Scientists Salvador Macip and Chris Willmott have been the winners of the Nineteenth European Prize for Scientific Dissemination “Estudi General” (“General Study”) of the University of Valencia with the essay ‘Jugar a ser dioses. Los dilemas morales de la ciencia’ (‘Playing God. The moral dilemmas of science’). The award, worth 12.000 euros, has been given the 8 November night during the celebration of the twenty-fifth Literary Awards Ciutat d’Alzira, which were sponsored by the town council and Edicions Bromera.
The event, took place in the 15th Week of Science, Technology and Innovation organised by the Chair for Scientific Dissemination UCC+I of the University of Valencia.
The Vice-Principal for Culture and Equality, Antonio Ariño, the Vice-Principal for Research and Science Policy, Pedro Carrasco, and the director of the Sense Fronteres collection, Fernando Sapiña, attended the awards ceremony, where the 30th anniversary of the Llei valenciana d’ús i ensenyament del valencià was celebrated. Ariño was in charge of giving the nineteenth European Prize for Scientific Dissemination “Estudy General” and emphasised that they have just accomplished “the first hundred years of the incorporation of scientific dissemination as a third function of the University, in addition to teaching and research, with the publication of Rafael Altamira’s work entitled ‘Cuestiones obreras’ (‘Working issues’)”. The Vice-Principal for Culture defended the importance of science in the current society “as unveiling critic of the myths and false needs imposed by consumption, contrary to the fundamental values of justice and dignity”.
‘Jugar a ser dioses. Los dilemas morales de la ciencia’ – which will be published in the Sense Fronteres collection – talks about the most innovative areas of biomedical research, in fact, each chapter begins with a case that describes the possible application of some of these new techniques. The authors invite the reader to think about the possible derivative implications and make a balance presentation of the situation from a scientific perspective and, above all, of its social and ethical importance. And the chapters end with a summary of the arguments for and against the changes that each biomedical discovery presents. “Rather than giving answers we try to ask questions and, above all, provide the necessary information to the reader so the reader can answer them. We firmly believe that only those who understand the moral and social relevance of new scientific advances can participate in the debate and help to decide which path humanity must take in the future”, they argue.
The work was conceived accidentally, through a corridor conversation that both authors had a few years ago in the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Leicester, in which they talked about the social impact of some recent scientific discoveries. “At that moment we thought that it could be interesting to evaluate in a book how science changes our lives and where society is leading to. Salvador Macip had already published some works of dissemination and Chris Willmott is an expert in bioethics and communication, therefore, they thought that writing leaflets on this topic could be an enriching experience. And, immediately, we started to select the topics that seemed more attractive and outstanding”, they say.
Macip and Willmott were “very proud” to have received the European Prize for Scientific Dissemination for this work. “It confirms that there is an interest in knowing more about what scientists do and, above all, desire to participate in the social debate that all advances generate”, according to the scientists. This award “will allow the book to get to a broader audience, one of the most difficult parts of dissemination and, therefore, we want to especially thank the jury for allowing us to add our names to the illustrious list of winners of this award”, they concluded.
Salvador Macip (Blanes, 1970) is doctor, researcher and writer. He studied Medicine at the University of Barcelona, where he also got his PhD in Molecular Genetics. He has published five novels, a compilation of tales, to books for children and a method to learn English, for which he has won prizes such as the Vall d’Albaida, the Vila d’Almassora, Joaquim Ruyra or Carlemany. In the field of scientific dissemination, he is the author of three books and is a regular contributor to the press and radio. Likewise, Chris Willmott (Guildford, United Kingdom, 1967) made his PhD on the resistance to antibiotics at the University of Leicester, to where he returned in 2000 as a professor of the Department of Biochemistry. His research focuses in the field of bioethics and the representation in the media of new biomedical discoveries.
More information: www.uv.es/cdciencia
Last update: 11 de november de 2013 10:45.
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