Scientific curiosity brings together in Donostia Nobel Laureates, science figures and students

The top@DIPC Zientziarekin solasean! encounter took place today at Eureka! Zientzia Museoa, in Donsotia / San Sebastian, where students and teachers of secondary and high school met the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Jean-Pierre Sauvage, the President of the European Physical Society, Mairi Sakellariadou and the Vice President of the CERN Science Policy Committee Pilar Hernandez. After talking about their passion for science, their personal trajectory and experiences in their scientific work, the invited figures answered questions from the students attending the event.

Around 242 students and teachers from 41 schools across the Basque Country participated in this fourteenth edition of these encounters organized by Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC). This is an event that has always been exceptionally well received by the educational community. The day began with a brief introduction by Ander Aizpurua, General Director of Kutxa Fundazioa, Javier Benito, Director of Telefónica Euskadi and Adolfo Morais, Deputy Minister of Universities and Research of the Department of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government. The students then took the floor and, for an hour and a half, had the opportunity to ask questions to the invited scientists.

Jean-Pierre Sauvage higlighted that young people are the future and recommended that they “put innovation before any other consideration when choosing the projects they wish to launch”. Mairi Sakellariadou addressed the young students, stressing that “early science education ‘opens the eyes’ of the mind, awakens curiosity and helps to fight against obscurantism”. Finally, Pilar Hernández commented that “in a world where truth seems to be interpretable, science shows us that there are certainties about the world around us, which allow us to understand it, and in many cases to use this knowledge to improve people's lives”. “Science advances because there are young people like you who are curious to understand the world and ask key questions,” added Hernández.

Pedro Miguel Etxenike, the Prince of Asturias Award winner, emeritus professor of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and president of DIPC, was once again in charge of chairing and leading the encounter. In his closing remarks at the end of the event, he stressed that “science is a seed that transforms society. Science is necessary to advance towards a society with greater social and economic wellbeing, with more critical thinking and less susceptible to manipulation, a more humane society”.“I encourage you to work with will and effort to contribute to science and progress,” Etxenike told the crowd of students present at the event.

Once again, Telefónica, patron of DIPC, collaborated in the encounter and has awarded the prize for the most interesting question. The winner was Libe Bercedo Barriola from Aldapeta Ikastetxea for her question: "Given the growing interconnection between string theory and emerging quantum gravitation, to what extent can our scientific tools and human interpretative capacity limit our understanding of these phenomena?" According to Telefónica, the winning question has been awarded “for addressing a significant and profound issue for science: the limits, both instrumental and intellectual, that accompany observation in scientific research”. 

The main objective of the top@DIPC Zientziarekin solasean! encounter is to promote the vocation for scientific and technological studies among Basque youth, as well as to awaken a passion for knowledge in them. It is organized by DIPC, with the support of the Department of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government, Kutxa Fundazioa and Telefónica.