Pint of Science is a science festival that aims to communicate contemporary scientific developments to the general public in an interesting, engaging and approachable way by bringing scientists to the pub and other accessible places. This festival is held simultaneously in bars around the world for three days.

On this science festival takes part research centers, universities and other entities of the scientific community. In Spain, Pint of Science has the collaboration of researchers from centers such as the CSIC, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Ramón y Cajal Institute, or members from different scientific societies, among many others.

The Pint of Science 2017 talk program covers a wide range of topics: from the brain to the universe; from the human body to nature or from technology to the social sciences. In this edition, we will talk about classical scientific topics, such as galaxies, atoms, cells, bacteria, nanotechnology, insects, neuroscience, or energies, etc.

On this edition of Pint of Science in Santander, researchers from the University of Cantabria, IBBTEC and IDIVAL participate.


• Tuesday 16 May at 8pm

José Ramos Vivas, IDIVAL researcher presents “Climate Change + Infectious Diseases = Disaster²“ at the Rubicón Bar in Santander.

The investigations in different fields that have been used to determine the relationship between climate change and infectious diseases, whether emerging, re-emerging or new, show that morbidity and mortality rates are increasing and will increase more in the future. So then, we can conclude that due to climate change, we must be prepared for substantial changes in the distribution and incidence of infectious diseases.

• Wednesday 17 May at 8pm

María José Marín Vidalled, coordinator of Biobank Valdecilla, presents “Your samples … Our treasure” in the Little Bobby of Santander.

The great advances of medicine over the last years have been possible thanks to the donation of patient samples. These samples are invaluable because they are the raw material needed to produce knowledge about diseases and the search for better treatments. Hospital biobanks are responsible for creating large collections of quality samples to be used in different research projects, ensuring their good use and the rights of donors.

Mónica López Fanarraga, from the Department of Molecular Biology of the University of Cantabria and researcher at IDIVAL, introduces us in “Amazing trip to nanoscale therapies”

Fifty years ago Isaac Asimov's science fiction novel “Fantastic Voyage” describes how a group of scientists are reduced to a microscopic fraction of their original size, sent in a miniaturized atomic sub through a dying man's carotid artery to destroy a blood clot in his brain. As with many other predictions of science fiction, reality has managed to meet some of these expectations in nanomedicine, an emerging reality in diagnostic and therapeutic systems still limited by technology but that will be implemented in the coming years.

More information: 

Pint of Science (link) 

Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL) and the Biomedicine and Biotechnology Institute of Cantabria (IBBTEC) opened a call for summer internships in their laboratories.

The purpose of this call is to promote experimental training for university students from the biomedical and biotech fields. These internships allow students not only to apply the knowledge acquired in the university but also to know firsthand the daily work done in a laboratory.

These internships will be for 8 weeks in the months of July and August of 2017 in the research laboratories of IDIVAL or IBBTEC. Students selected by the evaluation committee will receive a €800 aid for the whole period.

The PROVISIONAL RESOLUTION of the selected candidates is as follows:

More information:

Date 6 of June
Location: Madrid
Address: Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness,
Paseo de la Castellana, 162, Madrid
Observations: AGENDA

The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness holds a National Information Day for the dissemination of the COST Program between the Spanish scientific and technological community. This conference will be held on 6 June at the Hall of MEIC, Paseo de la Castellana 162, in Madrid and will have interventions by the national delegate in the Committee of Senior Representatives of COST and the National Coordinator of COST. In addition, Spanish participants in COST Actions will communicate their experience taking into account the scientific aspects, evaluation of proposals and management of the Actions.

The objective of the conference is to promote the participation of Spanish researchers in the COST Program (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) and to publicize the characteristics and advantages of participating in COST Actions. It will also communicate the recent changes to the Rules of Participation in the COST Program.

¿What is COST?

COST started in 1971 and is currently one of the broadest collaboration frameworks, with € 300 million from the Horizon 2020 budget. COST funds four-year cooperation networks called “COST Actions”.


