The new "UAB Science Carriage" dedicates this year to mental health

The presentation of the new "science carriage" included the presence of Ester Capella, Minister for Territory; Javier Lafuente, Rector of the UAB; and Toni Segarra, President of the FGC.

The carriage, which forms part of the Barcelona-Vallès train line, offers users the chance to discover research results and expand their knowledge on scientific and technical topics using different formats and techniques. It is also meant to be a laboratory in which to explore different ways to share information with the public. Participating in the creation of this first edition were 56 researchers from 11 UAB departments, the Institut de Neurociències (INc-UAB), and the Computer Vision Centre (CVC), as well as the Vall d’Hebron and Parc Taulí Hospital centres.

The exterior of the carriage has been decorated with the name of the project: “El vagó de la ciència” [The Science Carriage]. Inside, passengers will find information and illustrations related to mental health, with further information (in audio format) available through QR codes. These contents include a dozen of audio guides on a variety of aspects such as mental health stigma, causes, rights, and treatments, as well as a podcast series entitled “El pòdcast del vagó”, made up of 19 episodes, available on the science carriage website and also on Spotify and Ivoox. The podcasts include interviews with researchers on issues such as addiction, emotions, physical activity and suicide prevention.

“El vagó de la ciència” also includes the “Seient de l’expert” [The Expert's Seat], an initiative aiming to foster interactions between users and in which, from time to time, will be occupied by researchers boarding the train to ride from Plaça Catalunya to the UAB station to conduct a specific activity and answer questions, exchange stories and chat with passengers on topics related to their area of expertise. A suggestion box will also be installed so that users can share their ideas on possible future research projects.

The project also plans to carry out more actions in the future, such as the creation of a brain model using augmented reality, participation in citizen science projects, and workshops on mental health and creativity.

 

Ester Capella, Minister for Territory; Javier Lafuente, Rector of the UAB; and Toni Segarra, President of the FGC, during the presentation. Below, part of the research team participating in the project.

In the presentation, UAB Rector Lafuente expressed his satisfaction in launching this project, which “once again demonstrates the firm commitment to knowledge transfer at our university and in making society a part of this knowledge”.

Minister Ester Capella valued the fact that public transport "is much more than a means of transport; trains, trams, buses, are all places in which to socialise, to share, places in which thousands of people meet. Our trains are trasmitters of culture, scientific activities, information panels and awareness-raisers". She went on to say that with this initiative "we will contribute by shedding light on emotional situations which can end up becoming a mental health problem".

Toni Segarra highlighted that “with this initiative, the FGC trains once more help convey these important messages that are of general interest to the public. Thus, the train not only serves to transport people, but also to make the trip an experience in which they can learn and gain more knowledge”.

“El Vagó de la Ciència” is an initiative by the UAB Offices of the Vice Rectors for Research; Innovation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship, and Communication and Promotion. Researchers from the following departments participating in creating this project: Paediatrics, Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Preventive Medicine and Public Health; Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences; Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology; Clinical and Health Psychology; Social Psychology; Psychiatry and Legal Medicine; Nursing; Sociology; and Computer Science.

The initiative received financial support from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) of the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation.

All informational material created for this initiative can be found at the following website: https://www.uab.cat/vago (in Catalan)