iBB

Vasco Bonifácio participated in the International Science Festival FIC.A 2022 from 10 to 16 of October 2022 (Hub-ACT, Oeiras). This was an invitation/collaboration with the Portuguese Association for Women in Science (Lucélia Pombeiro). Their proposed activities included: The Perfume Laboratory (demonstration of lavender essential oil hydrodistillation and explanation how perfumes are formulated), The Air We Live In (composition and importance of surrounding gases with emphasis on carbon dioxide – dry ice show), Black Ink Secrets (discovery of black inks formulations using chromatography – hands-on experiment). Vasco Bonifácio also assisted the Virtual Tour To The International Space Station (ISS), using the Oculus Quest VR glasses. This tour included the presentation of ISS, giving an overview of the importance of space research, and revealing some interesting facts about life in space.

Cláudia P. Godinho, PhD researcher at Sá-Correia’s lab in BSRG-iBB, participated in the clarification of a well-known myth for the TVI news section “A Hora da Verdade”. The participation can be watched here. The 5-second rule states a time window of 5 seconds where it is safe to pick up food after it has been dropped to the floor. The experimental setup organized at the iBB Biological Sciences Research Group Laboratories contributed to demonstrate that the transfer of bacteria from a contaminated floor to food takes less than 5 seconds to happen and that the “rule” is in fact false.

This month we are celebrating the National Day of the Sea (Dia Nacional do Mar). On the 16th of November, BSRG members Nuno Borges, Ruben Silva, Patricia Paula and Tina Keller Costa showcased a bit of their work at the National Museum of Natural History and Science (Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência) in Lisbon. On board they had activities for the youngest generation. The kids did handicrafts of corals, sponges, crabs and sea turtles and painted tiny bacterial symbionts. 

Our researchers were involved in many different ways at this year's edition of FIC.A – Festival internacional de Ciência 2022. Vasco Bonifácio was involved in the activities "The Perfume Laboratory", "The Air We Live In", "Black Ink Secrets", and also assisted the "Virtual Tour To The International Space Station (ISS)" using VR glasses. Tiago Fernandes talked to young audiences about "Challenges and opportunities in Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells". Our student Diana Marques talked to kids about "The Future of food and 3D printing", an activity developed under the umbrella of the initiative "Soapbox Science Lisbon" that promotes the visibility of women in Science. Finally, we were also represented in the Técnico stand with the hands-on activity "Bioreactors for Cell Expansion".

Vasco Bonifácio was invited to participate in the program “Explain me as if were 5 years old”, an IST initiative that consists of informal conversations about science for curious children and adults. In this program, which was broadcast live on Facebook on the afternoon of November 28, 2020, Vasco presented the session “Why do fireflies shine?”. In this session, chaired by Joana Lobo Antunes (Communication and Public Relations Office of IST), Vasco Bonifácio explained the phenomena of bioluminescence, chemiluminescence and phosphorescence and how these physical-chemical processes are related to research in the area of cancer treatment that he has been developing in recent years. There was also time to carry out live experiments, which delighted the young audience and to answer many questions! The program was recorded and is available on the program's website (Episode 12).