IMDEA Water celebrated last September 27th the fifteenth edition of the European Researchers’ Night in Madrid, an event that was held at the same time in more than 350 European cities.

The public had the opportunity to interact with the research staff through various activities and workshops, including a scientific gymkhana.

The proposals covered all of IMDEA Water’s research areas: from sustainable wastewater treatment using electroactive bacteria to the detection of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms or ecological interactions and human impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

In addition, the public was able to sample and identify species using microscopes, learn about the environmental problems caused by certain pollutants in water, and how end-of-life membranes are recycled.

The participants also performed an extraction of microplastics from water samples of sea water and sand; in this way they were able to learn about the impact of plastics on the environment, and how it can be minimized.

Finally, in addition to testing their knowledge in the water roulette and learning scientific curiosities in a fun scientific gymkhana, attendees participated in two workshops.

The first workshop dealt with the transport of pollutants through water and soil, and how they are detected in the laboratory.

In the second workshop they learned that DNA extraction is very important as a first step to know the aquatic microbial diversity.

NIGHTMADRID is a science outreach project, coordinated by Fundación madri+d and funded by the European Union within the Horizon Europe Program, under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions with grant agreement no. 101.162.110.

More information:https://www.madrimasd.org/lanochedelosinvestigadores/en