COST has always been based on the concept of open and inclusive networks (its Actions), which includes all scientific-technological areas (including interdisciplinary fields, new and emerging), new and original ideas (innovative), all types of participants (public and private entities, large and small), different research careers (young and senior researchers), all countries (small and large), etc.

Why is it interesting to attend?

COST Action is a simple instrument, suitable for initiating European and international cooperation in research and innovation projects. COST anticipates and complements the activities of the EU framework programs, it constitutes a “bridge” to the scientific communities of the different disciplines. It also promotes the mobility of researchers across Europe and the establishment of scientific excellence.
The day is addressed to managers and researchers / research groups from universities, research centers, technology centers and companies.

Registration through the following link:

https://oficinaeuropea.fecyt.es/jornada-informativa-redes-europeas-de-cooperacion-en-ciencia-y-tecnologia-cost

Registration will be accepted until 1^st of June , or until capacity is completed.

More information abour COST:

http://eshorizonte2020.es/mas-europa/otros-programas/cost

http://www.cost.eu

The next conference of Santander Biomedical Lectures Program organized by IDIVAL, the University of Cantabria and the IBBTEC will take place on the 25^th of May. The conference will be given by Dr. Arturo Álvarez-Buylla, Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, specialised in in neurogenesis of the adult mammalian brain.

The session will be about “Adult Neural Stem Cells DO NOT Self-Renew Asymmetrically; How are the Retained?”.

 Arturo Álvarez-Buylla is Professor of Neurological Surgery and Heather and Melanie Muss Endowed Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He is Principal Investigator at the Brain Tumor Research Center and at Álvarez-Buylla Laboratory. Álvarez-Buylla Laboratory is an academic neuroscience research laboratory which is part of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. The lab is interested in neuronal origin, proliferation, migration, and integration in the adult brain. From 1989 to 2000, Álvarez-Buylla was Assistant Professor and Head of Laboratory at Rockefeller University. 

Prof. Álvarez-Buylla has received selected honors and awards: Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, Fundacion Príncipe de Asturias, Spain. (Shared with Dr. Joseph Altman and Giacomo Rizzolatti) in 2011; American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2013, Scientific Council of P.K. Anokhin Research Institute of Normal Physiology, Pentennial Medal in 2016, inter alia. He is Professional Membership of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, American Society for Cell Biology and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, etc.

Dr. Alvarez-Buylla has an international reputation for his work in developmental neuroscience and stem-cell neurobiology research. His principal research interests are in neurogenesis of the adult mammalian brain, the assembly of the brain, brain tumors and repair, and the ontogeny and phylogeny of behavior. His expertise encompasses the fields of developmental biology, developmental neuroscience, neurobiology, molecular and cellular neurobiology, and learning and plasticity. An innovator and inventor as well as a scientist, Dr. Alvarez-Buylla has designed a device for mounting tissue sections on histological slides, a digital stereotaxic apparatus for mice and song birds, a computer-based mapping system for tissue sections, and a fluorescent staining technique.

Summary of the Lecture: In many adult mammals, neural stem cells (NSCs) persist in the walls of the lateral ventricle in a germinal niche that preserves key features of the embryonic ventricular zone and a subventricular zone. The primary progenitors (B1 cells) of this adult ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) have been best studied in mice. B1 cells have astroglial properties and generate, in addition to a small number of oligodendroglia, at least ten different subtypes of inhibitory interneurons that migrate to the olfactory bulb. Interestingly, B1 are not all equal: B1 cells in different sub-regions of the V-SVZ produce different subtypes of interneurons. This regional specification is established very early during embryonic development. Recent findings suggest that B1 cells are derived from RG during mid fetal development and then remain quiescent until re-activated to produce neurons in postnatal life. We have studied the mode of division of B1 cells in juvenile mice. In contrast to current views, we find no evidence for asymmetric division of these primary progenitors. Instead, B1 cells divide symmetrically; most of these divisions are consuming to generate progeny, but a small fraction appears to be self-renewing. Consequently, neurogenesis in the juvenile and adult V-SVZ results in a progressive depletion of the population of B1 cells over time. I will discuss how neurogenesis is maintained for to older ages.

