Award ceremony of The Barcelona Hypatia European Science Prize
The Barcelona Hypatia European Science Prize in its third edition recognises Nancy Cartwright, philosopher of science, Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and Director of its Centre for Humanities Engaging Science and Society (CHESS), for her outstanding contributions to philosophical research. These have resulted in a new understanding of the nature of scientific theories and of causation and have held far-reaching consequences for a range of different fields of knowledge, including both natural and the social and human sciences; in particular, she has laid the foundations for an approach combining rigour and realism that aims at evidence-based policy and has had a profound impact on societies and policies across Europe and beyond.
Launched by the Barcelona City Council in collaboration with the Academia Europaea-Barcelona Knowledge Hub (AE-BKH) within the framework of the Barcelona Science Plan, the Hypatia Prize seeks to project the city as a European capital of research and innovation. Its main goal is to spotlight science, as well as to promote, support and enhance the value of excellent research conducted in Europe and of its impact on society. The winner of the first edition of the prize, devoted to Science and Technology, was László Lovász, mathematician and professor at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, for his outstanding career in the field of mathematics as a scientific discipline at the service of society; the winner of the second edition, devoted to Life and Health Sciences, was virologist Ilaria Capua, Director of the “One Health” Center of Excellence at the University of Florida, for her leadership in open access to genetic information on emerging viruses and for her promotion of the multidisciplinary concept of “one health”.
The award ceremony will be held at Saló de Cent - Ajuntament de Barcelona on Thursday the 27th of October at 18h. If you would like to attend this event please get in touch with Genoveva Martí, ICREA Research Professor at UB, at genoveva.marti@gmail.com to receive an invitation.
The 102nd ICREA Colloquium ‘PDE: Mathematical equations for physical models’
Speakers: ICREA Research Professor Xavier Ros, from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and Prof. Javier Gómez, from Brown University
When: 11th of October 2022, 18:00h
Where: Zoom & Auditorium FCRi, Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona
Abstract:
Partial Differential Equations (PDE) have become a universal language to describe natural phenomena from a mathematical and physical standpoint. Our understanding, however, is still quite limited, and many basic questions remain unsolved. In this Colloquium session we will give an introduction to PDE and their interactions with other sciences, such as physics and computer science, presenting both past and future directions.
The ICREA colloquia are a great way to learn about remote fields of research from our best experts. We usually have two speakers, who offer their opinions on the same subject from different angles. They are open to all ICREAs and their guests.
Workshop ‘Should democracy be direct?’
ICREA Research Professor Santiago Zabala and Prof. Josep Ramoneda organize the workshop ‘Should democracy be direct?’
The event will be held on the 13th and 14th of July 2022. Please click here for further information.
The 101st ICREA Colloquium ‘From the inside out and back: Cognitive, neural and communicative pressures that shape human language’
Speakers: ICREA Research Professors Gemma Boleda from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Ruth de Diego from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
When: 28th of June 2022, 18:00h
Where: Zoom & Auditorium FCRi, Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona
Abstract:
Why is human language the way it is? Much of the discussion about this topic has focused on the amazing linguistic capabilities of humans, compared to other animals or to computers. However, humans are also “endowed” with many limitations. We have internal pressures: Our brain is limited and wired to connect regions with specific functions, we have a limited attentional capacity and also a limited working memory capacity. And we also have external pressures, such as the need to navigate the environment we find ourselves in, and to communicate with other human beings. What if what makes our language human is actually its adaptation to these limitations and pressures? This is the view that we will explore in our talk.
More specifically, we will examine how language is shaped from the inside out, that is, from our neurocognitive system to the world, and back. First, we will review how our attentional limitations help us simplify the way we perceive linguistic input as infants, fostering learning, and how this initial learning allows us to progressively incorporate more of the input. Second, we will explore how the interaction between cognitive and communicative pressures shapes the lexicons of natural languages.
The ICREA colloquia are a great way to learn about remote fields of research from our best experts. We usually have two speakers, who offer their opinions on the same subject from different angles. They are open to all ICREAs and their guests.
