AUGUST 28th-30th
48h SCIETHON
HACKING THE FUTURE OF SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
Falling Walls Engage and Fundación Ciencia Joven invite you to the first Sciethon 2020: Hacking the Future of Science Engagement in Latin America. In this 48-hour event, you can participate and create solutions to science engagement challenges from the region.
WATCH THE #SCIETHON2020 CLOSING CEREMONY
THESE ARE THE 3 WINNING TEAMS
WINNER 1
| InformApp
Guardianes de la Información
Creation of an app for smartphone / tablets and a website, where it’s possible to find accurate sources of information and learn to analyze scientific information and recognize misinformation.
WINNER 2
| STEMos Unidas
STEMos Unidas
Creation of an online network of STEM scientists who support the community of Latin American girls and women interested in STEM through information; mentoring and the possibility of financing scientific projects to be carried out exclusively by girls and women.
WINNER 3
| VerifiComCyt
VerifiComCyt
Creation of a friendly and visual platform to generate a community in which scientists and communicators can interact quickly and efficiently, to ask for consultation, support or opinions on unknown issues.
SCHEDULE
28 AUG
KICKOFF
Everything begins this day
14:00 h ( Ar / Ur / Br )
13:00 h ( Cl )
12:00 h ( Col / Pe / Mx )
30 AUG
END DATE
Everything ends this day
17:00 h ( Ar / Ur / Br )
16:00 h ( Cl )
15:00 h ( Col / Pe / Mx )
1 SEPT
CLOSING CEREMONY
The best
11:00 h ( Ar / Ur / Br )
10:00 h ( Cl )
09:00 h ( Col / Pe / Mx )
12 challenges, 48 hours, the future of science engagement in Latin America.
WHAT´S THE SCIETHON 2020?
It is a hackathon-like event, in which participants (divided in groups of 5-8 people) will have 48 hours to propose and design science-based solutions for challenges posed by the STEM Youth of Ciencia Joven. During these 48 hours, participants will receive ongoing support and access to materials and resources from dedicated mentors. In a public closing ceremony on September 1st (Tuesday) at 11:00 AM (ART), all teams projects will be presented and celebrated, while a jury of renowned global scientists and industry leaders will announce three winners. These winners will receive a big price package consisting of coachings, workshops and an incubation process to further carry out the implementation of their projects.
THREE WINNING TEAMS
The 3 winner teams of the Sciethon will receive a huge price package, including the virtual program Impacto Latam to help develop their project: the program will be facilitated by experts of the Impact Hub global network where the teams will have access to 7 weeks of mentoring, interactive webinar, Q&A sessions, access to the Impact Hub Global Community App where they’ll be able to have direct contact with other entrepreneurs from more than 100 cities in the world.
WHAT CHALLENGES ARE WE LOOKING TO ADRESS?
| Science helps making better decisions
Carlos Pinto
There is a gap between science and society that manifests, for instance, in uninformed communities that make decisions based on believes.
| Science in other languages
Chiara Lombardo
Several scientific publications tend to be ignored because they are not written in English; which forces publications to be written in this language. This means that Spanish or any other non-English speakers cannot understand its content due to the language barrier.
| Science from right sources
Chiara Lombardo
There are tons of information available on the internet and the creation of content has become easier, leading to a lack of visibility or public knowledge about sites that deliver reliable information based on scientific arguments.
| Science against misinformation
Delfina Jackson
Nowadays, we are constantly exposed to huge amounts of information from unreliable sources, which produces misinformation among society.
| Science is for all boys, girls, and youth
Demian Duarte
In Latin America, almost 50% of 15-year-olds don’t have the essential scientific knowledge and skills to have a complete participation in society.
| Science and STEM areas as opportunities outside the classroom
Eduardo Villa
A lot of young people with interest in science can’t participate in STEM activities, and therefore loses the chance to be motivated to learn, acquire new skills and scientific and technological knowledge.
| Science within family
Fernanda Acuña
When children turn 6, specially girls, they lose interest in any STEM area; which consequently means a loss of women’s potential and low participation in this area.
| Science must be rigorously communicated
Lisandro Acuña
Instantaneity in communication often means that the quality of scientific content has to be sacrificed, inaccurate information is spread or information is not adapted in order to be easily understood by the general public.
| Science to become more competent
Lisandro Acuña
Science classes are not very interactive and are teacher-focused. They base their method in memorization and repetition of content, which does not boost student’s developing of critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making.
| Sciences is more than results
Sacha Paez
Science is socially discredited and very often not considered for public policies, due to the fact that the whole working process and its implications are unknown.
| Science against skepticism
Tomás Korenblit
Skepticism is a double-edged sword that can lead to theories such as the Flat Earth theory, self-destructing practices such as the anti-vaccine movement, or conspiracy theories about coronavirus.
| Science is also for women
Tomás Korenblit
When we observe the scientist stereotypes, people perceive a clear tendency that science is “only for men”. This relegate women to different duties.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
We are looking for participants with a passion for science engagement from Latin America and all over the world – scientific experts, science communicators, science journalists, designers and innovators. The only requirements are: being over 15 years of age, having enough time and motivation to co-create during the weekend of August 28th-30th, and – since the event will be completely virtual – a stable Internet connection.
