2020
7th IOSA Scientific Seminar 2020
17/12/2020
On December we celebrated the 7th edition of the IOSA Scientific Seminars. These seminars are open to the scientific community of the Institute of Optics (IO-CSIC): pre- and post-doctoral researchers, technicians, as well as senior researchers. They are aimed to create a friendly environment for scientific discussions in the topics of the different lines of research developed in the IO-CSIC. It was a different and special edition. For the first time, it took place in an online format.
Besides, we welcomed the new tenured scientists of the Institute of Optics, who lectured about their current and future research: Alejandro Manjavacas, Aitor Villafranca, Alberto de Castro and Marcelo Bertalmío.
Did you miss it or want to see it again? Click here to access the recording of the Seminars!
It is an activity that we always like to organize in person, but even though this year was not possible, we had a lot of fun recording the videos and it was funny seeing the outtakes during the filming.
Knowing that they will be available from now on made it even more joyful, even if it required a lot of coordination from all the members that participated.
Lots of children and adults enjoyed doing the experiments from home, and the feedback received was amazing. It definitely paid off the effort after reading the comments and seeing the interest of the people who joined the activity
Week of Science waiting for you next year, and it will be even better!!!!
Week of Science 2020
11/2020On November 2020, we celebrated Week of Science in a very special way. As this challenging year didn’t allow us to perform any on-site workshops or activities, we prepared a series of videos from the book "Discovering the Light", that conformed a great online Gymkhana inspired in the among us videogame.
We had video experiments of:
-Light properties.
-Optical elements and vision.
-Fluorescence and phosphorescence
-Optical telecommunications
First Zoom - monthly meeting!
04/05/2020We had our monthly meeting by Zoom! New ideas coming out the quarantine. Stay tuned!!
Workshop @ Torres de la Alameda
29/02/2020
On February 26 we carried out an activity in a cultural center in Torres de la Alameda (Madrid). The activity took place in two groups divided by age between 4-7 years the first group and 8-12 years the second group.
It was a very moving experience for a member of the group since the activity took place in his town, where he was able to show the type of science that is developed in his field of research:
Optics is found in every corner of our day to day.
IOSA members explained different optical concepts in an interactive and visual way
-Optical telecommunications
-Vision
-Fluorescence, phosphorescence and chemiluminescence.
-Light Properties
It was a very touching experience for a member of the group since the activity took place in her town, where she was able to show the type of science that is developed in his field of research: OPTICS.
Optics is found in every corner of our day to day.
Ciencia en el Barrio IES CIUDAD DE JAÉN
03/03/2020As part of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) outreach program ‘Ciencia en el barrio’, IOSA members Victor Rodríguez and Carmen M Lago visited IES Ciudad de Jaén in Madrid on 3rd of March. The main goal of this program is bringing science closer to young students at risk of social exclusion in order to motivate them and make them participate as young scientific disseminators. Besides, 12 students with motor disabilities were involved in the activity.
Regarding the activity, the goal is to explain a couple of workshops to the students, so they’re able to reproduce and explain them to younger students. Later, they will have to show them to students from other high schools in a science fair.
At the beginning of the activity, we were introduced by the organizer of ‘Ciencia en el barrio’ program and then we gave a brief explanation of our own research at the labs. We then explained two workshops: ray tracing and pseudo-holography.
Different concepts of geometrical optics and human vision system were explained to the students in the ray tracing workshop. Next, we showed them how to create a pseudo-hologram using a smartphone and a plastic sheet.
To finish the activity, we divided the students in two groups of 15 people and gave them the materials so they can perform the workshops by themselves and answered all their questions about both workshops
Microscopy Course 2020
20/02/2020Every year the Microscopy course is held at the IO, and this year we were able to make our small contribution where Carlos, a member of our Student Chapter (an expert on this topic), gave a talk on how to build a microscope and make an observation with low cost materials. This concept is oriented to outreach activities for students. Tips that teachers can carry out in class.
You always have to think big ... But also in an accessible way for everyone. Live basic science.
Colegio CEIP Pintor Rosales
11/02/2020En relación al 11F, Día Internacional de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia, Clara Benedí y María Pilar Urizar acudieron al Colegio Pintor Rosales (Madrid). El planteamiento de la actividad consistía en acercar a alumnos de 4-5 años la actividad científica por medio de la interacción con dos mujeres científicas. La actividad se dividió en dos secciones.
En primer lugar, se habló con los alumnos sobre:
La actividad científica: entendiéndola como el desarrollo de experimentos con la motivación de mejorar situaciones actuales.
La óptica: mostrando su importancia en la vida cotidiana como el ejemplo de las gafas.
A continuación, se realizó con los alumnos 3 breves experimentos:
Invisibilidad de las bolas de hidrogel
Imagen holográfica
Trazado de rayos
En total la actividad duró 1 hora, aproximadamente. Tanto los alumnos como las profesoras quedaron satisfechos con el desarrollo de la actividad. Los experimentos realizados resultaron atractivos para los alumnos que no dudaron en acercarse para observar y jugar con el material para repetirlos.
En conjunto, la valoración de la actividad es muy satisfactoria.
11/02/2020
This year we wanted to commemorate the important women of the Optics Institute (IO-CSIC), women who were pioneers in their lines of research at a time when being a woman and dedicating yourself to science was not common. We want to thank the work of all these women, surely there are many more, if you know them leave it in the comments or add some more information than is present.
Congratulations to all those women who are dedicated to science. Congratulations IOSA members .
Introducción a la Astrofísica Amateur with Jorge Martín Blázquez
24/01/2020
Our first activity in 2020, Introduction to Amateur Astrophysics with Jorge Martín Blázquez, on January 24, 2020. It was a seminar that had a resounding success, you can see it in the photos, it is already known that the topic of space attracts a lot of attention and has a fan everywhere.
In addition, Jorge explained the topic in a very close and simple way, encouraging everyone who has curiosity and passion that it is a technique that can be learned.
And that it is not important to start with large sophisticated and expensive observation systems, but rather that you can make observations with little and that you can progress little by little.
Link to amazing photos:
In the afternoon we could not make an observation given the state of the sky, it was cloudy. But we were able to see the telescope mounting process from scratch and the type of analysis that is performed on the images.
We really want the Sun to rise and to be able to use the IO dome, one exit wit @Jorge Martín Blázquez is pending !!!.