DILUTING SCIENCE: TO INNOVATE IN ORDER TO SPREAD SCIENCE

The degree in Pharmacy of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) is included in the branch of Health Sciences, and its main objective is to train specialists in all aspects of drugs and medicines, in accordance with European Directives relating to the pharmacology profession. It requires five years of full time study. The first two years are foundation years in which students study anatomy, biology, chemistry and basic pharmaceutical science. The remaining three years are devoted to higher levels of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, together with specialized clinical pharmacy studies.

Pharmacy students of the UCLM are being used to study and practise science at classrooms and labs. Every year, the Institution organizes several scientific workshops seeking to boost pharmacy student interest in science. Most of students participate in the academic activities and they identify with and value outcomes. University is central to the daily life of many students, and they have a need to develop other activities outside the university environment. Diluting Science program is ready for firsts time.

Diluting Science program try to ensure that students spread science in an interactive way. It is open to all students and takes place on October and November, before the first exams take place in order not to compromise the study time. It consists of five sessions in different environments.

-First session took place in a social senior centre: lecture and group discussion about “Maths in everyday life”.
-Second session took place in a pub: lecture and group discussion about “What electromagnetic waves can say to everybody”.
-Third session took place in a high school: lecture and group discussion about “Aging and oxidation”.
-Fourth session took place in a public park: children workshop about science.
-Fifth session back to the School of Pharmacy: lecture and group discussion about “Homeopathy versus science”.

Herein, we would like to report the results obtained from ‘Diluting Science’ and sum up the benefits of this kind of activities in order to complete the acquisition of some of the Key Skills Qualifications (KSQs) the students acquire in the degree, such as their improvement in oral communication or the understanding of the ethical compromise of their profession.