Ciencistorias: Science told in a funny way | books | entertainment

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USFQ Press, editorial University of San Francisco de Quito, Gifts Hundreds of storiesA book in which exact sciences and art combine to spark the curiosity of young readers of all ages.

The author is a doctor of chemistry Alexis Hydropo, professor at USFQ, who collaborated with illustrators Francisco Villarreal s Mariola Kwasek To present a hardcover volume that appears to introduce us to science fiction, but is in fact presents pure science aimed at students and anyone interested in discoveries, landmarks, and scientific historical findings that affect our current lives.

was the idea Uniting liberal arts with science, with lots of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Biology combined with art, to create a more dynamic text for the reader.

Hidrobo teaches the Cosmos Course, a program in which students are allowed to look at science through everyday concepts and situations. “Inspired by this course, the book has been enriched with questions once asked by students‘, he says, and adds that in the coming chapters, Hundreds of stories It will become part of the chapter readings.

Architect and artist Francisco Villarreal explains that getting into the process of building writers puts them in touch with the magic in texts written in fun, simple language. “Based on that we were able to make the illustrations. Illustration is a visual language that is just as important as writing, it allows the reader to understand from another angle the context of what you are trying to communicateThey have a certain imagination and different points of view.”

It might be thought that science, to be precise, only allows one point of view. “But in the book, Alexis shows it as an explanation,” Villarreal says. “For us, the possibility to play is very important, it awakens the individual intellect of people. At the university it is not about imparting specific knowledge; The idea is that the student has a discovery process and experiences until access to knowledge.”

Thus the book is not only available to science students, but to students of all fields and the reader in general. “For us it was a challenge to have the same intention as Alexis,” from It combines subtle science with a sense of humor in everyday life. “Mariola is very technically serious, and I’m a little looser; this allowed us to better fit the intent of the script.”

How did a science book compete in a highly interconnected era? “In Ecuador, a lot of young people have a cell phone and the Internet, but not everyone has access to science books and enough information,” says Villarreal, unless you’re part of reading the course. “Most of the population is looking for short texts. Hundreds of stories Activates the possibility of attracting the attention of the reader and fully competes with electronic texts. We think it can help a lot.”

In addition, Villarreal considers it important to have a book like this in the arts, as a catalyst for ideas, So that students of drawing, coloring and illustration can not only develop skills, but also learn how to transfer a concept into an image, especially when they describe not things, but ideas. “This is the most difficult challenge in art.”

So, a touch of seriousness goes along with artist Mariola Kwasek. “Alexis has a dose of dark humor, Francisco presents his illustrations in the same way; there are also very serious partsEverything has scientific backing, so my illustrations are not very funny, but they always try to answer the topic, to get a little closer to the young reader.”

The ability to stimulate curiosity, for Kwasik, is one of the strengths of Hundreds of stories. “Alexis gives us strange words, links, and data that sends us online to further investigate. We don’t just read a book, we awaken the reader’s curiosity To expand on a specific topic. This seems very valuable to me. Alexis pushes us to be more curious.”

Read recommendations for the curious of the universe, science and the future

• Cosmos, from Carl Sagan. This book (based on the documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Journey, 1980) leads to the awakening of imagination towards science. Ann DruyanCarl Sagan’s wife recently republished this book titled The Universe: Possible Worlds, with a plot line very close to the TV series,” says Hidrobo.

• Nature’s invention (Andrea Wolf) is the story of the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. of them too Venus’ historyWhich brings us back in time to how ancient cultures and modern science looked to Venus.

• from Ted Xiang (winner of four Hugo Awards and four Nebula Awards), exhalation (Science Fiction). “It leads us to think about all the technologies of the moment and all the possibilities for them to be used or misused.”
• the future of mankind, by theoretical physicist, American science publisher and futurist Michio Kaku.

About the author and illustrators of Ciencistorias

Alexis Hidrobo is a chemist from the Central University of Ecuador, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Chile. He is a senior USFQ professor and coordinator of the university’s Socrates Cosmos Symposium. Moreover, it is Editor at USFQ’s Journal of Mainstreaming Science for Children and Youth Science to the rescueAnd an active member of the Society for Modern Scientific Publishing on Science.

Mariola Kwasek studied at the Higher School of Fine Arts in Pozna, Poland. She was a founding Professor of the College of Communication and Contemporary Arts (COCOA) at USFQ, until 2019. He practiced fine arts from 1978 until now, especially in the field of artistic textile. In 2010 he received the USFQ Award for Excellence in Scientific Research البحثIn 2019, it was awarded the Best Teacher Rating by CED.

Francisco Villarreal studied architecture at the Central University of Ecuador and at the Pozna School of Fine Arts in Poland. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and was a founding professor of the College of Communication and Contemporary Arts (COCOA) at USFQ. In 2019, he was awarded Best Teaching Assessment by CED.