The CSIC Science conquers the 12 de Octubre Hospital

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Total success of 'Todo Ciencia. La noche del CSIC en el 12', the European Researchers Night event organized by the CSIC centers in Cantoblanco in collaboration with the 12 de Octubre Hospital. Starting at 9 in the morning and ending around midnight, almost a thousand people came to the Virtual Training and Simulation Center to enjoy workshops, exhibitions, talks, guided tours and even a concert.

This edition was not just another one for the CSIC staff in Cantoblanco. In addition to changing the location of its fair, thus bringing science to even more diverse audiences, this year workshops and activities have been inaugurated that, thanks to the great reception, they hope to be incorporated into the usual catalog of this science fair.

More than one hundred scientists from areas as broad as materials science or biology came together, once again, to create one of the most outstanding events of 'Madrid Night'. "I think it is an incredible opportunity to bring the diversity of science closer to students, and to encourage scientific vocations," commented one of the teachers who attended the Virtual Training and Simulation Center of the Hospital 12 de Octubre, the location chosen for this year.

The students who were able to enjoy the fair in the morning (one of the most popular activities, whose capacity usually sells out in a matter of a few minutes) took a tour of three different spaces: a room with scientific workshops (six in total, divided into two rooms), the famous 'Escape Road: in search of Nobel Women', and a special surprise: a visit to the simulation center of the hospital that hosted the event, a space that had never before been open to the public.

"It has been impressive to see the 'dolls' they work with," commented a high school student at the end of the activity. When asked to choose an activity, he commented that he was incapable. "Everything has been amazing."

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During the break between the morning and afternoon shifts, another unique workshop also took place: a scientific visit to the hospital admissions floor of the Child Psychiatry Unit. "It has been extraordinary," commented Íñigo Bretos, the scientist who led the workshop 'And chemistry said: let there be light' to these young people.

And almost without noticing it, the afternoon arrived, and at 5:00 p.m. the doors were scheduled to open, but twenty minutes before that time there were already people waiting to enter. Inside, together with the stands for scientific demonstrations and talks, this year the aforementioned visit to the simulation center and a space with closed-door workshops were launched, where we had, for the first time, a workshop accessible in sign language. Spanish ('Atrapa la ciencia', taught by the ICMM), a 'bio-escape' (IMN), a mathematics workshop to predict pandemics (ICMAT) and a workshop so that adults and children could extract DNA for themselves (CNB). And not only that, the 12 de Octubre Hospital Research Center had also its own stands.

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At the end of the day, when there was no moment of rest, an even stronger dish arrived: transferred to the Ambulatory Activities Center once 9:00 p.m., the public enjoyed the concert of the band Schizzofunk, whose saxophone is handled by Miguel Camblor, also a scientist at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid. The musicians offered a magnificent live performance of funk and rock, but also enlivened the end of the day with touches of science and humor. A perfect finishing touch to an event as exhausting as it is inspiring.