We spoke with Belén Gilarranz
We spoke with Belén Gilarranz
We spoke with Belén Gilarranz, who has been working for 12 years at FECYT, Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología.,
She defines herself as a person of letters who was led by fate to the exciting world of science and innovation. A hard-working mother, an optimist by nature and a fighter.
We share this interesting conversation with her.
Belén, how did fate manage to lead a person of letters towards science and innovation?
B.G. First of all, I want to point out that when I say that I am a humanities student, it is because I studied a humanities degree, but I am not in favour of the division between science and humanities. The separation between disciplines is something relatively recent, since in the past such a separation was not conceived. Characters such as Hypatia of Alexandria, Leonardo da Vinci or Santiago Ramón y Cajal stood out both in the scientific field and in the artistic and humanistic field, which allowed them to understand the world around them and provide solutions in a more complete and holistic way.
The trend should be towards an education that integrates both approaches (science and humanities). Interdisciplinarity is absolutely necessary for solving complex problems and challenges, as we have seen in the pandemic and are seeing with climate change, for example.
That said, I am going to tell you why fate led me more than 20 years ago to work in the field of science, technology and innovation. It all started during my MBA internship at Euroforum Escorial (management training), where I met the man who would be my “mentor” for a few years, César Ullastres. César trusted me from the beginning, and suggested that I go with him to a project that he was starting (back in 2002), the Fundación Genoma España.
“[…] I am not in favour of the division between science and humanities. The separation between disciplines is something relatively recent, since in the past such a separation was not conceived”
Genoma España was a state-run foundation whose mission was to promote technological development, knowledge transfer and innovation, mainly in the biotechnology sector (nothing more and nothing less). I loved the challenge that was put before me: selecting the team that would be the seed of this project; launching a training programme for bioentrepreneurs; promoting the biotech sector inside and outside Spain; bringing biotechnology closer to society… It was a very fun, exciting and, above all, enriching stage, not only on a professional level but also on a personal level. At Genoma we created a great family (you cannot imagine the professionalism and human quality of all the people who make up the Genoma team).
In 2012, the Genoma Foundation merged with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT). It was a tough and sad period because the essence of Genoma Spain disappeared, but as the Spanish saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining and my time at FECYT has also been full of learning and challenges, such as the launch of the crowdfunding platform for scientific research projects; the conceptualization and coordination of a fundraising course for public research centers; the creation and dynamization of the Council of Foundations for Science… And always linked to the areas of communication, marketing, external relations and fundraising. And here I am with new projects and challenges ????
Working in a science and innovation environment is a very enriching and rewarding experience that allows you to continuously learn and interact with very interesting and inspiring people. I feel very fortunate.
At designce we affirm that science is a universal language; it does not need translation. Do you agree with this statement?
B.G. Of course, science is a universal language because it transcends borders, languages and cultures; because it promotes collaboration and interdisciplinarity for the generation of knowledge; because it shares advances and discoveries… Furthermore, without science there is no progress, no development, no well-being. In short, without science the future would be uncertain.
Science is a universal language, but it is necessary to translate science so that citizens understand, value and support it. We must promote public communication of science and the social valorisation of science in order to build a society with critical, informed and participatory thinking. We must also encourage and facilitate dialogue between the scientific community and citizens and between academia and the public sector. Therefore, I believe that translation is crucial for science to be able to positively influence society, make better-informed decisions and develop public policies.
Your career at FECYT is extensive. Every two years you publish the survey on the social perception of science and technology in Spain. Personally, have you noticed a great evolution in Spain as a society. If so, in what aspects?
B.G. Since 2002, FECYT has been carrying out the Social Perception of Science Survey that you mentioned every two years. This survey aims to find out the beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviours of the population living in Spain with respect to science and technology. It offers us a unique view of how the perception of science in Spanish society has evolved ( Percepción Social de la Ciencia y la Tecnología en España 2022 | FECYT)
The survey shows us that the perception of Spanish society is positive (data and opinions) and I personally also believe that there is an evolution in Spain as a society in relation to science and technology. I believe that citizens are more interested in science, more aware of the importance of investing in scientific research (especially after the pandemic), more informed and trained to give their opinion on scientific issues and to reject or not believe in pseudosciences… In general, they have greater confidence in science and its benefits.
I also observe (and the Survey confirms this) that interest in science is greater among people with more education and a higher socio-cultural level.
The Foundation promotes scientific dissemination through projects and calls for proposals. Is there still room for innovation in this area?
B.G. There is always room for improvement, whether in the methodology, the type of activity, the channels used, the messages, the format, the target audience, the impact… or simply improving on the previous edition by taking into account the suggestions and proposals of the beneficiaries of the activity or initiative.
Continuous improvement is essential.
Can recent scientific and technological discoveries influence the social and labour structure in the near future?
B.G. Obviously technological advances are evolving societies and professions, but I don’t think it is a danger but rather an opportunity. Of course, we must regulate what is necessary (but not abuse it) and we must never forget ethics.
For example, artificial intelligence is making our lives easier both on a personal level (virtual assistants, health monitoring, etc.) and on a professional level (task automation, information search, data analysis, etc.). It can be said that it is revolutionizing our lives for the better with tools that increase efficiency, improve decision-making, and shorten task times.
