NURIA JAR

Nuria Jar is a young freelance journalist, based in Barcelona. She loves broadcasting and writing new science stories, for which she has received some awards. She has worked in several media, such as radio and tv broadcasting, newspapers, magazines and the Internet. Currently she writes for Scientific American in Spanish; El País, the most important newspaper in Spanish; Muy Interesante, the most read popular science magazine in Spain; and SINC Agency, the first public science news agency in Spain. She also runs a weekly radio section about science in the most listened program in Catalonia. In addition, she coordinates radio lessons at the Master’s degree in scientific, medical and environmental communication at Pompeu Fabra University. She also has experience in press and public relation offices of private and public sectors. She likes doing experiments in other fields, for example popular activities. She has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master’s degree in scientific, medical and environmental communication. She got a fellowship to spend a summer in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), in New York City.   1. Why did you choose to become a science journalist? I became a science journalist by accident because I was involved in a science radio program. My love for radiobroadcasting approaches me to science, technology and knowledge. Nowadays I love telling new science stories not only in the radio, but also in newspapers, magazines and television.   2. What role do science and science communication play in your country? Science communication in Spain is far from other countries, such as the United States and United Kingdom. But every day more there are many journalists who are doing a very good and interesting job in science journalism.   3. What speakers or topics of this year’s Falling Walls events are you most looking forward to? And why? There are many interesting speakers, in social sciences too. On the one hand I am mainly interested in neuroscience, so it will be a good opportunity to listen to June Andrews’ lecture about dementia research. On the other hand, Falling Walls address the main hot topics in science such as nanotechnology, so I am willing to listen about that as well.   4. In your opinion, which are the walls that will have to fall in science and society within the next five years? Society needs to be informed about new discoveries in science, because many of them address us bioethical questions that they have to be answered.