Over 70 people have participated in the five Science Courtyards organized by the Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC), as part of the European Researchers' Night 2026. The initiative has promoted bringing social science research closer to society through micro-encounters with specialists to reflect on issues affecting daily life.
Topics addressed included the relationship between loneliness and health, health from a gender perspective, water management, access to housing, and the challenges associated with artificial intelligence and disinformation. In total, the five micro-encounters amounted to over seven and a half hours of talks and conversations on some of the main current social challenges.
Citizens had the opportunity to share their doubts and impressions directly with eleven researchers from IESA-CSIC and the University of Córdoba. Discussions covered rental prices, ecological flows, unwanted loneliness, and health and gender issues, alongside group dynamics on the challenges of social media and 'fake news'.
'Science Courtyards' are part of the European Researchers' Night, which in 2026 will be celebrated on the weekend of September 25th in the eight Andalusian capitals. This initiative, held simultaneously in nearly 400 European cities, aims to demonstrate the relationship between research and daily life in a practical and fun way.
The 'Aqualab' proposal, dedicated to water and eclipses, is part of the astronomical event of the Trio of Eclipses. European Researchers' Night is a European project promoted since 2005 by the European Commission.
