Dr Pep Serra explains his research to students from XXV Olimpíada secondary school.
Since late 2023, the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (IBB) has been participating in the project “Ciencia en el Barrio”, a science outreach initiative promoted by the CSIC that brings research closer to schools and other community spaces in neighbourhoods of Madrid, Seville and the Barcelona metropolitan area.
Research experienced first-hand
Through these visits, people of different ages, backgrounds and contexts get closer to the daily life of a research centre and discover how scientific knowledge is generated and preserved.
During the visit, participants explore the botanical garden, the nurseries and the institute’s facilities, including laboratories, the library and various heritage spaces. The visits also highlight the IBB’s link to the history of botany and its role in building knowledge about plant diversity.
Visits to the library and the BC herbarium.
From scientific heritage to future knowledge
Participants visited the collections preserved at the institute, such as the BC herbarium, the Salvador Cabinet, the living plant collections and the butterfly house. IBB staff explained the main research lines currently underway, including plant-animal interactions, biological invasions and insect migration, among many others. In addition, participants carried out DNA extractions, saw how genome size is measured and discovered the fascinating biology of Drosophila melanogaster.
Specimens and life cycle of the model organism D. melanogaster
“This project, in addition to allowing us to bring our work as scientists closer to neighbourhoods in Barcelona, has also helped us get to know each other better. In fact, it has been the outreach activity with the highest participation from IBB staff, including botanists, entomologists, ecologists, geneticists, curators and technical staff from all research areas.”
From the institute, we hope to continue participating in the Ciencia al Barri initiative, helping to build a discipline that is more accessible, engaging and fair.
Text by Iván Pérez-Lorenzo.