In Peques and Más we are worried about the science outreach so to try to help STEM profiles have more relevance in Spain, we will meet Antonio Martínez Ron, journalist specializing in science, who is editor of the science section of Vozpópuli and is the creator of the two science blogs Most read in Spanish: Fogonazos.es and Naukas.com. Antonio is the director of the documentary The evil of the brain (elmaldelcerebro.com) which has been a prize Boehringer 2013 to the best work in Health journalism. He has two Bitácoras awards and two 20 Minutes awards for the best science blog, he has also received the award Blasillo of the Huesca Digital Journalism Congress. Antonio is a contributor, among others, in the Quo, Yahoo !, Onda Cero media, eldiario.es, JotDown magazine, Don magazine, Entrelíneas magazine and has been editor of the science section of lainformacion.com. For Antonio, the easiest thing is to move in digital media, he has been with them since 2002 and has been mentioned in the newspapers El País, El Mundo and ABC, although they have also highlighted his work in the SER, RNE or TVE network. We will take advantage of your experience and specialization in scientific journalism to know how access your extraordinary work, how we have to work parents to promote in the kids the love for science and how the educational community can know where to find Antonio's articles.
How did you get the passion for science and how have you developed it?
I was interested in science since I was a child, but my passion for it has gone from less to more. Somehow it was the blog and the search for amazing stories that ended up leading me to specialize. In the end, science is the greatest source of amazement.
What are the main skills you have to have to be a good science popularizer?
That would have to be asked of good disseminators. Those whom I admire explain things simply, rigorously and with the most important ingredient: the passion for what they count.
What pages on the Internet do you consult to satisfy your science information or what programs do you watch on TV or YouTube, etc.?
As a journalist I am obliged to read dozens of sources, from specialized magazines to books or blogs. It is difficult to make a selection, but, to say a few, I would recommend the new Cosmos series, the videos of the Royal Institution and the work of my colleagues in Naukas.
The best disseminators are those who convey the passion for what they count.
How has the way of accessing science information in Spain changed in recent years?
What has happened with the science information in this country is quite curious. Due to the crisis, scientific information has been dispensed with in the traditional media (paper press, radio and television) while the demand for these contents grew more and more. This need has been covered by Internet media, where there is more and more information. In general there are things that have improved, but what is in communication to the masses is much worse than ten years ago.
Who are the reference currently in science and where can they be found?
There are many means worthwhile. In Spain the work being done by the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country is brutal, with its support for Naukas and other very innovative platforms. To give two examples, we have people like Clara Grima, who teaches mathematics to children and adults, or Carlos Lobato, who teaches biology with cartoon series. Outside we have fantastic references, from the work of the BBC in documentaries to the work of the great dissemination magazines. And there is a new generation of disseminators: Brian Cox, Phil Plait, Ed Yong, Carl Zimmer, Mo Costandi and some more, which for me are an example to follow.
How do you see the doodle of Google as a source of inspiration to arouse curiosity among the little ones on the Internet. And how do you see Sheldon as a popularizer through the series The Big Bang theory?
I am not a fan of 'doodles', although I recognize that they serve to recover collective memory about some characters. I don't know if they are very useful for children, since most of them are too technical for a kid to understand.
With The Big Bang Theory I have contradictory sensations: on the one hand it is well to claim that science is cool, but the series replicates the stereotype of the mad scientist, and that is not good at all.
There is more and better science information on the Internet
Do we have to keep children's curiosity alive to be receptive to science when we get older?
Curiosity is not an exclusive capacity of children, but of the human being in general. An adult without curiosity is a person with a tare.
How are you using technology in your process of searching, filtering and organizing information: computers at home, tablet, programming, office automation, search engines, etc.
Technologies are a wonderful opportunity to explore new ways of accessing science and all kinds of knowledge. We live in an unprecedented time and with all the facilities to learn. These days I am playing a game in which I am an astronaut who explores Mars and the ways of life that have evolved inside him in a supposed future. One must learn to differentiate life forms and there are touches of biology, chemistry ... And the story is as absorbent as the best science fiction novel. So imagine what can be done!
What kind of content do you think could be promoted with more emphasis in the school to develop concern for science?
Someone, somewhere, should think about whether children are being taught science well. The general feeling is that the most fascinating subject of knowledge becomes tedious due to the lack of a global context and vision. What is not understood is not well learned, so the first thing is to explain to children how we have come to know what we now know. Teach the history of science and know what others learned.
An adult without curiosity is a person with a tare
Should we encourage children to read adventure, fantasy and science fiction books?
A great strategy for children to read is not to put a book in front of them and get heavy, but simply for parents to read. Just as the father transmits his love for a soccer team to his son, if the father is a reader he will convey that there is something of interest there. And yes, science fiction is one of the best doors to interest in science, it allows you to ask all kinds of questions and develop the imagination.
How can we help parents at home to foster science concerns among our children?
I have a seven-year-old girl, and a one-year-old girl, and don't think it's easy. I try to see science as something fun, so you can have a great time. We do experiments, we go to museums and, above all, I undergo intense interrogations about the things that intrigue him. What needs to be encouraged is not that they know things, but that they ask questions. To know the names of the rivers or the elements of the periodic table have a lifetime (or you can look at it on the internet).
What needs to be encouraged in children is not that they know things but ask questions
Where can we find your journalistic works and what are your future plans as a science disseminator?
My whole life is in Fogonazos.es and from there they can pull the thread to all the other things I do. I have very cool short-term plans, but if I tell you now I would have to kill you: P
Why the Fogonazos logo crab?
I have always had a very strong attraction to sordid things. When I chose the image of crab for Fogonazos, he didn't know, or rather he didn't remember what it was. I found the photo in the catalog of a Czech artist, Adam Szrotek, who portrayed dead birds and things like that, and asked him permission to use it. I liked the photo because it is a toy and evokes a time when things were rare and unexplained. And he has many eyes, which is like a metaphor for curiosity. Then someone made me notice that it's about Mr. Waternoose, a character from Pixar's movie Monsters S.A., and it was a bit of a joke. Still I have taken love and at home I have one that jumps, growls and says strange things. Like me!
Antonio has left us a link to the YouTube video to learn more about the crab that he uses as a logo on Fogonazos.es:
And here the interview with Antonio Martínez Ron in which we have been able to know many references of science, tools to teach children and remember that the most important thing is to do things with passion and dedication. I thank Antonio for giving me the interview to publish in Peques y Más and I wish him many professional successes.
I met Antonio almost a year ago on the occasion of the presentation of the National Geographic restoration offer, they took a picture together! and he told me that he was working on performing, on crowdfunding mode, the publication of a book. As soon as it was possible to contribute on the Internet for the publication of the book I signed up and although he sent it to me a few months ago I could not read it, and enjoy it, until this past summer. The book, which is already available, is called What do astronauts see when they close their eyes? and I recommend it for curious kids from 10-12 years old. After reading the book I think it was time to invite Antonio to conduct an interview and I thank him for accepting. It is very important to get excited and motivate children in the knowledge of Antonio's science and work is essential to create children with STEM orientation in the future.
