STRATEGIC PRIORITY ACTIONS

Communication & Outreach

The ICMAB Communication & Outreach Office offers a range of services to effectively disseminate the knowledge generated at the Institute and increase the public engagement of the society. Its goal is to maximize impact across all key stakeholder groups. Its actions are aimed at finding the most effective way to engage a wide range of audiences, from the internal community to industry and schools.

The Communication & Outreach Office is formed in 2020 by Head of Communication Anna May Masnou, and Communication Technician Artur Martínez.

Among its responsibilities are:

  • Internal communication: encourage collaboration, act as an information and consultation point, coordinate the welcome protocol, organize events, communication plan
  • Corporative image: institutional image, visual identity, logos, templates, posters, graphic design, ensure the quality of internal and external texts
  • Protocol and public relations: coordinate visits, international days, conferences, celebrations
  • External communication: management of the ICMAB website, social networks, newsletter, mailing lists
  • Relationship with the media: press releases, science websites, coordination with the CSIC Communication Department, coordinate releases with other institutions and entities
  • Public engagement and science education activities: joint activities with BNC-b cluster and CSIC, prepare proposals for funding (FECYT, FGCSIC), promotional videos, contests and exhibitions, school visits
  • Scientific events: coordinate summer schools, scientific meetings and seminars organized by ICMAB researchers

During 2020 the Communication & Outreach Office has made a great effort to try to keep the ICMABers in touch, even though the pandemic stroke us in March 2020. All the activities that we planned had to be postponed or changed, and adapted to an online version. We managed to quickly organize online seminars, online events with schools, even we did some Instagram Live chats with some of our staff.

 

Press

The ICMAB was deeply engaged with the media in connection with the new findings published by our scientists in high-profile journals and institutional and outreach activities, which led to articles in the press and online media as well as participation by scientists in radio or TV programmes. In particular, our press releases have made it to La Vanguardia, El Periódico, Agencia SINC, Phys.Org, Madrimas or Nanowerk, TV3, Catalunya Ràdio, to name a few.

Press Releases

Appearances in the media

TV:

RADIO:

NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND WEBSITES:

 DISSEMINATION VIDEOS IN OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos of the ICMAB choir: 

Technology Transfer videos:

Research Project videos:

Science Outreach for General Public videos: 

  

Science Education Activities

Matheroes: Online Escape Room and exhibition

The MATHEROES projects, with FECYT and Severo Ochoa funding, in collaboration with Esciencia (Zaragoza), and with the participation of many ICMAB researchers, continued in 2020 with an online Escape Room called Matheroes: The Box. High school students could carry out the activity in teams in school, or even families could do it from home. The idea is to resolve a series of enigmas (related to materials science and nanoscience) to rescue our 5 superheroes from where they are kidnapped.

More than 50 schools participated in the online Escape Room, during the European Researchers’ Night, during the Science Week, and during the whole school year. There are two editions of the escape room: in Catalan and in Spanish.  

Moreover, the MATHEROES exhibition continued its tour, and was installed in different places during the year:

A researcher in your classroom (9 sessions in 2019)

"A researcher in your classroom" is a programme from ICMAB that brings our reserachers to primary and secondary highschools, breaking the barrier between the students and scientists.

This initiative started ten years ago and received the Outreach Project Award of the E-MRS Spring Meeting in 2014, brings every year many volunteer researchers to the classrooms of different centers, and become for one day "ambassadors of the nanoscience and nanotechnology" for the young ones. The initiative aims at approaching the new materials to the students, but also to encourage scientific vocations, break the walls between the school classrooms and the research centers, and let the researchers meet the future generations of scientists. Is is both a gratifying experience for students, teachers and researchers.

Before the lockdown, we manage to carry out some schools visits, especially during February, for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science:

  •  Anna Laromaine at the Institut Vescomtat de Cabrera, Hostalric (4th ESO and BTX)
    Monday, 3 February 3 2020 
  • Lourdes Fàbrega at Col·legi Santa Maria-Manyanet, Blanes (4th ESO)
    Monday, 3 February 2020 
  • Anna Roig at INS Lliçà d'Amunt, Llicà d'Amunt (4th ESO)
    Monday, 10 February 2020 
  • Rosario Núñez at Institut La Romànica, Barberà del Vallès (Medium Grade)
    Monday, 10 February 2020 
  • Arántzazu González, at Escola Can Maiol (3r Primària) (with other scientists from CSIC Catalunya)
    Tuesday, 11 February 2020 
  • Lourdes Fàbrega at Escola Cor de Maria, Blanes
    Friday, 14 February 2020 

 During the Science Week, we organized “A researcher in your classroom 2.0” where the talks were online:  

