Sustainable tourism, the fourth episode in Animated Science

Since this 2017 has been declared the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations, the new chapter, titled Sustainable Tourism shows the ability we consumers have to reach a change in the tourist sector towards a more sustainable model which is respectful with the local environment. The main character has a week off to enjoy his holidays doing some sightseeing. When he comes back and shares his experiences, a coral taken from the sea leads his friends to tell him about the need to follow a sustainable model to discover new cultures and lifestyles, take care of the environment, promote local commerce and contribute to the local development. At the end of the story, we see how his idea of tourism has changed and he enjoys his next holidays with different activities, which are more respectful and in line with his new beliefs.

This work counted on the scientific advice from Claudi Mans, emeritus professor of Chemical Engineering at the UB, who validated the process to guarantee the proper transformation of the content to the visual language.

The collection

The different episodes in Animated Science result from the definition of a key concept, selected by experts of the UB who collaborate in the project. Afterwards, a script and a visual work are made. Then, the drawings and animations are done, as well as sound and it is doubled into the three languages of the project (Catalan, Spanish and English). These pieces are published and shared through the list of La UB Divulga in the UB Youtube channel and at the website of the project, where all episodes will be added as they get released.

The scientific method

The first episode is dedicated to the Scientific Method, resulting from the exemplification of each phase. The main character sees the phenomenon to be analysed, the growth of a plant. He has to figure out the factors make a plant to grow more or less. He builds a starting hypothesis, and together with the other characters, designs an experiment to prove it. The scientific adviser of this episode was Claudi Mans.

Shades

The second episode of Animated Science explains how the position of the sun makes an impact on the shades. The main character wants to paint a painting in his garden in the morning. When he has done half of his work, he gets a call that gets him busy for some time. Afterwards, when he comes back to his activity, he realizes the shades he had drew are in the wrong position. He is shocked and thinks about it and realizes that the time of the day has an impact in the position of the sun, and this determines the lines of the shades projected by the objects. The scientific advisers for this episode were Santiago Vallmitjana and Estela Martín, lecturers from the Department of Applied Physics and Optics.

Nutrition

The third episode is about food and the importance of having a balanced diet. The main character, Cubi, realizes bad eating habits have consequences. After visiting the doctor, he understands he should take care of his nutrition and go on a balanced diet to feel better. The episode, created during 2016, declared the International Year of Pulses, makes a summary of the main phases of pulse cultivation. The scientific adviser of this work was Claudi Mans.

The Animated Science project has been organized by the Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit (UCC+i) of the Communication Area of the University of Barcelona and has been funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) - Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness.