The University of Oviedo will hold the XI Science Week from the 14th to the 18th November, 2011. The official opening event will take place next Monday 14th, at 10:00, in the Main Hall of the Historical Building. The ceremony, chaired by the rector, Vicente Gotor, will be attended by the General Manager of Universities from the Principality of Asturias, Pilar Castro; the chief manager of the Chemists' Association from the Principality of Asurias, Miguel Ferrero; and the head of External Communication for El Corte Inglés in Asturias and Cantabria, Alfonso Fuertes

The vice-rector's office for Research from the University of Oviedo, through the OTRI's scientific culture area, manages this initiative, promoted from the FECYT, with a main purpose: to bring Science and Technology closer to the general audience and especially to young people. To reach so, the activities which have organized are presented in an open and attractive way, "showing instead of telling" the funniest side of research.

The content designed for the University of Oviedo's Science Week is traditionally organized in six activity groups:

• Fascinating Sciences. Educative visits to Technical and Scientific Departments and Services aimed to High School students, which this year, have been applied by 9,137 students of the 4th Course of Secondary and last courses of High School, who come from more than 72 educative centres of the region. More than 3,500 will be able to do these activities.
• Thinking on Science. Round tables and lectures about controversial topics or general interest subjects.
• Teaching Science. Workshops in which the active participation of teachers and adult audience is required: Monday 14th, "Chemists or Cooks"; Tuesday 17th, "Chemistry and Cosmetics", Wednesday 18th, attendees will build their own herbarium; Thursday 17th, "The chemistry's colour"; Friday 18th, "Tasty Molecules".
• An open door to Science. Public day at the Severo Ochoa building of the Campus of El Cristo, aimed to a wide range of population. Its purpose is to wake up, especially among the youngest ones, the interest in science, technology and research.
• Showing Science. "Nobel Prizes Gallery" is an exhibition promoted by the University of Oviedo, funded by the Ministry of Sciences and Innovation and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology. The content of the posters, carried out by students of 3rd and 4th grade of Secondary School reflects the career and the contributions of 24 scientists awarded with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. On Monday 14th, a cash prize will be given to the three best posters.
• Science Day. Researchers from the University of Oviedo, from all the knowledge areas, will give 83 conferences in several educative centres from the Principality of Asturias.

The University of Oviedo's Science Week has been consolidated, along its 10 years of history, as the most relevant dissemination event which takes place in Asturias. In the framework of this initiative, the Asturian academic institution has offered almost 800 free activities, it has involved more than 400 scientists and researchers –both from the institutions and from other research centres, universities and national scientific museums- and, up to the year 2012, the Science Week in Asturias has received about 24,000 visitors. A programme which interests more and more every year and which tries to bring the highest number of citizens closer to scientific culture.