2026 Edition
In this section, you will find all the necessary information to participate in the 8th edition of #científiques. Remember that participation is open to scientists from public and private entities in Catalonia, as well as 6th-grade primary school and 1st-year secondary school students from Catalan educational centers. If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQS section.
Main event of #científiques – Programme
Monday, 9 February 2026 – Assembly Hall of Col·legi Diocesà Sagrada Família de Tortosa
11:00 a.m. – Registration of attendees to the Meet-up and welcome breakfast
9:00 am Arrival of Year 6 primary school students and Year 7 secondary school students from Col·legi Diocesà Sagrada Família de Tortosa, and Year 7 students from Institut de Camarles
9:30 am Start of the event
Talk by Sara García Alonso, molecular biologist, researcher at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) and the first Spanish woman to join the European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Reserve
10:05 am Closing remarks
By the Hon. Ms Núria Montserrat Pulido, Minister for Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia and President of the FCRI
10:10 a.m. – End of the event
#científiques Meet-up - Programme
Tuesday, 27 January 2026 – Aula Magna, UAB Casa Convalescència (Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 171, Barcelona)
11:00 a.m. – Registration of attendees to the Meet-up and welcome breakfast
12:00 p.m. – Institutional opening
Esther Zapater Duque, Secretary General of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Sonia Fernández Cuenca, Director General for Curriculum and Professional Development, Department of Education and Vocational Training, Government of Catalonia
Teresa Sanchis Estruch, Director General for Research, Department of Research and Universities, Government of Catalonia, and Vice President of the FCRI
Eduard Vallory i Subirà, Director General of BIST
Miquel Gómez Clares, Director General of FCRI
12:15 p.m. – Outreach talk: “Go above and beyond (the Standard Model) with particle colliders"
Tamara Vázquez Schröder, Particle Physics Researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE). Featured scientist on the #científiques 2026 poster.
12:40 p.m. – Presentation and discussion: Women scientists in the media
Pampa García Molina, Science Journalist and Director of the Science Media Centre Spain
Sandra Acosta Verdugo, Head of Research Group at the BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Centre (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, and Professor of Neuroanatomy at the University of Barcelona (UB)
Anna Sanchez Vidal, Researcher in the Marine Geosciences research group at the Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB), and Associate Professor at the same institution
Moderator: Cristina Sáez Torres, Science Journalist and Coordinator of the Science section at Ara newspaper
1:40 p.m. – Closing of the #científiques Meet-up
Javier Lafuente Sancho, Rector Magnificus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Eva Menor Cantador, Minister for Equality and Feminism of the Government of Catalonia
2:00 p.m. – End of the event and group photo
IMPORTANT: Access to the event is by invitation only
Promotional poster #científiques 2026
The promotional poster is one of this year’s new features. This image, which will accompany us throughout the edition, is available for you to display in your classrooms or workplaces.
This year, the researcher featured in the #científiques 2026 image is Tamara Vázquez Schröder, and the artist who illustrated her is Gemma Terol García. We introduce them to you below:
THE PROTAGONIST: Tamara Vázquez Schröder, researcher at IFAE, where she leads a particle physics research group.
Tamara Vázquez Schröder (Argentina, 1988) is a physicist and researcher at the Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE). She was awarded a Ramón y Cajal grant in 2022 and is currently leading an ATRAE 2024 fellowship.
She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Göttingen (Germany). From 2015 to 2018, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University (Canada), and from 2018 to 2020 she held a fellowship at CERN, where she then worked as a junior research staff member from 2020 to 2024.
Her research focuses on physics beyond the Standard Model (which describes all known matter particles and their interactions), with a particular interest in models that aim to address the hierarchy problem (why is the mass of the Higgs boson relatively so small?) and the so-called “flavor puzzle” (why are fermion masses so different, and why do they appear to be arranged in three generations?).
The Standard Model cannot explain these—or many other—open questions, making new models necessary, predicting new particles such as leptoquarks, vector-like fermions, or new, heavier, electrically charged Higgs bosons.
Since 2010, she has been part of the ATLAS international scientific collaboration, based at CERN and composed of thousands of researchers and engineers from all over the world.
ATLAS is a multifunctional particle detector that records proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which operates at the highest collision energy ever achieved by an accelerator. These data are later analysed by the collaboration, organised into research teams focused on different physical phenomena.
Among the goals of the LHC are studying Standard Model predictions at high energies and discovering new physical phenomena beyond the Standard Model, with the ultimate aim of expanding our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature. One of the major achievements of the ATLAS and CMS collaborations was the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, the missing piece in the Standard Model puzzle.
