Science Week at IPNA-CSIC kicks off with the CSIC-Canary Islands and CSIC-Obra Social La Caixa Awards for Scientific Communication

Engaging young people from the Islands in the dissemination of science is the aim of the Premios CSIC-Canarias de Divulgación Científica, aimed at pre-university students, and the Premios CSIC-Obra Social La Caixa, aimed at university students, to be presented tomorrow, 5 November, at the headquarters of the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC).

In the case of the competition for high school students, the works have been divided into three categories. The "Science in the Canary Islands" prize went to a student from IES Mazo, whose work deals with the reuse of agricultural waste from banana plantations to obtain ecological alternatives to traditional plastics, based on research carried out on the islands. In the category "Iniciativas Innovadoras en Educación y Divulgación Científica" (Innovative Initiatives in Education and Scientific Dissemination), students from IES Profesor Martín Miranda received their prize for an audiovisual work in which science, technology and sport are combined to promote a better physical condition among the students of the centre. And in the "Open Topic" category, the work of the students of Colegio La Salle San Ildefonso was recognized with a work titled 'Cancer and Dioxins' in which they expose, through the dioxins generated by human activity, how environmental pollution can influence our health, increasing the risk of suffering diseases such as cancer. The prizes are awarded both to the students who develop the work and to the supervising teachers and their educational centres, which receive an endowment for their library and laboratory equipment.

This event will also feature the presentation of the Premios CSIC-Obra Social La Caixa to the two works recognized with the award. The first, developed by a nursing student from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is entitled 'Vaccines do NOT produce autism' and analyses the emergence of the anti-vaccine movement and the false foundations on which it is based. The second work, developed by a student from the University of La Laguna, is entitled 'Pharmacogenetics-the new medicine' and addresses the role of pharmacogenetics in the development of a 'personalized medicine' which will allow the selection of the most effective treatments for each patient.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC) in La Laguna on Tuesday 5 November, and will be presided over by the CSIC Office in the Canary Islands and by the Canary Islands Government's Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society (ACIISI), as organisers of the event. The Cabildo de Tenerife and the Cabildo de La Palma, islands where the CSIC has its headquarters, and CaixaBank, promoter of the university competition with the collaboration of the Fundación General CSIC, will also participate in the awards ceremony.

This event is part of the programme of activities developed for the CSIC Science and Open Doors Week, which will also include guided tours, conferences and workshops during the week of 4 to 8 November, with the participation of secondary schools.

On the occasion of the International Year of the Periodic Table 2019, the 'Periodic Table of Life and Health' workshop will be held, in which students will test through experiments why life on Earth is based on carbon, what other elements play a decisive role or what causes the toxicity of certain elements and will consider whether life based on silicon-and on Earth could arise. In the workshop 'The Sea in Danger' students will explore the role of the sea as a source of resources not only for food but also for pharmaceuticals and biotechnological products, as well as addressing the current situation of danger and possible ways to address it. During the activity 'Precision agriculture: the APOGEO project' the intelligent monitoring of crops such as vineyards will be exposed by means of drones equipped with special cameras that allow to detect if the crops are healthy or if they present any problem, from plagues to nutritional deficiencies. APOGEO is a MAC-INTERREG project, coordinated by the ULPGC and in which the CSIC collaborates, as well as several public entities and companies. Finally, the workshop 'Saving water in strategic crops - The AHIDAGRO project' will discuss with students the development of natural bioactive products and extracts with protective properties against drought and other methods for saving water in strategic crops for the primary sector of the Canary Islands and the rest of Macaronesia. AHIDAGRO is a MAC-INTERREG project, coordinated by the CSIC and in which several public entities and companies collaborate. The IPNA-CSIC Science and Open Doors Week is open to the general and university public.

For more information:

Alicia Boto Castro, CSIC Head Scientist and IPNA-CSIC Coordinator of Scientific Outreach

alicia [at] ipna.csic.es |922-260112-Ext. 267