The Residencia de Estudiantes de Madrid hosted the 17th edition of the European Researchers' Night, an event coordinated in the region by the Fundación para el Conocimiento madrimasd. On this occasion, the seven IMDEA institutes (Water, Energy, Materials, Nanoscience, Networks, Nutrition, and Software) presented their research in collaboration with the firefighters of the Community of Madrid, under the theme 'Science facing natural disasters'.
Annika Coll and Agustín de la Herrán, firefighters from the Community of Madrid, shared their experiences in rescue missions after earthquakes and extinguishing major fires, highlighting the importance of technology for their work and their desire for more advancements.
Researchers from IMDEA explained how their projects contribute to improving disaster prevention and response. José Aguilar (Software) develops 3D terrain models to identify risks and suggest evacuation routes. Mario Ballesteros (Water) studies the impact of climate change on extreme events such as droughts and floods, and evaluates preventive measures.
Cristina Fernández (Nutrition) and José Sánchez Costa (Nanoscience) are working on protecting those who protect us. Cristina researches precision nutrition to enhance the physical and mental resilience of firefighters, while José develops switchable materials at the nanoscale that change their properties in response to external stimuli.
Jimena de la Vega (Materials) presented advances in safer and less toxic construction materials, such as thermal insulators derived from seaweed waste and fire-resistant electric batteries. Meanwhile, Carlos Jesús Bernardos (Networks) explained how future mobile networks could act as sensors to detect environmental anomalies, and Milan Prodanovic (Energy) detailed technologies for securing electricity supply after a catastrophe and enhancing grid resilience.
The event concluded with a message of collaboration between scientists and firefighters, recognizing the potential of their mutual contributions to face future challenges.
