Raccontascienza III: twelve new short stories to talk about science to the little ones

In the last two years we have felt strongly and imperatively the need for accessible, timely and reliable communication of science. Few of us before March 2020 knew what the Spike protein or a coronavirus are or how a vaccine works and unfortunately many people still have confused or distorted ideas about it. Yet, for months, we talked about viruses and pandemics in the newspapers, on television, on the web. So what didn’t work? It’s not easy going deeper on this topic in few lines, but what we have all unquestionably understood is the importance of objective and high-level scientific communication, one of the milestones of the mission of the Bruno Kessler Foundation and the other research institutes of the Trentino Higher Education and Research System, which collaborated on the Raccontascienza III project.

The contest for scientific short stories the book you hold in your hands is the final result of has as its precise purpose to talk about science to children in a correct way, but with a language suitable for this precious audience and the use of images – visual or figurative – that may help children to better understand the topic. The texts have been written by staff belonging to both research and services in support of research of the four promoters, because we believe that the close collaboration and synergy between the two parties is at the basis of the important results obtained and recognized internationally.

If texts were written by researchers already competent in the subject, a review was carried out from a purely editorial point of view, while if they were written by administrative staff, they were reviewed by an expert in the field who verified their correctness and scientific truthfulness (we thank in this regard Giorgio Guzzetta of FBK, Maurizio Indirli (ENEA) and Maddalena Pennisi of CNR INGV). This is because we believe that each person has different and individual skills and talents and to be sure to offer you a book that talks about volcanoes, archaeological excavations, hydrogen and much more with the scientific rigour of good research but with an understandable and playful language able to involve young readers and older ones to the extraordinary world of science.

Wishing you of a “fabulous” reading,

Annalisa Armani

Head of the Raccontascienza project and member of the editorial committee