Anything new always generates fear and often rejection, but we must renew ourselves and adapt to changes and take advantage of the opportunities and advantages offered by new technologies and scientific advances.
Miguel de Unamuno already said it: “progress consists of renewing oneself” and the popular saying, which is very wise, also says it: “renew or die” (apparently this saying has its origin in Unamuno’s phrase).
“I believe that citizens are more interested in science, more aware of the importance of investing in scientific research, more informed and educated to give their opinion on scientific issues and to reject or not believe in pseudosciences… In general, they have greater confidence in science and its benefits..“
We are exposed to so much information these days. It seems harder and harder to be surprised every day. Are you still curious? Are you still surprised?
B.G. Of course I am still curious and I continue to be surprised. Curiosity and the desire to know is intrinsic to human nature, as Aristotle said in his work “Metaphysics”: “All men desire, by nature, to know.”
As you say, we are exposed to a lot of information and therefore we have to be selective and critical with what we read, hear and see. We have to validate the sources and select those that are most interesting and reliable.
Currently, the average attention span of a person is 5 seconds (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). If in this short space of time the article, news, podcast or video does not engage us, we stop reading, listening to or watching it. For this reason, creativity is essential in communication to provoke reactions and emotions in the user (interest, surprise, joy, curiosity, concern…). The headlines, the images, the cover of a video, the subject of an email… are what has to generate that initial reaction. And once attention has been captured, they also have to retain it with good “storytelling”, that is, a well-told story that combines different narrative, graphic and audiovisual elements; that simplifies the information without losing rigor; that exchanges facts, data, evidence, reactions and opinions of experts… And also provides (through links or bibliography) more detailed information for people who want to delve deeper into the subject or want to have more technical knowledge.
Curiosity and the desire to continue learning should never be lost.
One of our products quotes Claude Bernat’s phrase: “Art is I, Science is We”. Given this collective vision, what role do educational institutions play in promoting scientific literacy in society?
B.G. Promoting and fostering a culture of science and innovation is essential. Science (all sciences) and innovation open minds and encourage critical thinking.
Educational institutions play an essential role in scientific literacy. They should awaken interest and passion for science (vocations – although I don’t like this word very much) from an early age. However, to do this, science must be taught in a different way: by fostering curiosity; stimulating reasoning; experimenting; explaining what it is used for and in which areas of daily life it is applied.
Teachers are essential in the process of falling in love with a subject. We have all had, almost certainly, a teacher who has marked us forever and made us enthusiastic about a subject, or the opposite, who made us hate it or think that we were not capable of learning it (as happened to me with mathematics).
My oldest son asked a high school teacher what algebra was for and the teacher replied that it was for passing the exam. Honestly, this answer strikes me as coming from a person who cares nothing about the subject he teaches, nor about his students. This is what needs to change. Teachers need to inspire, arouse interest and enamor students with their subject.
I don’t want to get too involved, but I think that the education system needs a good change and that the teaching profession should be more valued. In addition to rewarding those who get involved with their students, they innovate in teaching practice and transmit true passion for what they do.
Caricature of Bethlehem by Fernando Buendía, in Cádiz, year 2023, during an ITEMAS presentation
How are social media and other digital platforms changing the dissemination and perception of science?
B.G. I don’t want to get too involved, but I think that the education system needs a good change and that the teaching profession should be more valued. In addition to rewarding those who get involved with their students, they innovate in teaching practice and transmit true passion for what they do.
Furthermore, these platforms facilitate direct communication between scientists and society, allowing for a more open and two-way dialogue (interaction and engagement). This not only helps to demystify science and make it more attractive, but also fosters greater trust and understanding.
But we must also be very careful with disinformation, hoaxes and fake news. We must not believe everything we read or hear; we must check the information, verify the sources, examine the evidence and not trust sensationalist headlines.
Finally, is there any scientific explanation, any concept that you find particularly beautiful or striking?
B.G. I love the word serendipity According to the RAE, serendipity is a valuable discovery that occurs accidentally or by chance. There are several examples of serendipity in science, the best known of which is that of penicillin, discovered by chance in 1928 by Alexander Fleming.
I don’t know if you know the story, but I’ll tell you in a very concise and colloquial way. Fleming went on holiday and left some staphylococci (a type of bacteria) cultures in his laboratory. When he returned from holiday he discovered that one of the cultures had been contaminated by a fungus (Penicillium notatum). Instead of throwing it away he was curious enough to analyse it and realised that staphylococci did not develop near the fungus and he was able to propose the hypothesis that this fungus blocked the development of the bacteria. Fleming published his discovery in 1829, but penicillin was not used as an antibiotic on a large scale until 10 years later.
There are other scientific words that I like because they sound good and because of the role they play in our body: enzymes (they are speacialist proteins telómeros (la longitud de los telómeros -extremo de un cromosoma- se considera un marcador importante del envejecimiento celular), neurona (la unidad básica de comunicación en el sistema nervioso), entre otras.
And finally, I am interested and concerned about everything that has to do with the study of the brain, since it is still a great unknown. Especially neurodegenerative diseases, since I have experienced first-hand what it is like to have a very dear person with Alzheimer’s (my mother ????).