New comic in the “Marine Science Cartoons” series
Santiago de Compostela, 20 December 2021. The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), through the Institute of Marine Research (IIM), will present tomorrow, Tuesday 21 December, in Vigo, the comic “¡Y qué rico sabe el mar!”, the second of four issues in the “Marine Science Cartoons” series, an initiative led by the IIM Scientific Culture Unit and funded by Fundación General CSIC within the Cuenta la Ciencia call.
The comic, about 15 pages long, is conceived both as an educational tool for 5th and 6th year primary-school classrooms and as an outreach tool for the general public. It deals with foods of marine origin from fishing and aquaculture, and its guiding thread is the research developed by the IIM Department of Food Technology.
Its objectives include raising awareness of basic aspects of seafood products, their relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals and the local environment, as well as educating schools and the general public about the importance of the ocean as a source of food and bioproducts related to nutrition, health and human well-being. The final objective is to help increase ocean culture and promote responsible citizenship.
The presentations will take place in the morning (10:30-13:00) at the Teis Market and in the afternoon (18:00) at the Juan Compañel Public Library of Vigo , where there will be a storytelling session for children (7-12 years old). At both events, attendees will receive the first issue of this comic series and will have exclusive access to the digital version of the new volume.
The “Marine Science Cartoons” series was launched in 2018, promoted by Lara García Alves (researcher in the ECOBIOMAR group, IIM) within the framework of the project “Biodiversity within your reach”, coordinated by Ángel F. González (researcher and head of the ECOBIOMAR group, IIM). The initiative, now coordinated by the IIM Scientific Culture Unit, seeks to bring society closer to knowledge and research on the ocean and its resources. It includes a total of four issues, one for each of the IIM departments: Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Ecology and Marine Resources, Oceanography, and Food Technology.
The first issue, “The great journey of plankton”, was funded by Fundación General CSIC within the 1st Cuenta la Ciencia call. It was launched in 2018, with more than 15,000 printed copies distributed. The digital version is available on the centre’s resources page . It was based on the lines of work of the Department of Ecology and Marine Resources.
The third and fourth instalments of this series are expected to take place during 2022 and 2023.