Botanical Garden celebrated science for everyone on Ecology Day
Young and old, with family or just passing through. Several people went to the landing next to the Botanical Garden Tropical Greenhouse (JBUC) on the sunny morning of Saturday, September 14th, to celebrate Ecology Day with researchers from the University of Coimbra. "There is Science in the Garden" allowed us to "show what is done" in several laboratories at CFE.
Initiatives like this are "fundamental" for science to reach society or, as José Paulo Sousa says, they are "a way of reaching an audience that we rarely reach". In the Soil Ecology and Ecotoxicology Group of the Department of Life Sciences of the UC Faculty of Science and Technology, the researcher explains that "the soil health assessment component and also the quality component are worked on, from an ecological point of view.". For the activity at the Botanical Garden, more than experiences to "mess around with and experiment with", the group brought "things and organisms to observe". Thus, all visitors are given the opportunity to "understand the diversity and functions" in the soil.
"And it is important that the general public realizes the diversity of all groups and the type of research that is carried out", adds José Paulo Sousa. According to the researcher, "we need to come outside [the laboratories] and show them", he guarantees.
"It is exciting, when we talk about our results and in detail, to see people's interest and openness to research", says Maria Celeste Dias. The researcher was also present at the There is Science in the Garden initiative. He works "in the area of plant physiology and how they react to the environment", he explains. At JBUC, where they already have a regular presence in similar activities, they arrived to "raise awareness about the sustainability of agricultural systems" as part of their research.
In addition to the opening of the Garden, "a magnificent place" to host events of this kind, Maria Celeste Dias highlights the presence of the public, "very interested". "There are also lots of tourists, who are very pleased, like talking to us and are very curious to know what we do", he explains.
Researchers presented several topics, from soil to bees and food production, during the morning. With experiences for the whole family, the "There is Science in the Garden" initiative was the proposal for the morning of Ecology Day, marked on September 14th. The Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra organised the activity in collaboration with the Center for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet at UC.