Back to school!

Hi everyone! The picture you see there is taken from the Gabriela Mistral high-school, in Arroyomolinos, Madrid. You guessed right, that happens to be my old high-school! Dissemination of research is a key step towards scientific progress (if people aren't aware of your work, does it exist?), and I took this opportunity to go back to my roots and try to engage and motivate the next generation of scientists and technologists in my hometown (and also catch up with a few of my former teachers, which was great!). I spoke to a few groups, divided in two fields: bioscience and physical sciences. I explained to them why and how to pursue a career in science, and why I chose solid-state physics and graphene as my field of research/expertise. The European Commission, by means of initiatives such as our Marie Curie-Sklodowska fellowships, or the Graphene Flagship, is trying to emulate the California Silicon Valley with the Graphene Valley over here in Europe; if we are to achieve that target, it is necessary to not only educate but also motivate the future STEM students, and surely graphene and 2D materials are exciting enough for such purpose!