On July 16, August 30 and September 3, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., science arrives at Playa del Cabanyal de València with Mind the Lab, a dissemination activity that approaches the problem of climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals from the UN to all audiences. Organised within the framework of the Mediterranean Researchers’ Night (MEDNIGHT), a European scientific dissemination project, Mind the Lab is held in all the cities that form the consortium, which covers the entire Mediterranean arc. It will be a preview of the great Mediterranean science festival that takes place on September 24.

In Valencia, Mind the Lab is organised by the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community (FISABIO); the University of Valencia (UV); the Research Foundation of the Clinical Hospital of the Valencian Community (INCLIVA); and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in the Valencian Community. It is held in the Bibliomar Booth, on the Cabanyal beach (Las Arenas), from 6 to 9 p.m., with free access and complying with the security protocols that mark the COVID-19 pandemic.

The activities will raise awareness on how to make the world more livable, fair and sustainable, through games and active and participatory dynamics, in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. They will revolve around biodiversity, sustainable cities, the fight against Climate Change, the use of water and energy or responsible consumption. In relation to climate action, SDG 12, the Energy Efficiency Trivial will allow to know clean energies and the meaning of efficiency through questions and tests, as well as to assess which energies are the most beneficial and sustainable. The Goose for Climate Change will pose questions and tests that will move boxes forward or backward in the Giant Goose, related to the concept, causes and effects of Climate Change.

For SDG 11, the STOP CO₂ workshop will make it possible to understand the effects caused by the emission of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse effect and the excessive use of private vehicles; while the Passthetire Game of sustainable mobility will raise the importance of public transport, the use of the bike or friendly and healthy cities. In relation to SDG 12, Sustainable Production and Consumption, the Food Footprint workshop will discuss the origin of food, and the distance it travels to reach homes. By means of a gigantic measuring tape, the food that comes from the other part of the planet, those of proximity and local consumption and those of Kilometre Zero, can be visualised.

Mind the Lab (MTL) is a groundbreaking scientific communication proposal whose objective is to bring science closer to the public, literally, through actions of “guerrilla science” and with the aim of putting the spotlight on that audience that wouldn't normally go to a science dissemination event, going beyond science research centres and science fairs. It is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) awareness campaign that takes place in subway stations and other central places, and is aimed at all citizens, regardless of age, sex, race, educational or social level, or interests.

The objective is to surprise the public through short-term scientific activities, and motivate them to get involved in other types of scientific actions. At Mind the Lab, the participating scientists show us how science that takes place in laboratories is connected to our daily lives and to the world around us. They move their lab to a public place so that anyone who stops to watch can enjoy short-term experiments and activities.

The name Mind the Lab comes from the notice frequently heard on the subway, Mind the Gap. The activity was organised for the first time in the Athens subway in 2017 by the non-profit organisation SciCo (Science Communication) Greece, which works in the field of scientific communication for the general public through innovative, interactive and entertaining formats.

To publicise the main MEDNIGHT event, but also to involve and train the project partners in this type of activity, SciCo Greece has organised Mind the Lab activities on the island of Lemnos during the project kick-off meeting. During MEDNIGHT and the months leading up to it, the project partners will organise activities in public places, such as train stations, seaports, beaches or parks, in all participating cities.

More information: https://mednight.eu/mind-the-lab/?lang=es

Who makes MEDNIGHT possible

MEDNIGHT is held within the framework of the European Researchers’ Night, a scientific dissemination project promoted and funded by the European Commission as part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions (grant agreement No. 101036107) of the Horizon 2020 program.

The MEDNIGHT project, coordinated by the Alicante company El Caleidoscopio, brings together the participation in a consortium of 13 institutions: the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community (FISABIO); the Jaume I University (UJI); the University of Valencia (UV); the Research Foundation of the Clinical Hospital of the Valencian Community (INCLIVA); the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); the University of Murcia; the University of Alicante (UA); the Didactic and Interactive Science Museum Foundation of the Vega Baja del Segura of the Valencian Community (MUDIC); Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT); SÉNECA Foundation - Science and Technology Agency of the Region of Murcia; SciCo Greece and SciCo Cyprus.

More information:

• Web -  https://mednight.eu/
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/MednightEu
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mednighteu/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Mednight2021/
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDK5TmcUa9-HiBADpeFdbHw