De Copas con Ciencia: Olga Valiente, Ricardo Rodríguez & Pilar del Río
Special “De Copas con Ciencia” Christmas Edition this month at El Sótano Mágico
On Thursday 22nd December a new session of the successful project “De Copas con Ciencia” will take place. An initiative that aims to satisfy the scientific curiosity of the population in a relaxed, entertaining and fun way during leisure time, 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.
The activity is organised by the research institutes, ISQCH (Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea) and INMA (Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón), both joint centres CSIC – University of Zaragoza, and will be repeated periodically on the last Thursday of each month. During these sessions, topics related to chemistry, nanotechnology and materials science will be discussed.
The next edition will try to show the science hidden in the Christmas table. The session, with free admission, will take place on 22 December at 20:00 at El Sótano Mágico, Calle San Pablo 43, Zaragoza (http://elsotanomagico.com/), and will feature two researchers from the ISQCH: Ricardo Rodríguez Martínez and Mª Pilar del Río Varea and the teacher from IES Corona de Aragón, Olga Valiente Francés.
– Liquid gold on the Christmas table” Olga Valiente Francés Secondary School teacher at IES Corona de Aragón
During the session Olga will talk about EVOO, extra virgin olive oil, the effects that its consumption has on our health and, of course, some beauty tips. During the talk she will talk about the different oils, their main characteristics, how they are obtained and their chemical composition. Why it is “gold” in the kitchen, how it should be used and preserved. In addition, recipes will be offered to taste and succeed in Christmas meals, bringing a touch of innovation and creativity to our celebrations.
Olga Valiente Francés graduated in Chemistry from the University of Zaragoza in 1982. She has been a secondary school teacher since 1984. She currently teaches at IES Corona de Aragón. She has published several educational materials with her colleague and friend Joaquina Melero: “TALLER DE NUTRICIÓN Y CONSUMO”, published by the Dirección General de Consumo del Gobierno de Aragón and “EL ACEITE DEL BAJO ARAGÓN: TALLER DE ELABORACIÓN, CONSUMPTION Y RECICLADO”– Honourable Mention in the final of the “Science in Action” Competition in October 2007, published by the Council of the Designation of Origin of Aceite del Bajo Aragón, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, several entities and the Government of Aragón. He also received an Honourable Mention for “Las Semanas de la Ciencia, otra forma de aprender”, in the category of “Trabajos de divulgación científica en soportes varios”, awarded by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, the Real Sociedad Española de Física and the Real Sociedad Matemática Española.
– Scientists vs. the Cuñao: tips to win at Christmas – Ricardo Rodríguez Martínez and Mª Pilar del Río Varea ISQCH researchers
Mariah Carey is playing on the radio. Lights flood the city. The smell of roasting chestnuts permeates the atmosphere. Finally you receive a Whatsapp with Leticia Sabater’s Polvorón announcing what we all know: Christmas is here, and with it the family meals. Are you tired of your brother-in-law knowing how to do everything, and of course, according to him, better than you? Don’t worry, this year we give you the keys to become the best Christmas dinner ember, leaving your “brother-in-law” at the height of the mud and turning him into a real little sister of charity. First Round: Scientist 1 – “Cuñao” 0.
Mª Pilar del Río Varea is a lecturer on the Degree in Industrial Organisation Engineering at the Centro Universitario de la Defensa (CUD). She carries out her research activity at the Institute of Chemical Synthesis and Homogeneous Catalysis (ISQCH) within the Enantioselective Homogeneous Catalysis Research Group. His work is based on the synthesis of new metallopharmaceuticals with antibiotic and antitumour properties.
Ricardo Rodríguez Martínez is a CSIC Senior Scientist at the Institute of Chemical Synthesis and Homogeneous Catalysis (ISQCH) in the Homogeneous Enantioselective Catalysis Research Group. His work focuses on the synthesis of new transition metal chiral catalysts and their application in catalytic processes.
In addition, during the session there will be a face-to-face Hi Score Science competition aimed at the general public that will reward the scientific knowledge acquired by those attending the session.
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 the INMA, which allows to include explanations of the scientific reality that lies 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. The application also allows users to participate in the project by sending us their own questions via a dedicated website www.hiscorescience.org.
