The professors of Aesthetics and Theory of the Arts of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Jèssica Jaques and Gerard Vilar, have participated in the program Un restaurante caníbal en Berlín of Catalunya Ràdio, broadcasted last Sunday, March 30, 2025. The authors explained the relationship between art and food, based on their latest book Pensar con el paladar. Una estética gustatoria, published in December with the Publications Service of the UAB.

The program has been broadcasted at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, taking advantage of the fact that these days it is hosting the exhibition "From Montmartre to Montparnasse. Catalan artists in Paris, 1889-1914", full of photographs and paintings of cafes, where the authors have shown how food is an essential way to know the world.

You will find the program cut at minute 10:

The deadline for entries for the literary prizes, organised annually by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Cerdanyola del Vallès Town Council, closed in February. This year, a total of 162 original works have been submitted, of which, after reviewing the performance of the rules, 51 have been shortlisted for the novel prize, 53 for the poetry prize and 43 for the short story prize.

This year, the 16th ‘Caterina Albert’ Short Narrative Prize for Young People, worth 500 euros; the 30th ‘Miquel Martí i Pol’ Poetry Prize, worth 1,000 euros; and the 31st ‘Valldaura - Memorial Pere Calders’ Novel Prize, worth 3,000 euros.

The members of the juries for each prize are currently reviewing the works and their verdict will be announced on Friday, 16 May, at 12 noon, at the prize-giving ceremony to be held at the UAB Theatre Hall.

The event will be hosted by journalist Marta Ejarque, and will be attended by the vice-rector of Communication of the UAB, Virginia Luzón Fernández, and the mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès Town Council, Carlos Cordón Núñez. Also taking part will be the councillors of Cerdanyola del Vallès Town Council, Andrea Borrego Valero and Concepción Martínez Rodríguez, the cultural technician of the Town Council and secretary of the jury of the 16th ‘Caterina Albert’ Short Narrative Prize for Young People, Cristina Ruedas, the director of the UAB Publications Service and secretary of the jury of the 30th ‘Miquel Martí i Pol’ Poetry Prize, Joan Carles Marset, and the member of the jury of the 31st ‘Valldaura - Memorial Pere Calders’ Novel Prize, David Vidal Castell. The event will be enlivened by the performance of the classical and contemporary string quartet Moana.

2024's books

Last October, the UAB Publications Service published the winning works of the 2024 Literary Awards, which were officially presented on 7 November at the Institut Pozas in Cerdanyola del Vallès. Carla Clúa Alcón, with her work Pausa, sucre, Sevilla, was the winner of the 15th ‘Caterina Albert’ short story prize for young people. Josep Antoni Aguilar Àvila, with the work Ballar amb els espectres, and Josep Domènech Ponsatí, with the work Saliendo de hacer, were declared the ex-aequo winners of the 29th ‘Miquel Martí i Pol’ poetry prize. Miquel Ribas Figueras, with his work Ilha do Farol, became the winner of the XXX ‘Valldaura-Memorial Pere Calders’ novel prize.

The same event included the presentation of the call for entries for the 2025 edition of the awards, which received entries until last February. The different juries for each type of prize (novel, poetry and short story) are made up of prominent figures from the current literary and academic scene, winners of the prizes in previous editions and people linked to the town of Cerdanyola del Vallès.

The City Council of Cerdanyola del Vallès and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona announced yesterday the winners of the 2024 literary awards. Carla Clúa Alcón (Reus) with the work Pausa, sucre, Sevilla, presented under the pseudonym “América”, is the winner of the XV short story prize for young people “Caterina Albert”, endowed with 500 euros. Josep Antoni Aguilar Àvila (València), with the work Ballar amb els espectres, presented under the pseudonym “Sparverius”; and Josep Domènech Ponsatí (Sant Feliu de Guíxols), with the work Eixint de fer, presented under the pseudonym “Armand Polito”, are the ex-aequo winners of the XXIX poetry prize “Miquel Martí i Pol”, endowed with 1,000 euros. Miquel Ribas Figueras (Cabrils) with the work Ilha do Farol, presented under the pseudonym “Nuno Bolotas”, was the winner of the XXX novel prize “Valldaura-Memorial Pere Calders”, endowed with 3,000 euros. In this edition, a total of 192 works have opted for the prizes, of which 25 have participated in the short story, 85 in the poetry and 82 in the novel prize. These figures are the highest since 2002, when the organizers decided to merge their respective contests and start their call for entries jointly. The winning works will be published by the UAB Publications Service and will be presented in November in Cerdanyola del Vallès.

