Spanish Embassy in London opens door to science

On the 20th of October 2018, the Embassy of Spain hosted a Native Scientist workshop where children aged 5 to 12 had the opportunity to talk to Spanish researchers in London.

Miguel Oliveros Torres, Minister Counsellor for Cultural & Scientific Affairs at the Embassy of Spain told us that “after spending a Saturday morning at the Embassy in the delightful company of four Spanish researchers, parents said that their kids repeated all weekend ‘When are we going back to that science class, Dad?’, ‘I enjoyed a lot, it was so much fun’, ‘I want to do that when I grow old, Mom!’. The scientists used their valuable time to teach junior students the basic concepts of science and it was a deeply rewarding activity for this Embassy to give the chance to Spanish kids at English schools to learn in their own language some practical and magical notions of science.”

Maite, Fran, Magda and Diego were the stars of the workshop. With different science-related background and envisioning different careers, they talked about the science that exists behind technology, the biology behind certain illnesses, and the engineering behind innovation. With this project, you will also have the chance to meet the four scientists! At the end of the workshop, we interviewed the scientists and captured in video their essence and journey. This way, we can transport some of the value of the workshops from the confined walls of its venue into the digital world, therefore reaching a wider audience. The videos will be released on the 26th of January.

Tatiana Correia, co-founder and director of Native Scientist said that “for us this workshop shows not only the huge interest from the Spanish community in London in our "science plus language" methodology, but also that is possible to reach more people by partnering with the Spanish Embassy."

The workshop was coordinated by the Native Scientists Patricia Bernal and María José Martinez and had the strategic support of the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK). To the community of scientists who participate in Native Scientist activities, Miguel adds a thank you note “for the dedication and ability to communicate science to young children and awake in them their inner little researcher.”