching Materials in Interactive Support” (IBM Award), the D+I TOP SEAL, a national recognition that rewards the best projects of INCLUSIVE SCIENTIFIC DISCLOSURE and has been nominated for the PREMIOS TERCER MILENIO in the category “Dissemination in Aragon”.
