The science carried out in European centres and laboratories will once again take to the streets on 26 September for the European Researchers’ Night. The ICMAT joins once again the CSIC centres and institutes of the Cantoblanco Campus (Madrid) to organise “CSIC Calls You Tonight”, a major science fair that will take place, for the second consecutive year, at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica, located on Madrid’s Gran Vía.

As part of the programme, ICMAT will offer two experimental workshops for all audiences. In “Mathematics in Motion: A Look at the World of Fluids”, Andrés Laín Sanclemente and José Antonio Lucas, predoctoral researchers at the Institute, will demonstrate phenomena related to fluids and explain the physical and mathematical laws that describe them. The stand, featuring a series of experiments with water, cornstarch, wine, tubs, and bottles, will be open from 16:30 to 20:00 on the 2nd floor.

Meanwhile, in “The Mathematics of Electronic Music”, Carlos García Meixide, a predoctoral researcher at ICMAT, will apply concepts from functional analysis, statistics, and group theory to this type of music. Attendees will be able to mix sounds and see for themselves how these mathematical concepts are reflected in the music. The activity will take place with limited capacity in three sessions: at 18:10, 18:45, and 19:20 on the 3rd floor.

In addition to these initiatives, the fair will offer dozens of workshops and demonstrations, an exhibition on women scientists, a talent contest, a podcast recording, and even a concert, all of which are free to attend. In the morning, activities will be aimed at school audiences (Primary, Secondary, Baccalaureate, and Vocational Training). In the afternoon, they will be open to the general public, with free entry until capacity is reached. “The CSIC centres in Cantoblanco work in virtually all areas of knowledge, and there will be workshops or scientific demonstrations in all of them,” explains Jesús Ricote, Deputy Director of the Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM-CSIC) and coordinator of the event.

CSIC Calls You Tonight

Workshops, science fair, talent contest, and scientific concert for all audiences in the afternoon

The Espacio Fundación Telefónica will open its doors to all audiences from 16:00 to 20:00. Visitors will find a wide range of outreach activities covering numerous areas of science. There will be scientific demonstrations on superconductivity, cells, the antioxidant power of fruit, protein construction, fluids, glass and ceramics, and nutrients. Additionally, closed-door workshops will allow attendees to learn about particles, DNA observation, how plants contribute to biotechnology research, mathematics and electronic music, and emotions.

Adding to this, there will be a talent contest – with two sessions, one at 17:15 and another at 18:30 – and a final concert by the band Biolocas, who will perform well-known songs with biological-themed lyrics and about women in science.

As a new feature this year, a scientific passport will be offered, which attendees must complete by visiting the stands of the different centres to receive a gift. This will commemorate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, celebrated in 2025.

Science fair for Primary, Secondary, Baccalaureate, and Vocational Training in the morning

Throughout the morning, the science fair will be organised in separate spaces for Primary on one side, and Secondary, Baccalaureate, and Vocational Training on the other. Students will be able to conduct scientific experiments with the ‘Science Cart’; explore the secrets of glass and ceramics; discover superconductivity; play with catalysts, hydrogen cells, and the periodic table; and check the antioxidant power of fruit. In addition, with the Escape Road: In Search of Nobel and Non-Nobel Women Scientists, they will learn about the history of women scientists from around the world with distinguished careers.

Secondary school students will also attend the live recording of an episode of the podcast Ciencia para Leer, presented by Carmen Guerrero from the CSIC Vice-Presidency for Scientific Culture and Citizen Science (VACC).

Reservations for the morning activities will be available from 15 September at 09:00 via this link.

The full programme will be published soon.

NIGHTMADRID is a science outreach project, coordinated by the madri+d Foundation and funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme, through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions with grant agreement no. 101.162.110.

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Note: This is an automatic translation. Some nuances may differ from the original Spanish version.