  • Esther Barrena, researcher at the Surfaces group, met with the students of 4th ESO (15-16 years old) of the "Institut Valldemossa" Barcelona high school, on 19 November 2020.
  • Luís Pérez, researcher at the Nanopto Group, visited on 24 November 2020 the "Institut Príncep de Viana" highschool in Barcelona.
  • Judit Morlà Folch, researcher at Nanomol group, gave a talk at the "Escola Joviat de Manresa" for a total of 30 students aged 16-18, on 27 November 2020.
  • Ana M. López, researcher at the Supercritical Fluids group, gave a virtual talk on "Applications of CO2" on 1 December 2020 at IES Valderrobres (Teruel) to a reduced group of students of 2nd BTX (aged 7-18).
  • Anna Laromaine, researcher at the NN group, had the chance to go to the school in person, since the school could do the class in the gym, a much bigger and ventilated space. She did the talk on 15 December 2020 taking all the Covid-19 safety measures to a group of 25 students of 4th ESO (aged 15-16).
  • Àngel Pérez, researcher at the Laser Processing Group, visited "virtually" the ·Institut Can Vilumara" highschool in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. He did two talks to two groups of 25-30 students aged 16-18 (BTX), on 16 and 18 December 2020.

Events for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020:

The Gender Equality Committee at ICMAB organizes many of its activities during the month between 11 February (International Day of Women and Girls in Science) and 8 March. In 2020, these month was before the lockdown, so we could organize many of the events programmed (although three were cancelled, which were going to take place around the second week of March, when everything started to change.

Finally, the events that we could organize around the topic of Women in Science and Gender Equality in research are:

 

ESCOLAB – School visits at our center

This programme allows us to receive the visit of highschool students who spend a morning with us for a science talk and visit to some of our laboratories. Different classes from various institutes visit us to find out what we do at ICMAB. The visit consists of an introductory talk of the center, a scientific talk, and a visit to the laboratories.

We managed to receive some schools at ICMAB before the lockdown:

  • Friday, 31 January 2020: INS Infanta Isabel d'Aragó, Barcelona. Talk delivered by: Agustín Mihi, NANOPTO Group.
  • Friday, 14 February 2020: CEROCA School, Barcelona. Talk delivered by: Ángel Pérez, Laser Processing Group
  • Thursday, 20 February 2020: IPSI School, Barcelona. Talk delivered by Esther Barrena, Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces Group
  • Friday, 28 February 2020: Cassà de la Selva Institute. Talk delivered by: Anna Roig, Nanoparticles & Nanocomposites Group
  • Wednesday, 4 March 2020: Institut de Sabadell. Talk delivered by Gerard Tobias, Solid State Chemistry Group

Outreach activities

  • Vermut de Nanociència 2020
    The Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Festival 10alamenos9 had to be adapted to an online version, and a new activity, consisting of 20-min talks and called “Vermut de Nanociència” was started in Youtube, in which researchers from different centers and universities participated. The ICMAB participated with the following talks:

 

Website and social networks

  • Steady growth in our social media
    During 2020, ICMAB’s presence on social media grew steadily: the ICMAB Twitter account (@icmabCSIC) grew a 23,2 % in followers, finally crossing the 3000 follower milestone; the ICMAB Facebook page (@icmab) got more than 500 new followers, growing a 35,6 %; the ICMAB LinkedIn profile (/icmabcsic) got close to 4000 followers and grew a 21,5 %. Particularly remarkable are the improvements in the ICMAB Instagram and YouTube accounts; with the former (@icmab) almost doubling in followers with a growth of 96,1 %, and the directed efforts in the professionalization and increased production of the Institute’s video output granting the ICMAB YouTube account (ICMABCSIC) an increase of 74,4 % in subscribers

  • The Nanopto Group is YouTuber!
    The NANOPTO group started its own Youtube channel, and prepared some interesting videos about their experiments.

 

Mailing & Intranet

The weekly newsletter has more than 640 subscribers. In every newsletter we send the latest news from our website, plus the forthcoming events and seminars at the ICMAB or BNC-b cluster, job offers and conferences and meetings organized by our researchers. We have another mailing list only for our staff, and another one for students and young people who might be interested in starting out their research career with us.

We also prepared some guides for our staff, to use correctly the webcam, and to begin using social media (especially Twitter). These can be found in our Intranet.

 

Celebrations

In 2020 we organized:

 

Corporative image & merchandising

We have prepared institutional presentations and posters with information of our RLs, a catalogue and flyers of our activities and of our job opportunities. We continue with our welcome pack for our staff (old-timers and newcomers) consisting of a mug, glass bottle and a bag. We also have pens, notebooks, USBs and folders for our conferences and meetings. The Annual Report 2019 was also edited and created by the Communication & Outreach and IT Departments.

 

 

Coordination
Anna May-Masnou This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Redaction
Anna May-Masnou This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web & Graphic Editor
José Antonio Gómez  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Webmasters
José Antonio Gómez This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Albert Moreno     This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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