CONICET researcher at the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development

Researcher Diego Lamas participated in the 24-hour online live broadcast of the “International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development” event carried out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture (UNESCO) on World Environment Day. The aim of the event was to share how scientific results and ways of doing science contribute to building a better world for society as a whole.

To watch the broadcast: click here

Lamas is the director of the Institute of Emerging Technologies and Applied Sciences (ITECA, CONICET-ECyT-UNSAM) and of the ITECA Applied Crystallography Laboratory. He presented the experience of the ‘Argentine Crystal Growth Contest’ launched by the ‘Argentine Association of Crystallography’ (AACr) for the promotion of scientific vocations in young people: “This Contest is an experience that was born in 2014, the international year of crystallography and the tenth anniversary of the Argentine Association of Crystallography. The objective was to disseminate crystallography and promote interest in Exact and Natural Sciences in general”, expressed Lamas.

We encourage Group work of  a maximum of three students, to stimulate exchange and collaboration among participants. In addition, simple and cheap substances are selected, which are accessible and easy to handle not only in any secondary school in the country, regardless of their economic resources, but also in the homes of the students, with the aim of involving the entire educational community and encouraging parents to participate in the activity.

Founded in 2004, the AACr is dedicated to disseminate Crystallography in the country and to bring together the groups that work in this field and/or use it as a tool in their research. To disseminate this proposal, Lamas organized numerous teacher training workshops on Crystallography and Crystal Growth, visiting all the provinces of the country. “Due to the enthusiasm generated in the educational community and the excellent level of the works received, the AACr decided to continue with this contest annually, even despite COVID and different difficulties in the country,” explained the researcher.

The International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, aims to increase recognition of the importance of science to advance in the directions set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda. It was officially launched at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France on July 8, 2022. More than 250 events have already taken place around the world, with hundreds of thousands of participants. Many more are planned until the closing ceremony, which will take place on December 15, 2023 at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (known as CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.