ICIQ shines at 2024 edition of European Researchers Night in Tarragona

The 2024 edition of the European Researchers Night was an outstanding success, bringing together 5,000 enthusiastic participants to Corsini Square. This event, organized by the Science Communication Unit of Universitat Rovira i Virgili, showcased the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) as one of its prominent contributors, making a significant impact through engaging workshops and enlightening lectures.

ICIQ’s involvement was marked by four dynamic workshops that captivated participants with interactive experiments. These workshops offered a hands-on approach to various chemical concepts. The workshop “The Night of Glassblowing” introduced attendees to the ancient craft of glassblowing, where they could create glass spheres and drops. “The Science of Spherification” showcased supramolecular chemistry through the encapsulation of liquids using direct spherification techniques. In “React with Chemistry,” participants explored chemical reactions that help transform CO₂ and witnessed other fascinating reactions like color changes and temperature shifts. Lastly, “The Chemistry of Electrons” demonstrated how electricity can drive chemical reactions, including water splitting to generate oxygen and hydrogen and altering the color of copper coins. These workshops provided a unique insight into chemistry, sparking curiosity and enthusiasm among participants.

ICIQ participants were: Joan Vicent Estornell, Ricardo Hortigón, Anna Arnanz, Tania Medina, Luis Merchante, Rebeca Ferrer, Miguel Sellés, Neus Munar, Sergi Grau, Paula Tris, Kamil Ludorf, Josep Antoni Gutiérrez, Alejandro Delgado, Alisa Denisiuk, Elena Bassan, Manuel Petroselli, Karen de la Vega i Xavier Asensio.

In addition to the workshops, ICIQ also presented a series of talks that explored advanced topics in chemistry at schools.  Anna Arnanz and Joan V. Estornell visited the Institut del Morell to discuss the vital role of catalysis in organic chemistry reactions and its influence on everyday life, also with interactive experiments. Meanwhile, at the Institut de Campclar, Deepanshu Verma delivered a presentation on advanced nanomaterials for rapid Infection diagnosis.

As part of the theme “Research for Change,” Prof. Beatriz Prieto, ICIQ Group Leader and ICREA Professor, delivered a talk entitled “Rapid Diagnosis as a Tool to Fight Antibiotic Resistance” at FiraReus Events.

Another engaging session featured Prof. Katherine Villa, ICIQ Group Leader, who spoke at CaixaForum during the “Late Show: Investigation on Scene” segment. She presented on “Light-Activated Micromotors for Bacteria Removal,” highlighting innovative approaches to addressing environmental challenges.

About European Researchers Night

The European Researchers Night is a public science outreach event that takes place every year simultaneously in 300 cities across 30 countries on the continent. Since 2018, Rovira i Virgili University (URV) has organized this initiative in the Tarragona region, which has been growing and consolidating over these seven years, and in the previous edition, it involved the participation of thousands of people throughout the region. The goal of the European Night of Research is to bring research and its protagonists closer to audiences of all ages and to present research and innovation in clear and understandable language.

The scientific workshops conducted during European Researchers Night 2024 at Corsini Square were promoted in the framework of the actions of the European project ERN-ApuliaMED, HORIZON-MSCA-2023-CITIZENS-01 – GA 101162513