Experience Sant Jordi at the University of Barcelona!

Presentation of the poster for Sant Jordi 2017

On Thursday, April 20, the UB poster for Sant Jordi 2017 was presented. It has been designed by Aldo Urbano, former student of the Faculty of Fine Arts and it represents a predictable scene of Sant Jordi, such as the delivery of the rose, “under a filter of some scientific phsychedelia”. To do so, the author was inspired by the botany scientific paintings and the novel The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov.

Awarded with a grant from Sala dʼArt Jove of Generalitat de Catalunya and author of a picture book published by the Sala, Aldo Urbano is a promising artist that opens a new policy supporting emerging art, which the University wants to promote with the Sant Jordi institutional posters.

The presentation, which took place at the room Ramón y Cajal in the Historical Building, was chaired by the vice-rector for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Savador García, and the vice-dean of culture from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Manuel Aramendía. The artist has unveiled the poster. On Friday, there will be a presentation of the poster at the Faculty of Fine Arts (at 12 noon, in the centerʼs “sala de juntes” room).

Book stand and signatures

As usual, on April 23, Editions and Publications of the UB will have a book stand in rambla de Catalunya with Provença, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., with new books and a wide range of the books from the University of Barcelona. Some of the authors will sign their books, which touch on science, culture or current affairs.

One of the novelties is The sound of sculptures of Bernard and François Baschet by François Baschet, edited by Martí Ruiz, to be presented on April 20 at 7 p.m, in the Humanities and Sciences Park of the UB. The other new work for Sant Jordi is El jardí de lʼEdifici Històric de la Universitat de Barcelona. 101 plantes per a una passejada botànica i literària¸by Joan Vallès Xirau.

The editor of The sound of sculptures of Bernard and François Baschet will be at the stand of Editions and Publications of the UB and will give an opening concert with a sound sculpture. The book stand will count with the presence of the authors of El jardí de lʼEdifici Històric de la Universitat de Barcelona, apart from the authors of the following works: Els orígens de la indústria dietètica catalana (1880) by Josep Boatella; Guía ilustrada para conocer los árboles, by Jaume Llistosella and Antoni Sànchez-Cuxart; Simetries de Barcelona, by Miquel Àngel Cuevas Diarte, Melisa Pesoa Marcilla and Estanislao Roca Blanch; Antologia de la literatura llatina, edited by Javier Velaza; Visions dels Pirineus. Entre la Renaixença i el Modernisme, by Teresa-M. Sala; Les profunditats de la ment. Com percebem el funcionament del nostre cervell, by the group Cervell de Sis -formed by David Bueno, Enric Bufill, Francesc Colom, Diego Redolar, Xaro Sánchez and Eduard Vieta-; De dones, homes i molècules, by Santiago Álvarez; and Una meravella anomenada vida. Com són, com funcionen I dʼon vénen els éssers vius, by F. Mestres, M. Soley, M. I. Álvaro, B. Àrias, M. C. Auladell, N. Bonada, J. Ferrer, N. Hladun, G. Llorente, J. Martínez and M. D. Vinyoles. The signature schedule can be read here.

Moreover, until April 28, Editions and Publications of the UB is offering a 40% discount on the books of its catalogue -for all the teaching staff and administration and services staff of the University of Barcelona. More information can is available here.

A solidary Sant Jordi

This is the fourth year that Voluntariat UB and Fundació Servei Solidari have set a new edition of “Recicla Cultura” at the University of Barcelona. This initiative promotes book donation so that others can buy these for a symbolic price on Saint Georgeʼs Day. From April 19 to 21, in collaboration with the CRAI libraries, there will be six book stands as part of this project: in the Historical Building (Philology and Mathematics and Computer Science CRAI libraries); in Philosophy, Geography and History CRAI; in the Bellvitge Campus CRAI Library, in Mundet Campus CRAI Library and at the headquarters of Alumni UB. People who are interested in this can buy any book making a donation. The collected money will be used to fund literacy and language courses given by Servei Solidary to help social integration for newcomers in Catalonia.

At the same time, Voluntariat UB has also joined a charity campaign, “Roses contra lʼoblit”, promoting the entity Amics de la Gent Gran. The book stands in Raval campus and in the Historical Building, apart from the UB Store will sell charity roses. The collected money will be used for programs of support for the elderly who live alone.

