This week, from October 22 to October 28, we celebrate the International Open Access Week 2018, organized by the SPARC* (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), with the slogan "Setting the Default to Open". The idea is to share the idea that Open Access is the most effective way to disseminate research!

Xavier Obradors, ICMAB Director and researcher at the Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures (SUMAN) group, inaugurated on Thursday, 18 October 2018, the academic year 2018-2019 of the RACAB, at RACAB building in Les Rambles. Xavier Obradors, member of the RACAB since 2001, presented the report on "Nanomaterials for the energy transition". 

The ICMAB has published its Annual Report 2017. The document covers the most remarkable activities of 2017, a selection of scientific highlights, and the main outcomes of the actions supported by the Severo Ochoa project. You can download the PDF here and check out the website version following this link: https://resources.icmab.es/annualreport2017/

The Association of Women Researchers and Technologists in Catalonia (AMIT-CAT), with the collaboration of the ICE/UAB and the sponsorship of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC) thanks to the "Premi Sant Jordi Creus Cases 2017", opens the call for the "STEM AMB TU" initiative, in which young women professionals will bring STEM to secondary schools to promote STEM among girls. 

Every spring, ICMAB celebrates its anniversary with a party for all the members of the Institute. ICMAB was founded in 1986, so this year we celebrated its 32 anniversary! From early in the morning until mid-afternoon, a lot of different activities were organized by many volunteers, so that everybody could particiapate and enjoy the day. 

The "Bake your best cake" contest of our ICMAB party counted with 11 participants and 12 cakes or desserts (one participant baked 2). A jury formed by 6 experts in the field valued the originality, the aspect and the flavor of each one of them. The contest took place at 11 am in the morning, and caused a huge expectation among the ICMAB members, as you can see in the picture.

The winning cake was the "Superflavored 2D material" cake, from Marta Vendrell. This cake had some very special ingredients... Take a look at them:

Our traditional photo contest, FOTICMAB, is already a consolidated activity and receives every year a high participation. This year, we had three categories: scientific, artistic and "ICMAB moments". The artistic category was the one with the highest participation (48 photos), followed by our most favourite scientific category (19 photos) and the recovered "ICMAB moments" with 10 photos.

The winner of the scientific category is the photo you can see above; "Photonic leaf" by Cristiano Matricardi. "Rainbow", by Laia Soler won the artistic category, and "¡Con una sonrisa se trabaja mejor!" by Adriana Kyvik won the "ICMAB moments" category. The three winners are all PhD researchers at the Institute. The winner of each cateogory received a smartbox to enjoy a dinner for two. 

Let's see the story behind each one of the winning and finalist photos:

On Wednesday, May 9, 2018, the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC) hosted the XXX IEC Chemistry Debate "Connect the Materials Science with the young students". Susagna Ricart and Arántzazu González took part in the event, which was held from 4 to 7 pm at the amazing "Sala Prat de la Riba".

The event also included an awards ceremony for the students who won the prizes to the best secondary school Research Projects (12a edició dels Premis als Treballs de Recerca). Three of these students will come to ICMAB this summer as part of this award to work closely with three of our researchers and see the daily life of a scientist!

Margarita Salas, who has been for more than 50 years working on molecular biology research, was honored with the Doctor honoris causa by the UAB on Wednesday, 18 April 2018 at noon. The ceremony took place at the conference hall (Sala d'Actes) of the Rectorat building, presided by the UAB Dean, Margarita Arboix, and the deans of the Faculties of Science and Biosciences. Montserrat Llagostera, Chair Professor of the Department of Genetics and Microbiology, who proposed Margarita Sals for this award, introduced her to the audience. 

On Friday, 16 March 2018, the secondary school INS Mercè Rodoreda (Hospitalet de Llobregat) celebrated their "IV Scientific Day" (IV Jornada Científica)with scientific activities for their students, from 1st ESO to 2nd BTX. Núria Aliaga, ICREA Research Professor at ICMAB, was one of the invited speakers. She had the big challenge of talking about science to "Arts and Humanities" 3rd and 4th ESO students. 

On 8 March 2018, the International Women's Day, the ICMAB makes public the results of the survey performed to our staff during the week between 12 and 16 February, in the framework of the the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), and organized by the ICMAB Gender Committee.

Today we started to celebrate some of the events for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We had a seminar at 12 pm from Montse Ribell on Mileva Mariç, a great women eclipsed by a great man, Albert Einstein, and who left her studies in physics and maths for him. 

After the seminar, we took a group photo of the women at ICMAB, but also of the men... Why? 

11 February 2018: International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Richard P. Feynman was born on 11 May 1918. This new year 2018 would be his centenary, and to commemorate it, EspaiNANO, the group from the Catalan Association fos Scientific Communication for the Communication and Outreach of Nanotechnology, has organized a variety of activities and events. ICMAB also collaborates in the organization of this celebration, called FeynmanTotal. 

INSPIRACIENCIA: concurs de relats d'inspiració científica

Escriu una bona ficció científica i participa! Tens temps fins al 17 de maig de 2018.Recorda que aquest any hi ha un accèssit FEYNMAN pels relats inspirats en aquesta figura!

The physicists Xavier Obradors, ICMABDirector, and Ignasi Ribas, Director of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, IEEC), gave a joint lecture for the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Institute "Lluís de Peguera" in Manresa (26 October 2017), in which they both went as students. Their dialogue "From nanoscience to space" was followed by an enthusiast audience eager to learn. 

This year, to celebrate Christmas, on Tuesday, December 19, we will have with us Xavier Roqué, Senior Lecturer in History of Science at UAB and member of the Phylosophy Dept. and of the Center for the History of Science (UAB). Xavier will give a Christmas Lecture entitled "Re-reading Curie", in which he will suggest new readings of, probably, the best-known woman scientist of the twentieth century: Marie Skłodowska Curie. 

After the seminar, there will be the traditional Christmas Concert by the ICMAB choir and the Christmas Buffet for all our staff.  

On October 6th, the Retirement Reception honoring Prof. Vladimir Laukhin, "Volodya", took place at the Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles of the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB), where he has been working during the last 20 years. 

The Institute of Materials Science of Barcelon (ICMAB) is hosting a reception on Friday, October 6th, at 9:30 am, to recognize Prof. Vladimir Laukhin, who is retiring after 16 years at ICMAB.

2017 May
Bellaterra
WEBSITE

Hasta el 17 de mayo de 2017 se puede participar a través de su web: inspiraciencia.es. Las obras se pueden presentar en castellano, catalán, gallego y euskera, en dos categorías, joven y adulto. El concurso de relatos va acompañado de un ciclo de charlas dedicado en esta edición a las relaciones entre la química y la literatura.

Lectura teatralizada dirigida a estudiantes de primaria y secundaria.
Fecha: 6 y 7 de Febrero. 
Lugar: Salón de actos, IES Pere Calders, Bellaterra, Barcelona.
Organiza: Grupo de Mujeres del ICMAB.

WEBSITE

2004 November, 30
Bellaterra

2003 November, 30
Bellaterra