During the ceremony, Carmen Alcolea, member of the jury of the Short Narrative Prize, was in charge of reading the minutes of the meeting of the jury of this same award, where she said that the winning story Pausa, sucre, Sevilla stands out for its “careful style, evocative lexicon, own idiolect and interior monologue”.

For his part, Joan Carles Marset, director of the Publications Service of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and secretary of the jury of the Poetry Prize, explained that this is the first time that a prize has been awarded ex-aequo to two participants. The editor argued that the jury unanimously agreed on the high quality of both works. Specifically, on Ballar amb els espectres, the jury highlights the narrative dimension that gives the poems, with a very intelligent use of different mythological legacies. Likewise, with respect to Eixint de fer, the jury highlighted aspects such as its lexical richness and use of stylistic resources, or its sharp, intellectual and sensual sense of humor.

Finally, Marset read the deliberation of the Novel Prize, where the jury has defended that Ilha do Farol is worthy of the prize for being well written, having a rich language, a prolix style and using the pretext of the apocalypse or the end of the world with a contained and quite original approach. Likewise, the members of the jury agreed that the work shows a taste for narrative, branching out into collateral stories, and that it also makes a notable use of humor or sarcasm, which serves to include elements of social criticism.

The awards ceremony was also attended by representatives of the two institutions organizing the awards, including Javier Lafuente Sancho, Rector of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Rosa María Sebastián, Vice Rector of Innovation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship at the UAB; Margarita Freixas y Alás, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the UAB; Carlos Cordón, Mayor of the City Council of Cerdanyola del Vallès; and David González Chanca, Councilor of Culture, Communication and EMD of Bellaterra of the City Council of Cerdanyola del Vallès.

The actor Carles Cruces presented the event, which was enlivened by the performances of the UAB Chamber Choir and the poetic recital Marçal sentida, by Sofia Oliva (alumni and predoctoral student of the UAB) and Laia Solé (student of the UB), who paid tribute to the work of Àngel Guimerà and Maria-Mercè Marçal, respectively. In addition, the awards ceremony was broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the UAB, where the video of the event will also be published soon.

Víctor López-Simó and Digna Couso, lecturers in Science Didactics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), have just published the book, Didàctica de la física per a l’educació secundària obligatòria, as part of the "Materials" collection of the University's Publications Service.

It is often thought that physics is not of direct use in everyday life, is difficult and is neither interesting nor accessible to a large part of the pupils in the 12 to 16 year-old educational stage. Some of the main questions that many teachers, education and science popularisation professionals ask themselves are, for example: what are the key ideas in physics that students need to learn during their compulsory secondary education; why is it important to learn these ideas; what makes it so difficult for students to construct them in a meaningful way; or what strategies and teaching resources can help in this task.

Didáctica de la física para la educación secundaria obligatoria is a manual that aims to guide the teaching and learning processes of this discipline, emphasising the understanding of concepts, leaving aside the memorisation of equations and procedures, and starting from the students' previous knowledge. The authors of the book focus on everyday phenomena and dialogue, and apply them to each of the four main branches of classical physics: mechanics, electromagnetism, electromagnetism, physics and physics of the universe. In this volume, López-Simó and Couso share their visions, resources and experiences, acquired throughout their professional careers.

Víctor López-Simó holds a degree in Physics (2009) and a PhD in Science Education (2014). He has worked as a physics and chemistry teacher at ESO and Bachillerato, and is currently a lecturer in the Department of Didactics of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences at the UAB, where he teaches Science Didactics to trainee teachers in primary and secondary education. Her research has focused on the conceptual understanding of physics and chemistry, as well as on the use of digital tools for science teaching, such as sensors and simulations.