Mundet Campus

The activities for Sant Jordi in the different centers will start on Wednesday, April 19, in Mundet campus. The events will start at 10.30 a.m. with several games: the exchange of a cake for a poem, recommendations of worldwide books, a compilation of questions from the RodaGimcana 2016-2017 and the exhibition of the works from the 12th Emili Mira i López Awards. At 12.30 noon, the sala de graus room of the Migdia building will hold the conference “Importància de la llengua en lʼavaluació psicopedagògica”, by Lluís Garcia Sevilla, psychiatrist and member of the Institute for Catalan Studies; and at 1.30 p.m the awards Emili Mira i López and RodaGimcana will be given. The day will end with a poetry reading organized by Eduard Sanahuja, winner of the Jocs Florals de Barcelona 2016 (Barcelona Floral Games), and Francisco José Martínez, former student of the Faculty of Education. Also, during the day, an exhibition on H. J. Eysenck can be visited in the hall of the library.

Faculty of Economics and Business

On Thursday, April 20, from 12 noon onwards, there will be different activities in the Pati dels estanys in the building 690. Among other activities will be book presentations (books by the teaching staff of the Faculty), book exchanges and recommendations and the award ceremony of Ensaïmada Lingüística 2017 and the 5th Contest of Flash Fiction of Cooperativa lʼEconomista, apart from a performance by the castellers group Els Arreplegats de la Zona Universitària.

Faculty of Library and Information Sciences

On April 20 and 21, at the Faculty of Library and Information Sciences, there will be a table for book exchanges, apart from the usual wallpapering at the stairs of the Faculty with bibliography quotes, within the activity “Un tast de… tʼagradaria seguir llegint?”, which reaches its ninth edition this year. Moreover, on Friday 21, the center opens a new activity: a language gymkhana based on the terminology of the bachelor degrees of the Faculty.

Raval Campus

The Raval campus has prepared activities for Monday April 24, which include a language gymkhana and book recommendations. Also, Maria del Ripoll Freixa, secretary of the Faculty of Geography and History, will give a lecture on the legend of Saint George and the choral of the campus will offer a concert.

Faculty of Chemistry

On April 24, the Faculty of Chemistry has organized a dissemination conference by Claudi Mans, emeritus professor of Chemical Engineering of the UB, entitled “Sofre organic, DDT inorganic: reflexió sobre terminologia”. The lecture will take place at 1 p.m, in the Aula Magna Enric Casassas, and will be chaired by the dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Miquel Vidal.

Faculty of Biology

For Sant Jordi, the Faculty of Biology has prepared three days of conferences and the exhibition “Exponatura”.

On Monday, April 24, at 12 noon, the Aula Magna of the Faculty will hold the conference “LʼAntàrtida: últim paradís dels biòlegs marins”, by Conxita Àvila, from the Department of Animal Biology. On Tuesday, April 25, at 12 h in the Aula Magna, Ferran Burgaya, from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, will give the lecture “Don Santiago i la consciència. La ment humana, 110 anys després de Santiago Ramón y Cajal”. On Thursday April 27 there will be two activities: at 12 noon, the conference “Cuando la naturaleza no escoge la distancia más corta: fenómenosa todo o nada y resilencia en ecosistemas marinos”, by Javier Romero, from the Department of Ecology; and at 15.30 h, the tribute to Jaume Baguñà, from the Department of Genetics, with the participation of Gustavo Llorente, Emilio Saló, Gonzalo Giribert and Ginés Morata. Also, from April 24 to May 30, the building Ramon Margalef will offer the exhibition “Exponatura 2017”, the traditional dissemination exhibition which has been organized since 1081 at the Faculty of Biology and which gathers pictures and drawings inspired by nature.

In addition, as part of Primavera de la Llengua, from April 18 to 39, there will be the contest Biorelats, and its award ceremony will take place on May 26.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law has organized from April 24 to 28 a cultural week with lectures, debates, cinema forums, music performances and a poetry reading. Among the several activities is the conference by Dory Sontheimer, author of the book Las siete cajas, entitled "Literatura i refugiats: lliçons de la Història". It will take place on April 25, at 12 noon, in Saló de Graus. The program for the whole week is available here.

Faculty of Philology

On April 26, at 7 p.m., the Pati de Lletres in the Historical Building will hold the reading Envers: 4th reading of UB poets, with the participation of students, teaching staff and the administration and services staff of the University, who will make a public reading of their poems. On the same day, there will be the ceremony for the 24th Carne Serrallonga Award. Linguistic Landscapes, which promotes the study of linguistic landscapes in Catalan speaking countries and raises awareness on the sociolinguistic reality of the Catalan language.