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With a monologue that shows, with mathematics, that the vast majority of games of chance are nothing more than a scam, Víctor Manero, professor at the University of Zaragoza, won third prize in the Famelab final.
To bet or not to bet', this very mathematical and current topic took Víctor Manero to the third step of the podium of the Spanish final of the Famelab scientific monologue contest, which, despite being held behind closed doors due to the pandemic, he lived as " an absolutely wonderful experience, almost like a dream." Happy to have been able to present his monologue "finally", he believes that "between all of us – the organization, stand-up comedians, Fecyt... – we managed to create a very high-quality scientific dissemination show, in my opinion one of the best that is currently being done in our country, and it has not been easy, given the special circumstances of this year. Of course, he missed the presence, like other years, of Queen Letizia or one of "the appropriate ministers: that of Science or that of Universities; institutional support is very important."
A researcher at the University Research Institute of Mathematics and Applications, Manero is a doctoral assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Faculty of Human Sciences and Education of Huesca. He has worked hard to prepare his monologue. "All of us stand-up comedians have been working on this for a long time and I have been impressed by the amount of work and how difficult it is to do quality scientific dissemination. It is something that is not usually appreciated, but there is a lot of work behind scientific communication."
In his case, "this experience has made me grow a lot as a scientific communicator", thanks to the fact that "the Scientific Culture Unit of the University of Zaragoza and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology have given us a lot of training throughout of these eight months. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
A few weeks ago he was amazed to receive a letter "signed by Francina Armengol, president of the Balearic Islands, congratulating me on my passage to the final and encouraging me to continue with my work of scientific dissemination." Although born in Palma de Mallorca, Manero considers himself from Sástago, where his family is from.
When they announced that Víctor Manero had won the third prize, there was someone there who "thought my hands were falling off from applauding so much." It was Inés Mármol, the other Zaragoza native who reached the Spanish final, whose winner will represent our country in the international final. "She deserved it very much because she gave an impeccable monologue," she says. "Nerves and all, I had a great time, I'm very happy to have been able to be part of all this" and he encourages "all Unizar researchers to apply to Famelab next year."
