- The Universe as a Window to Knowledge: Science Outreach Comes to CEPA Yucatán.
Science is also shaped by the questions we ask ourselves. How did the universe begin? What evidence do we have of its origin? And what will be its ultimate fate? These are some of the topics Professor Alberto Casas (IFT UAM/CSIC) will address in a talk aimed at students from the CEPA Yucatán Adult Education Center in Soto del Real on November 19, as part of the CSIC Science Week.
The event will bring scientific knowledge and research on the universe to students at this educational center, which is located within the Madrid VII Penitentiary. The initiative highlights the value of education and science outreach as spaces for learning, inquiry, and the sharing of knowledge, regardless of the setting in which they take place.
Under the title “The Origin and Future of the Universe,” Professor Casas will explore some of the great questions of cosmology. Over the course of approximately one hour, he will explain what is known about the universe’s earliest moments and the scientific evidence supporting the Big Bang theory—which posits that the universe is roughly 13.8 billion years old.
The talk will also offer insight into how science has reconstructed the history of the cosmos through decades of observations and discoveries. Yet, alongside what is already known, the session will address questions that remain unanswered: what happened in the universe’s first instants, what is the nature and role of its most mysterious components, and—above all—what future awaits the cosmos.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion lasting approximately 30 minutes, designed as a forum for dialogue where students can ask the speaker questions, exchange ideas, and delve deeper into the topics covered.
- Science and education for everyone
Hosting this activity at CEPA Yucatán reflects a vision of science communication as an open and accessible tool. Bringing science into diverse educational settings creates new learning opportunities and fosters direct engagement between society and scientific knowledge.
In this spirit, the event joins other science outreach initiatives promoted by the Institute for Theoretical Physics UAM/CSIC (IFT UAM/CSIC) to bring science to a variety of educational contexts. The IFT UAM/CSIC has previously organized outreach activities at CEPA Yucatán, where students have participated in scientific projects and gained firsthand insight into the work of researchers.
Alberto Casas’s talk thus offers a new opportunity to open a window onto the universe from the classrooms of CEPA Yucatán, reminding us that scientific curiosity, questioning, and the desire to learn belong to everyone.
