Martha Navarro Collado Memorial Discussions
NEWS received from
Graziella Devoli (NVE, Norway)
Scientists should have an obligation to make their work useful to society. To fulfill this they need to be engaged with society, including people in their science, right from the concept stages – to the final results, and to ensure that their work comes back into the communities impacted by their work.
UNESCO International Geosciences Projects 692 ‘Geoheritage for Resilience’ (www.geopoderes.com) and partners are initiating a discussion on this to cover three important aspects of scientists in society. One, the relationship between scientists from the global north and those from the global south (the latter have the money but are far removed from their impacted communities, the latter are closer but have less). Two, the relationship between local scientists and their local communities, and how to best respect the needs of both, and integrate them. Three, is it possible to draft a charter to set out the behavior that communities and southern scientists could expect northern scientists to uphold? This latter follows initiatives for ethical Science, like the Research Fairness Initiative (RFI).
These topics will be discussed in person at a session at the Cities on Volcanoes Conference, in Antigua Guatemala (11 – 17 February 2024).
Preparatory discussion will be held, starting on the 28th November 4PM CET (Spanish Language session), with an on-line discussion. Or on 29th November 7 AM CET (English Language Session).
Please join us by registering at https://tinyurl.com/yqwchyq9 (Spanish Language session) or by registering at https://tinyurl.com/mw7pkc (English Language Session) or both!
This session is a Memorial for Martha Navarro Collado, who died in 24th December 2022, and whose life’s work was an embodiment of how support at risk communities, equitable science in Nicaragua. Martha’s life is also an example of the struggle of a woman scientist from a southern (in development) country. She never hesitated to speak her mind forcibly and was very much our conscience in fair engagement across the north – south divide and between scientists and communities.
Organisors: Eveling Espinoza Jaime (Istituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales, Nicaragua), Nelida Manrique (Instituto Geológico, Minero y Metalúrgico, Peru), Mariana Patricia Jácome (Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico), Julie Morin (University of Cambridge, UK), Benjamin van Wyk de Vries (Université Clermont Auvergne, France).