Digna Couso holds a degree in Physics (1999) and a PhD in Science Education (2009). She has been the director of CRECIM (Centro de Investigación para la Educación Científica y Matemática) and is currently the principal investigator of the research group ACELEC (Aprendizaje Científico Escolar: Lenguajes, Herramientas y Contextos). She has participated and led multiple research projects on teaching and learning of science and STEM, addressing issues such as the positioning of young people towards science, the design of learning situations that promote scientific practices of enquiry and modelling or critical thinking in the science classroom.

The volume will be presented next Friday 5 April at 5pm at the Faculty of Education Sciences of the UAB (Aula 51), in a seminar with the participation of Marta Bertran, dean of the Faculty, and the authors of the book. Didáctica de la física per a l'educació secundària obligatoria has been published by the Publications Service of the UAB in paper format for a fee and in free and open access electronic format.

Writer Arià Paco, winner of the 26th Llibres Anagrama Novel Prize 2025, will present his book Teoria del joc on Thursday, October 16, at 7 p.m., in the Enric Granados Hall at Cerdanyola’s Central Library.

Teoria del joc (Anagrama, 2025) is a novel that reflects on vulnerability and the contradictions between new masculinities and feminism. Through the voice of Ernest, the main character, the story delves into desire, guilt, love, seduction, and other intimate and shared experiences — from sexual awakening to romantic relationships, the influence of social media, and contemporary social transformations.

Arià Paco is no stranger to Cerdanyola: in 2020, he won the Valldaura – Memorial Pere Calders Novel Prize, organized by the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Cerdanyola City Council, with his novel Mentir a les mosques, published by the UAB Publications Service.

The event is part of the Cafè amb lletres series, organized by the Cerdanyola City Council in collaboration with local bookstores (Éfora, L’Aranya, and Lilliput). The session will be moderated by journalist and writer Llucia Ramis, and admission is free until full capacity is reached.

Francesc Cabiró and Sergi Félez, award-winning authors recognized by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Cerdanyola del Vallès City Council, will take part in the 25th Cerdanyola Reading Marathon on April 23.

The town will celebrate Sant Jordi with a programme of activities including a book signing of the novel «Aquell any a Xangxun», winner of the 31st Valldaura Prize – Pere Calders Memorial 2025, by its author Francesc Cabiró, as well as an appearance by Sergi Félez, who will share with younger audiences his writing experience behind «Indòmit», awarded the 16th Caterina Albert Young Writers’ Short Story Prize 2025.

The authors

Sergi Félez Navarro (Esparreguera, 2005) is a journalism student at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Passionate about reading, nature and mountaineering, he has occasionally contributed to digital sports media. He has received several literary awards, including the Maria Rovira Prize, the Esparreguera Floral Games and the National Geographic and RBA Libros Young Journalism Writing Contest (2023).

Francesc Cabiró Gómez (Badalona, 1956) combines his professional career with photography and writing. An author of poetry and fiction, he has published works such as La noia del parc (2022) as well as several poetry collections. He has contributed to VilaWeb since 2007 and is a founding member of the BDN Escriu Association. He currently lives in Tortosa, where he is actively involved in cultural life.

UAB professor Carles Gasol, co-author of the book Economia circular. El camí cap a la sostenibilitat, takes part in the Revolución Circular podcast, hosted by international expert Petar Ostojic, one of the leading Spanish-language platforms on sustainability and Industry 4.0.

In the episode —focused on the book’s content— Gasol discusses the main challenges of the transition towards a circular economy and highlights the need to move beyond the linear model of “produce, consume and discard” towards systems that generate long-term value. The podcast also explores the role of innovation, impact measurement, and the importance of avoiding greenwashing in the real-world application of sustainability.

Throughout the conversation, emphasis is placed on translating the concept of circular economy into concrete examples and practical applications—one of the programme’s core ideas, aimed at showing how this model is already being implemented across different economic sectors.

The episode thus connects the book’s reflections with an international audience of entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals interested in more sustainable production and consumption models, expanding the reach of knowledge generated within the university.

