Science-me a Story: "It was a boost of confidence"
We spoke to María Pin Nó, Falling Walls Engage Winner 2019, about her project and how the Falling Walls Engage Pitches helped her facilitate the contact to other projects.
What is your project about?
Our project "Science-me a Story" is a contest of scientific stories for kids. Adults participate in the contest writing stories containing scientific content (i.e. explaining the scientific method, the everyday life of a scientist, a discovery, an invention or a scientific topic) for primary school children. There are two categories: Spanish and English, and participants can send their texts from all over the world. This makes the initiative bring knowledge from all over the world. The stories are published online for free so kids can read them and schools can use them.
What made you start this project and how did Falling Walls Engage and its community contribute to the further development of your project?
This project started within the Spanish Researchers in the UK society. It is still part of it. The society has always had outreach activities, but it did not have one which would help researchers engage children. With this initiative we reach two different publics in different ways. We wanted to reach children through storytelling because it helps remember facts, it is engaging and fun, and it is not common to see activities using "fairy tales" to teach science.
We also wanted the science to be accurate, and having researchers participate was the way to do it. Some researchers are not comfortable doing outreach at the beginning. This initiative helps the researchers do the engagement from the comfort of their home. Falling Walls Engage, first of all, gave us visibility. Participating in such a prestigious initiative put us in the spotlight. It also helped us enter a community of Science Engagers and showed us how other people are communicating.
We wanted to reach children through storytelling because it helps remember facts.
María Pin Nó - Falling Walls Engage Winner 2019
In which Falling Walls Engage format did you participate?
We participated in the Falling Walls Engage Pitches 2019.
Did the Falling Walls Engage Pitches facilitate the contact to other projects for collaborations?
Meeting everybody in Berlin helped me create relationships and collaborate later with the Science Engagers. Having online workshops and participating in the Falling Walls Engage Hubs online helped us maintain those contacts. Normally, we did not collaborate with specific projects, but asked some Science Engagers to participate in ours. I personally attended the 1001 inventions of Chemistry in London invited by Danielle Thibodeau.
We came back full of ideas from the other Science Engagers and the community.
María Pin Nó - Falling Walls Engage Winner 2019
Did you experience an increase in visibility of your project through the collaboration with Falling Walls Engage?
We think that Falling Walls Engage helped us gain more visibility. However, we cannot count how much, as we have had other reasons to gain visibility after our participation in the Falling Walls Engage Pitches. The most important thing is that we have more participants from more places in the world after being in Berlin.
What makes Falling Walls Engage unique to you?
The community and the sense of belonging.
What was your most emotional experience when you think about your collaboration with Falling Walls Engage?
For the Science-me a Story committee, it was a boost of confidence after being selected in the Falling Walls Engage Pitches. The initiative was very young at that time and we came knowing that we were doing it right. We came back full of ideas from the other Science Engagers and the community. Some, we managed to do; some others are still waiting for when we have more time.