The conference will be open to the general public and it will take place at Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital, Salon Tellez Plasencia (Pavilion 16) at 8.15am.

This call PRIM-VAL is part of the Valdecilla Biosanitary Strategic Enhancement Program of IDIVAL focuses on capture talent and innovation. This Program of Support to Primary Care (PRIM-VAL) aims to promote innovation and research in primary care.

Requirements of this call

• RESEARCH PROJECT

Research and innovation projects related to primary care will be considered, preferably patient care, chronic diseases and highly prevalent diseases.

The strategic health action (AES) 2017 of the Institute of Health Carlos III has been opened. Most of the programs of the AES 2017 prioritize actions of research and innovation in the health environment and especially in health research institutes accredited as IDIVAL. 

IDIVAL, according to its strategic lines, offers positions within the institute in the different human resources and training programs: predoctoral, Rio Hortega, Sara Borrell, Miguel Servet, which will be co-financed by the institute. This staff will be integrated in the different existing research groups, whoselines of research can be consulted through this website.

Those persons interested in joining the IDIVAL groups through any of these programs can contact directly with the leaders of the research groups or through the email direccion@idival.org

More information about the Strategic Health Action in the following link

Valdecilla Biomedical Research Institute –IDIVAL organizes the third edition of the workshop “Investigate with patents” on the 23^rd of May. This workshop is given by Patricia Zorrilla, head of the Office of Transfer of Research Results (OTRI) of IDIVAL.

The aim of the session is to study the bases of the patent system as well as practical examples that help the researcher to use patents as a source of scientific and technical information.

Patents are useful as a source of information; for others, they constitute an important academic merit; and for some, represent a potential source of profits. In addition, if they are transferred and exploited, patents contribute to the development of society. Every researcher must acquire basic training on the patent system, which will be very useful in any type of work, and particularly in research.

This workshop will take place on May 23 from 15:30 to 17:30 in classroom 9 (Pavilion 16) of the Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital (HUMV).

Registration for the workshop is free and you can do it through the following link by completing the following form:

http://aplicacionesidival.idival.org/convocatorias/contenido/convocatorias.aspTipoBeca=CURSOS&TituloTipoBeca=CURSOS 

A diploma of attendance will be provided to all attendees.

¡Limited Places!

Course program (pdf)

IDIVAL y la Universidad de Cantabria participate in the COST ACTION CA15211 “Atmospheric Electricity Network: coupling with the Earth System, climate and biological systems” as Spanish representatives within the Management Committee (MC) of the Action.

Professor Pablo Fernández de Arroyabe, from the Department of Geography, urbanism and territory ordination of the University of Cantabria, participated in the meeting of constitution of the COST ACTION, held in Brussels, as a Spanish representative within the Management Committee (MC) of the Action. This first meeting was coordinated by Mafalda Quintas as the Science Officer of the European COST program.

The first meeting of the Management Committee members was led by Prof. Konstantinos Kourtidis from the Athena – Research and Innovation Center in Information, Communication and Knowledge Technologies. He serves as Chair of this new European network for cooperation in science and technology which will last 4 years. This first meeting was attended by representatives of 16 European countries and the directors of the different Working Groups were elected by vote. Professor Fernández de Arroyabe from the UC was named Leader of the Working Group IV, whose research work focuses on the effects of the electric and magnetic fields variations on humans and other biological systems. More information about this Action can be found at:

http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA15211 

Later, on the first scientific meeting of the ACCION held last March in Alexandropolis, Greece, the Professor of Psychiatry of the University of Cantabria Dr. Benedicto Crespo Facorro has joined the Management Committee for the interest that the study of the magnetic and electric fields in the atmosphere can have in relation to mental health. In this way, the two professors of the University of Cantabria, together with the rest of the members of their work group, will study the interaction between Atmosphere and Biology, from specific approaches of disciplines such as Bioelectricity, Biomagnetism, Biometeorology or Psychiatry to evaluate the possible relationship between the electric and magnetic fields and atmospheric processes.