The Canarian Orotava Foundation for the History of Science (Fundoro) maintains its commitment to scientific education with an extensive cultural program and the publication of a new informative magazine called Zero Meridian. Despite the health situation, this non-profit organization is preparing an outstanding program of events for 2022 that includes seminars, school projects, historical-scientific routesexhibitions and the first number of this magazine.
The annual agenda, subject to changes due to health circumstances, was presented this week by the mayor of Villero, Francisco Linares (CC)and the director and secretary of Fundoro, Miguel A. Gonzalez Exposito Y Ana Delgado, respectively. One of the challenges for 2022 is to consolidate the opening of the Science Travelers Museumto which it is planned to add two new spaces dedicated to the Cosmology and Climatology.
The Fundoro Activity Plan for 2022 includes consolidated projects and new proposals: the completion of the XXXI edition of the Orotava Seminary and the beginning of the XXXII; the Montesino Seminary, which will continue to deal with topics of interest in the history of science; the informative program Science for Allor the initiative Fundoro goes to school, which includes actions in the educational and cultural centers of the archipelago such as traveling exhibitions or talks and workshops. Historical-scientific routes will also be organized, at the request of the educational centers of Tenerife. One of these activities includes an illustration workshop and a visit to the laundries, La Hijuela del Botánico and the Juan Acosta Garden, and the other focuses on the historical measurement of the height of the Mount Teide.
Fundoro also offer nature printing and botanical drawing workshopswhich put the participants in contact with the techniques and graphic resources used by the scientific travelers themselves to capture and understand nature. Women in Science It frames specific activities to be carried out between February and March on the occasion of the events that commemorate the relationship between women and science. It is also planned to organize this year a meeting on women and silk in the Canary Islands.
For 2022, the online course on Historical foundation of scientific conceptswith which it is intended to offer the educational community the possibility of investigating the historical roots of the main scientific concepts that are explained in Primary school and high school. And among the community works stands out The night of scientific travelersa dramatized reading of the diaries of the travelers who visited Canary Islands in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. An activity that will take place in parallel to the creation of the museum collection. There is also the project of using the theater as a vehicle for the expression of the history of science. In addition, it is intended to continue filmosciencea cycle on films related to science and a subsequent film forum to discuss the topics of interest of each of the screenings.
The entity organizes school projects, seminars, historical-scientific routes and exhibitions
the new magazine Zero Meridian is part of the commitment fundoro to bring the history of science closer to all sectors of society. According to the director of the entity, Miguel Angel Gonzalez Exposito, «the aim is to offer the reader rigorous information in an agile, live format, which can go beyond what an academic publication could usually provide». For this reason, care has been taken in the design and presentation “to complement the texts with visual language”. The magazine will be published annually and, together with the paper format, will include a digital edition that can be consulted at Fundo’s website.
Francis Linares notes that “fundoro it has been progressively embedded in the educational and social spheres”, and gives “incalculable value” to the “rigorous and committed work carried out by a small, great team of people, making science more understandable for everyone”.
