The CSIC awards the Aragonese outreach project Hi Score Science
The science outreach project Hi Score Science has received the runner-up prize of 1,500 euros in the category best outreach project, in the First Awards for Scientific Culture and Citizen Science of the CSIC. With this award, the CSIC seeks to reward initiatives aimed at bringing scientific knowledge to a non-specialized audience through any format or channel. The jury valued Hi Score Science’s “multidisciplinarity, the will of international projection and the attractive language and format for young audiences” of the proposal.
The jury, composed of people dedicated to popularization, science communication, research and teaching who work inside and outside the Council, has awarded a first prize and a runner-up in each of the categories of the call: Dissemination Projects, Citizen Science Projects and Unitary Work. In addition, he highlighted the high quality of the 233 works submitted by CSIC staff, which “has made the final decision very difficult”.
The following projects also received awards: ‘Oceánicas: la mujer y la oceanografía’, from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), in the category of outreach projects, in the category of Citizen Science Projects, the initiative ‘Adopta una planta’, from the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), runner-up: the ‘Microplastic Watchers. Observers of the Sea’, from the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and the Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC). In the Unitary Work category, the first prize, the Scientific School Calendar, from the Institute of Mountain Livestock (IGM-CSIC), the runner-up, ‘Evolution. 250 years of the National Museum of Natural Sciences’ (MNCN-CSIC).
The award ceremony took place on June 16 at the CSIC headquarters in Madrid.
About Hi Score Science
The Hi Score Science outreach project is aimed at the creation and development of a video game, in Spanish and English, for mobile devices (iOS and Android), PC, Mac and Linux, and arcade machines, called “Hi Score Science”. The project was born from the need to adapt our outreach activities to the world of the youngest, belonging to the digital generation, which is currently focused on video games and new technologies.
Hi Score Science is projected not only as a game of questions and answers about science, but it wants to go further and increase the scientific culture and the interest of users in science, explaining what is behind the new scientific advances. The project is developed from two research institutes, the Institute of Chemical Synthesis and Homogeneous Catalysis, ISQCH, and the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon, INMA, both joint centers of the CSIC and the University of Zaragoza, which allows to include informative explanations of the scientific reality behind each of the answers. In addition, Hi Score Science encourages users to participate in the project by collaborating with scientific content of the game and rewarding them with a pass and a trip to the National Final held at the CSIC Headquarters in Madrid, a visit to one of the CSIC museums and technological gifts for individual prizes.
Thanks to the innovative format in game mode, Hi Score Science, has already become a tool demanded by teachers of education and teaching who request it as another tool in their classrooms that allows them to approach the world of teenagers to increase their culture and scientific vocation.
The project has been expanding in successive years from regional to national level, approaching rural areas, establishing provincial finals in towns of Huesca and Teruel and even going to an audience with greater difficulties such as the Hospital Classrooms and the adult public normally away from outreach activities. The game has an on-line mode that allows you to compete with users from anywhere in the world, which has allowed us to develop an absolute national on-line league in which users of all ages and educational levels compete monthly.
The free, ad-free game, Hi Score Science, is available on the Play Store and Apple Store and on PC, Mac and Linux (www.HiScoreScience.org). All information about the project and how to compete in the different categories is available at www.HiScoreScience.org.
In addition to the current award, the Hi Score Science project has been awarded first prize in the XVIII Edition of the Science in Action program in the category “Science Teaching Materials in Interactive Support” (IBM Award), has received the D+i TOP seal, a national recognition that rewards the best inclusive science outreach projects and has been nominated twice for the Tercer Milenio awards.
A scientific team behind Hi Score Science
The Hi Score Science project has been developed between two research centers, the Institute of Chemical Synthesis and Homogeneous Catalysis, ISQCH, and the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon, both joint centers between CSIC and the University of Zaragoza, with a team of more than 50 volunteers currently participating in the project.
Image: Award ceremony; From left to right: Pura Fernandez, Deputy Vice President for Scientific Culture and Citizen Science of CSIC, Beatriz Latre, head of the Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit of the institutes INMA and ISQCH and Isabel Martinez Director of the Presidential Office of CSIC.
19/06/2023