The current economic model, often based on producing, consuming and discarding, is increasingly showing its limits. The constant extraction of resources and the growth in global consumption are generating rising environmental impacts, and currently only 7.2% of the world’s products and services can be considered truly circular. In this context, the circular economy has become one of the key strategies for moving towards more sustainable production and consumption models.

Against this backdrop, the book Economia circular. Camí cap a la sostenibilitat, by researchers Joan Rieradevall and Carles Gasol and published by the UAB Publications Service, offers a rigorous and critical analysis of the factors that can accelerate —or hinder— this transition. The work brings together more than two decades of research, projects and collaborations with companies and public administrations, and provides tools, indicators and practical examples to minimise the environmental impact of products and production processes.

As Gasol points out, “the question is no longer whether we need to move towards a circular economy, but how we can accelerate this transition”.

The participation in the Revolución Circular podcast, available on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, reinforces this commitment to knowledge transfer and connects academic research with the real challenges faced by the economic and social fabric.

The book is available in print and open access, and can be consulted both in its original Spanish edition (Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad) and in the recent Catalan edition.

The 42nd Catalan Book Week will take place from 20 to 29 September and, this year, it will be held, exceptionally, on Passeig Lluís Companys in Barcelona. A central, wide and easily accessible location, ideal for enjoying books and open-air activities.

Once again this year, the Publications Service of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona will be present through the Vives University Network (XVU). New publications such as Les arrels del capvepre, Tot un món en català, Didàctica de la física per a l’educació secundària obligatòria, o Càlcul en variable complexa, will be presented at module number 80, together with other publications from university publishers affiliated with the XVU.

The presentation of the winning works of the Joan Lluís Vives awards for university publishing 2024 is scheduled for Tuesday 23 September. The event will take place at 11:15 am, on stage 1.

From September 19 to 28, the 43rd Catalan Book Week will take place, which for the second consecutive year will be held on Passeig de Lluís Companys in Barcelona, a central, spacious, easily accessible location, ideal for enjoying books and outdoor activities.

Once again, the Publications Service of the Autonomous University of Barcelona will be present through the Vives University Network (XVU). New releases such as  Perla marina, resina de pi. Apunts de poesia catalana de principi de segle, Pompeu Fabra a Badalona. Història d'un mural or Tot un món en català. 800 topònims per a la correcció oral i escrita will be showcased at booth number 1, together with other publications from university presses belonging to the XVU.

The presentation of volumes I and II of Catalan Literature of Postmodernity, co-published by the UAB Publishing Service and the University of Barcelona, is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24. The event will take place at 6:45 p.m. on Stage 1.

On Thursday, September 25, the presentation of the winning works of the Joan Lluís Vives Awards for University Publishing 2025 is scheduled. The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Stage 2.

The book L’ètica en la recerca a la UAB. Els primers trenta anys has been edited by José Luis Molina, professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and director of the Research Ethics Committee (CERec), and anthropologist Sílvia Villagrasa Krasnobayeva.

The volume collects the experiences and personal stories of the protagonists who have been part of CERec from its beginnings until now: research staff, animal welfare advisory staff, and technical and administrative staff. Some forty people who have been responsible for the ethical evaluation of some 6,000 research projects and training and awareness courses and, in general, for advising UAB research staff.

“Their testimony allows us to understand the social, legislative and technological changes in research ethics at the university and in the Catalan, state and international system, and offers a comprehensive and critical view of the progress and challenges in this area,” says José Luis Molina.

The content of the book is divided into three large blocks, inspired by the changes experienced by CERec itself in response to the general situation. The first block, animal research, was dominant in its first stage. Following that, the evaluation of bioethics projects (“human” research), the subject of the second block, took centre stage. Finally, the third block describes the incorporation of the social sciences and humanities.

A final part of the volume is devoted to reflecting on the challenges that will have to be addressed in the near future, such as the effects of artificial intelligence, big data or genomic editing, among others. Another topic focused on is the evolution of the current model for reviewing research projects in the face of increasing competitiveness and diversity of projects to be evaluated.

Source: Sala de premsa UAB.