Last Friday, IMDEA Water once again joined the European Researchers’ Night with an open day that brought together more than 200 participants of all ages. Through workshops, experiments, and hands-on activities, the institute introduced the public to some of the scientific challenges related to water quality, reuse, and sustainable water management.

Throughout the afternoon, attendees had the opportunity to become scientists for a day and discover the hidden biodiversity in water using microscopes, learn how electroactive microorganisms contribute to wastewater treatment and reuse, explore the role of membranes in water purification, and extract DNA from aquatic microorganisms in the workshop The Mystery of Aquatic DNA.

Participants also stepped into the role of environmental detectives, searching for contaminants using chromatography techniques, identifying microplastics in marine water samples, assessing water and soil quality for food production, and reflecting on sustainable water resource management through interactive games and experiments.

Learning Through Scientific Challenges: The Water Scavenger Hunt

Younger participants took part in the Water Scavenger Hunt, completing challenges across the different workshops and experiments. After finishing the route, they received a diploma certifying them as “I am a scientist”, recognizing their curiosity and enthusiasm for science.

At the same time, IMDEA Water also participated in a joint activity organized by the seven IMDEA institutes at the Residencia de Estudiantes, where researchers and firefighters from the Community of Madrid shared experiences during the roundtable discussion Science in the Face of Natural Disasters. The event highlighted how research contributes to risk prevention and helps minimize the impacts of extreme events.

The European Researchers’ Night is a science outreach initiative held simultaneously in hundreds of European cities to bring science closer to society. IMDEA Water has participated continuously since 2010, reaffirming its commitment to science communication and the promotion of scientific careers.

Supporting and Collaborating Projects

IMDEA Water’s activities during the European Researchers’ Night were supported by the following projects:

EMERGING (Grant PID2022-143233OB-I00) funded by
MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by
ERDF, EU Development Fund (ERDF), European Union.

CMOFs4Water, project funded through
the R&D activities program with reference TEC-2024/ECO-332 and acronym CMOFs4water-CM granted by the Community of Madrid through the Directorate General for Research and Technological Innovation via Order 5696/2024

MADisWATER, “Madrid is Water: Vital Technologies for Water Sustainability in Madrid” (Ref. 59/323466.9/25), funded by the Community of Madrid and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Reuse4Food (Grant CIVP22S18420), funded by the Ramón Areces Foundation, with the collaboration of Farmacia Ortigosa.

ADDIPLAS (Grant PID2022-140011OB-I00), funded by
MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by
ERDF, EU

CARESOIL-CM, project funded through
the R&D activities program with reference TEC-2024/ECO-69 and acronym CARESOIL-CM granted by the Community of Madrid through the Directorate General for Research and Technological Innovation via Order 5696/2024.