Món Sant Benet hosts the opening event of the seventh edition of “Mad for science”

Last Friday, 11 January was the kick-off of the 2019 “Crazy about Science” programme at Món Sant Benet. A total of 282 participants were part of the 7th edition of this programme promoted by the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, whose goal is to foster scientific vocations among baccalaureate students from all over Catalonia.

This year, the initiative included 11 courses. The existing courses were joined by 3 new ones: Supercomputing, offered by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-National Supercomputing Center;  Medicine, offered by the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute and the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona; and Nutrition, offered by the Hospital de Bellvitge and the Alícia Foundation (Món Sant Benet).

Crazy about Science gives Catalan baccalaureate students with aptitudes in the field of science the opportunity to learn more about scientific theory and techniques within the different fields proposed. The courses are taught in conjunction with outstanding international research centres and institutions all over Catalonia, and the students have the chance to work alongside pioneering researchers in their field. The experience enables them to learn about and delve into the subject and thus helps them better define their future.

The opening event was presented by two former Crazy about Economics participants, Alex Díaz and Robert Pérez, as well as speeches by three former Crazy About Science participants, who recounted their experiences. This year's edition was also used to showcase female scientists, since from the start of the programme in 2013 half of the participating students have been female.