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20 April 2023The Zaragoza researcher from the IIS Aragón Inés Mármol has received the José María Savirón Prize for scientific dissemination, awarded by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Zaragoza, in the category of Young Popularizers for “his projection, his multifaceted career, his capacity and the use of diverse media to make science have a direct impact on society.”
Doctor in Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Mármol is currently a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral researcher in the “Tissue MicroEnvironment Lab (TME Lab)” Group of the IIS Aragón, led by Ignacio Ochoa. Her field of study has always been cancer, mainly colorectal and lung metastasis, and she is immersed in a project related to glioblastoma whose objective is to develop the blood-brain barrier, the structure that protects the brain, in order to be able to evaluate new drugs that attack brain tumors. "What we are pursuing is to develop a new model, cheaper and easier to use, using 'organ on chip' technology, based on three-dimensional cells that reproduce the characteristics of a real tissue in a better way than, for example, animal models,” he explains.

His disseminating side was born “on the rebound,” as he reveals, while he was doing his doctoral thesis. “I attended a course to learn how to disseminate and communicate. I liked it and I was encouraged to participate in a contest to present your thesis in three minutes. Since I won, I dared to sign up for Fame Lab, another three-minute scientific monologue competition. But the pandemic arrived and it couldn't be celebrated,” she recalls. Paradoxically, this small disappointment became a turning point in her career. “Locked at home I discovered the dissemination via Twitter and then I began to collaborate in media outlets such as Heraldo de Aragón and Aragón Radio,” she says.
This weekend he competes in the 'Solo de Ciencia' monologue contest, organized by FECYT. “We scientists have to become more aware that research and dissemination are complementary and necessary. It doesn't help that we do really cool science and it stays in the laboratory if it doesn't reach the rest of the people. Disseminating information is our added value,” he assures.
Mármol affirms that writing is her favorite format because she confesses to be “very introverted,” but she recognizes that “being on stage and seeing the affection and interest of the public is just as pleasant.” She says she works best in comedy when it comes to appealing to the audience's emotions and her main self-criticism is based on the fact that she still lacks spontaneity, but the award she received motivates her to continue working in the same direction. “It has helped me get rid of that 'imposter syndrome' that affects some people because it is external validation that what you are doing is important, has weight and is enjoyable,” she says, very happy to have been awarded.
Mármol received the recognition ex aequo with Daniel Pellicer, from the University of Valencia. The jury highlighted that "both have had the initiative to continue training in dissemination and a continuous and positive evolution has been seen throughout their careers, still incipient but outstanding as disseminators."