A group of researchers from Center for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) and Faculty of Biotechnology, dynamized some activities in the fields of Microbiology and Food Safety in an event organized within the scope of the European Researcher’s Night, that happened in Armamar, Viseu. This event, with more than 200 visitors, gathered researchers from different Portuguese regions to bring science to everyone, promoting the inclusion and equality in the access to knowledge to these populations in the countryside, where this kind of science communication activities are non-existent.
CBQF researchers shared good practices for the organization and preservation of food at home, teaching how to organize the kitchen or the fridge or even shed some light on certain myths regarding food preservation and expiration date; they also showed, in a funny way, alternative, more sustainable ways to bring food products to the table.
Under the motto “Science for everyone: Sustainability and Inclusion”, this event, which happened on September 29th, occurred for the first time in Armamar, to decentralize scientific knowledge, taking science to the general society and the scholar community. This initiative was promoted by Agrupamento de Escolas Gomes Teixeira, through the project GOMA (Academy of Sciences Gomes Teixeira), in collaboration with the Armamar City Hall. During the event, there were flash talks, interactive discussions, practical activities, workshops, and demonstrations, related to the fields of expertise of each researcher, such as artificial intelligence, food microbiology, mathematics, astronomy and sociology.
Around 200 people have visited the event, with ages ranging from 4 to 70+ years old. This event also highlighted the “returning home” for several scientists, researchers of the most diverse fields whose roots go back to Armamar and the Agrupamento de Escolas Gomes Teixeira. The organizing committee of the event intended to open doors to new future projects of co-creation and science communication.
The European Researcher’s Night occurs every year in several European cities, aiming at involving and calling the attention of the population to science, and providing an educative and immersive experience for the students, parents, and members of the community.