*Before registration, please review the sciethon 2020 code of conduct
GALLERY











MEET THE JURY AND MENTORS
óscar contreras
President – Ciencia Joven
yolanda martínez
Representative in Chile – IDB
GUILLERMO ANLLO
CTI Policy Program Manager – UNESCO
GUADALUPE DÍAZ
Director of Museum Development, Exhibitions and Fairs – Ministerio de Ciencia Argentina
ELIZABETH FOX
Chief Technical Leadership Officer – PADF
Diego golombek
Director of the National Institute of Technological Education and Senior Researcher- CONICET
martha cambre
Executive Director – Red POP
ELIZABETH HAUG
Director for Argentina – Fundación Ciencia Joven
EDUARDO GUZMAN
Director for Chile – Fundación Ciencia Joven
Moritz Harbig
Senior Communication Manager – Falling Walls Engage
RICARDA SIMON
Executive Assistant – Falling Walls Foundation
ANJA SCHOCH
Quality Manager – Falling Walls Engage
nIKLAS MARZINEK
Community Manager – Falling Walls Engage
theo Anagnostopoulos
Founder – SciCo, Greece
gabriela ivan
Program Manager – First Tech Challenge, Romania
Aravinth panth
Co-Founder – DreamSpace Academy
ailen cabaleiro
Project Leader – Dirección General Emprendedores, Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
aldo leal
Principal Researcher – Instituto de Biomateriales, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Andrés morales
Regional Specialist – Social and Human Sciences Sector – UNESCO
daniel grimaldi
Member and Co-Founder – sparCiencia
fiorella silveira
Coordinator – Espacio Ciencia – Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay
grisel quiroga
Technical Linker – Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico – Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
juan cocca
Technical Linker – Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico – Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
marwa soudi
Co-Founder – Ideas Gym
lance leverenz
Senior Director of Business Development- Pan American Development Foundation
lea mbono samba
Owner – Careness
Luisa villegas
Director of the Innovation and Education Programme – Pan American Development Foundation
m laura benglini
Technical Linker – Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico – Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Milena salci
Project Manager – Falling Walls Engage
silvina saettone
Project Leader in Technology Link – Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico – Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires Tecnológica
ma belen herrero
Project Leader – Dirección General Emprendedores – Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
marcia sosa
General Control and Monitoring of Project Management – Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Claudia Brüninghaus
Participant Experiences – Falling Walls Foundation
ana claudia nepote
Professor and Scientific Communicator- Unidad de Morelia – Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
nohelia sánchez
Independent Consultant and Entrepreneur
miguel garcía
Head of Dissemination Activities – Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas
flabio bruno
Coordinator of the New Technologies for Agriculture Diploma – Universidad de la Empresa, Uruguay
FAQ SCIETHON
WHAT IS A SCIETHON AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Sciethon is an intensive online marathon where participants with different skills team up virtually to solve science challenges, propose solutions and create prototypes of these solutions in 48 hours. In Sciethon, you can develop, test and improve solutions for current challenges in our society. We provide the appropriate tools so participants can work together online on these solutions. Also, we suggest a communications and videoconference platform so you can co-create with your team.
WHO CAN ATTEND THIS EVENT?
We are looking for participants who are passionate about science engagement from Latin America and all over the world. Scientific experts, science communicators, science journalists, designers and innovators. The only requirements are being over 15 years old, having enough time and motivation to co-create during the weekend of August 28th-30th, and Internet connection.
CAN I ENROLL INDIVIDUALLY OR DO I NEED A TEAM?
Applications are individual on a specific challenge that you would like to work on. Once the application process ends, the Sciethon team will build the work teams.
HOW ARE TEAMS BUILT?
We will team you up with 5-9 other participants of your region based on the challenge and language (English or Spanish) that you chose. You will receive an email with your teammates’ contact information the morning of the first day of Sciethon on August 28th.
HOW LONG DOES THE EVENT LAST?
The event lasts 48 hours. It starts on August 28th (Friday) at 2:00 PM (Argentinian time) and ends on August 30th (Sunday) at 5:00 PM (Argentinian time). The closing ceremony, where winning initiatives will be rewarded, will be on September 1st (Tuesday).
DO I NEED TO PAY A PARTICIPATION FEE?
No, this event is completely free of charge.
DO I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO PROGRAM TO PARTICIPATE?
We will team you up with 5-9 other participants of your region based on the challenge and language (English or Spanish) that you chose. You will receive an email with your teammates’ contact information the morning of the first day of Sciethon on August 28th.
DO I NEED TO PRE-INSTALL ANY SOFTWARES?
You won’t need to pre-install anything. All you need is an email address and your cellphone number (with WhatsApp) to communicate with your team.
WHAT IS THE FINAL DELIVERABLE?
The final deliverable consists on a video presenting your solutions developed during the 48 hours (either digital or analog format) and a brief written description.
WILL I RECEIVE SUPPORT TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS?
Yes, each team will have a designated mentor for support during Sciethon. Mentors will help teams with information and resources during the 48 hours. Also, every day we will hold a virtual interactive session with all participants to explain further steps and answer questions.
DO I NEED TO KNOW ENGLISH TO PARTICIPATE?
No, it is not necessary. However, if you are proficient in English and interested in participating with an international team, you can mention it on your application and we will team you up with non-Spanish speakers.