This morning the XIV Women and Science Week of Burgos was presented, organized by the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) and the Universidad de Burgos (UBU), through its Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit (UCC+I), from February 6 to 15, to mark the celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In collaboration with the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología - Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, the event features activities aimed at showcasing the work of female scientists and technologists to inspire young girls to pursue a research career.

María Martinón Torres, director of the CENIEH, Jordi Rovira Carballido, the Rector's representative for Research Culture and Dissemination at the UBU; José María del Olmo Arce, Mayor of the Merindad de Río Ubierna City Council; Chitina Moreno-Torres Rodríguez-Contreras, head of the UCC+I at the CENIEH and Mª Isabel Soto Muñoz of the UCC+I at the UBU presented the activities of the fourteenth Women and Science Week to the media. Under the theme “The Science to Come,” the event encourages reflection on the scientific advancements shaping the future and the crucial role of women in these developments.

Several of the Week's activities will take place in four venues: the Estación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, the CENIEH, the Centro Arqueológico de Ubierna and the Museo de la Evolución Humana (MEH), will offer Sign Language Interpretation (ISL), thanks to the collaboration of the Asociación de Familias de Personas Sordas (ARANSBUR), including the "Science Forum", which takes place on Tuesday, February 11, at 12:00 pm

This is a virtual meeting between Secondary and Baccalaureate students and scientists from different disciplines, to discuss their professional trajectories and experiences, learn about female leaders in research, and discuss the science to come in their respective disciplines. Participants in the forum: Ana María Lara Palma, Industrial Organization Engineer at UBU; Marina Martínez de Pinillos González, dental anthropologist at the CENIEH Paleobiology Program; Alicia Medialdea Utande, physicist at the CENIEH Geochronology and Geology Program, and Sandra Maria Oses Gómez, an agricultural engineer at UBU.

ISL is also offered at the Round Table "The science to come", which will be held on Thursday, February 13, at 7:00 pm, in the CENIEH Assembly Hall, moderated by the director of the CENIEH. The speakers Clara de Luna, of Lumi Lab; Ángela Nieto, of the Instituto de Neurociencias, CSIC-UMH Alicante; Cristina Rubio, of the Universidad de Sevilla, and Cristina Valdiosera, of the Unidad Transversal de Arqueología Molecular UBU-CENIEH, will discuss topics that redefine our knowledge, such as the use of Archaeogenomics to understand human evolution, innovative approaches in the fight against cancer and the applications of Artificial Intelligence in research. 

Admission is free but requires an invitation through Eventbrite. It can also be followed live on the UBU Investiga channel.

The program also includes exhibitions, visits, conferences, as well as educational activities and workshops at the Estación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, in the morning and afternoon, aimed at students of Infant, Primary, Secondary and/or Baccalaureate Education, which address topics related to engineering, mathematics, medicine and materials science, among others. And on Friday, February 14, at 8:15 pm, Ángela Nieto will give the lecture "Deciphering the Embryonic Origin of Adult Diseases" at the MEH, aimed at all audiences.

Ubierna

The Women and Science Week concludes in Merindad de Río Ubierna on Saturday, February 15, returning there in line with our goal of bringing science and the scientific community closer to rural areas. The activities start at 11:00 am at the Centro Arqueológico de Ubierna, with an interactive tour of the history and archaeological wealth of La Merindad and its surroundings, guided by Alba Chicote Cuesta, head of the Centro Cívico de la Merindad de Río Ubierna. 

Next, on the same stage, the following lectures will be given: “Excavations at the Montesclaros Hermitage in Ubierna, 2019-2024”, by Óscar González Díez, archaeologist at ADES. Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, and “Evolution of the Landscape in the Las Loras Geopark,” by Alfonso Benito Calvo, geologist at CENIEH.

VI Darwin Day

During the week, on February 12, the sixth Darwin Day will be celebrated, in which we commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin with a lecture related to the author of "The Origin of Species". This year we have the honor of having the researcher Cristina Valdiosera, who leads the European project AdMEXture ERC, who will give the conference "The Role of Miscegenation in Human Evolution", at 1:00 pm in the CENIEH Assembly Hall. Admission is free until capacity is reached, and it will also be broadcast live on the CENIEH YouTube channel.

As a novelty this year, the CENIEH will host its first Escape Room: "Trapped in the Paleolithic", a family activity organized by the DEATHREVOLteam, led by the CENIEH researcher Nohemi Sala, in which participants will have to solve four fundamental mysteries with the help of fossil remains. Sixteen people (8 children from Primary Education accompanied by 1 adult) can participate per session. There are three one-hour sessions: at 5:30 pm, at 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm. It's a free activity but requires an invitation reservation through Eventbrite. This activity is supported by the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT) - Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (FCT-23-19112) and is part of the DEATHREVOL project of the European Research Council (949330).