The initiative, promoted by the research group Paideia, took place at the Faculty of Education of the Complutense University (UCM). On the opening day, dedicated to Scientific Culture, the director of RJB-CSIC, María-Paz Martín, and the vice-director of Communication and Scientific Culture of MNCN-CSIC, Pilar López García-Gallo, delivered presentations and participated in a round table.
Under the title "The Royal Botanical Garden: a living classroom for science, scientific culture, and sustainability", María-Paz Martín advocated for scientific education as "a democratic necessity in the face of global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, disinformation, the ecological transition, or artificial intelligence". She presented the RJB as an institution integrating research, conservation, education, and scientific outreach.
The presentation emphasized that scientific education is an essential tool for strengthening citizen participation and informed decision-making. It concluded that "scientific culture does not consist solely in transmitting knowledge; it consists in ensuring that all people can access it".
For her part, Pilar López García-Gallo shared the MNCN's experience as a benchmark in scientific outreach and heritage education with her lecture "Science with Memory: the scientific heritage of museums as an educational resource". She reinforced the idea that "scientific institutions play a fundamental role in citizen training and the social transfer of knowledge".
During the round table, shared with UCM professors and a former Master's student, experiences were exchanged on the educational use of heritage, scientific culture, teacher training, and the need to strengthen collaboration between universities, research centers, museums, and botanical gardens.
The conferences, which conclude this Wednesday, have included other sessions dedicated to cultural diversity, inclusion, and care, as well as democratic memory on the Ciudad Universitaria campus, consolidating a space for dialogue between heritage, education, and citizenship.
The research group Paideia aims to bring together professionals from heritage institutions, university faculty, and teachers to reflect on the educational value of cultural and scientific heritage.