THE ARTIST: Gemma Terol García, graphic designer, illustrator and art director
Gemma Terol García (Alcoi, 1978) is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Barcelona. She combines her graphic design work at MMMM studio with more personal illustration projects, always depicting everyday scenes and objects.
She has worked for El País, the project The Barcelonian, Barcelona en Comú, Editorial Planeta, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, Penguin Random House and the Girona Art Museum, among others. Her creations are almost always in three colours—mainly red, blue and a touch of yellow. When she works in ceramics, she enjoys bringing her illustrated universe onto the pieces and telling stories on plates.
Trobada de #científiques - Programa
Dimarts, 27 de febrer de 2026 – Aula Magna de la UAB Casa Convalescència (carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 171, de Barcelona)
A partir de les 11:00 h – Acreditacions i esmorzar de benvinguda
12:00 h Obertura institucional.
Miquel Gómez Clares, director general de l’FCRI
Eduard Vallory i Subirà, director general del BIST
Esther Zapater, secretària general de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
12:15 h Xerrada divulgativa: “Go above and beyond (the Standard Model) with particle colliders"
Tamara Vázquez Schröder, investigadora en física de partícules a l’Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE). Protagonista del cartell de #científiques 2026.
12:40 h Presentació i conversa: Les científiques als mitjans de comunicació
Pampa García Molina, periodista científica, directora del Science Media Centre Espanya.
Sandra Acosta, cap de grup de recerca al Barcelona Beta Brain Research Centre (BBRC), Fundació Pasqual Maragall, i professora de neuroanatomia a la Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Anna Sanchez Vidal, professora agregada, investiga la petjada antropogènica als oceans a la UB
Facilitadora: Cristina Sáez, periodista especialitzada en ciència, coordinadora de la secció de ciència del diari Ara.
13:40 h Cloenda de la Trobada de #científiques
Prof. Javier Lafuente, rector magnífic de la UAB.
Hble. Sra. Esther Niubó Cidoncha, consellera d’Educació i Formació Professional de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Hble. Sra. Núria Montserrat Pulido, consellera de Recerca i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya, presidenta de l’FCRI i membre del patronat del BIST.
12:00 h Fi de l’acte i fotografia de les #científiques
IMPORTANT: Accés a l’acte només per invitació
#científiques 2026 Calendar
Registration
Registration will be open from November 4 to December 22, 2025. In the Sign up section of the website, you will find the registration forms for both #científiques and schools, along with the instructions to follow.
Matching
From December 22, 2025, to January 12, 2026, we will work on matching #científiques with educational centers. Between January 13 and 23, we will inform you of the results so that you can coordinate.
#científiques Meet-up
On January 27, 2026, all participating #científiques are invited to this event, which will be held at the Casa Convalescència of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau (UAB Campus Barcelona). We will update you with further details about the #científiques Meet-up soon.
Talks
On February 11, 2026, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, women scientists participating in #científiques will give talks to 6th grade primary school students and 1st year secondary school students across Catalonia. If this date doesn’t work for your talk, feel free to arrange another date with your assigned scientist or school.
Training for Educators: "#científiques: Beyond 11F". Online and recognized by the Department of Education and Vocational Training of the Government of Catalonia.
Description
The course #científiques: Beyond February 11 is a 15-hour accredited training designed to support educators and teaching staff participating in the #científiques initiative. It provides practical tools and resources for integrating science and STEM identity into classroom activities for students in 6th grade of primary school and 1st year of secondary school.
The course is delivered entirely in Catalan. For more details, please visit the Catalan language page.
Training for Scientists: Workshop to Prepare Your Talk
Is this your first time with #científiques, and would you like some initial feedback on your talk? Want to rethink your presentation? Looking for fresh ideas or a new approach?
Sign up for this collaborative workshop where, alongside other #cientifiques participants and professionals in science communication and outreach, you will:
- Review scientific communication tools to explain your research and tailor it to 6th-grade and 1st-year secondary school students.
- Share a brief overview of your talk in small groups.
- Receive feedback and ideas to enhance your presentation.
SESSIONS
27 January, 9.30 am. In-person session, in Catalan, at the UAB Casa de Convalescència (carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 171, de Barcelona). Register here.
29 January, 12 pm. Online session, in English. Register here.
4 February, a les 12 pm. Online session, in Catalan. Register here.
Support materials for Scientists and Educators
tIn the Support materials section of the website, you’ll find a variety of support materials.
If you’re a scientist, you’ll find, among other things, a suggested template for preparing your classroom presentation and social media materials to use for yourself or share with your institution’s communications team. If you can’t attend this year’s training sessions, you can watch videos from previous editions.
If you’re an educator, you’ll find resources like the commitment letter you’ll need to sign to confirm your registration, the Teaching Guide, and other relevant materials.
For any questions, check the FAQS section. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to contact us.