Johari Gautier Carmona, journalist and author of the book El hechizo del tren, will give a lecture on February 21, at 7 p.m., in the Audiovisual Room of the Monastery Museum of Sant Cugat del Vallès (Pl. de l'Om, 1).

The talk, entitled "The protagonists of the first railway line in the Peninsula", will be based on his novel, which tells the story of the railroad from its beginnings in Latin America to its arrival in the Iberian Peninsula, through the experiences lived by its main promoters.

The conference is part of the Cycle of Conferences on the World of Trains, organized by the Associació d'Amics del Ferrocarril de Sant Cugat del Vallès and can also be followed live on the YouTube channel of the Federació Catalana d'Amics del Ferrocarril: youtube@canalFCAF6925.

Eduard Roure Blàvia, professor and writer from Lleida, will present his novel El metall i els turons, next Thursday, April 18, at 7 pm, at the bookstore La Fatal (Vallcalent street, 65, 25006 Lérida).

The event will include a reading of several fragments of the book and will be attended by Ester Graell, philologist and teacher; Mariona Roure, photographer and art historian; and the author.

The work is a modern fable, disguised as a thriller or western, and has been the winner of the XXIX Novel Prize "Valldaura-Memorial Pere Calders" of 2023, organized by the UAB and the City Council of Cerdanyola del Vallès. El metall i els turons, as Roure himself points out, is "a modern tale that revolves around the old story of the confrontation with power, in this case, provoked by the awareness for the conservation of the environment".

Eduard Roure Blàvia was born in Lérida in 1973 and teaches Catalan language and literature at the Manuel de Montsuar Secondary School in the same city. His works include: Les altes balconades (Pagès, 1999), Les Talúries prize for narrative; the short novel Lligall trobat a la Cabana (Proa, 2008), finalist for the Pere Calders prize; the novel L'última badia (Pagès, 2012), creation aid prize for the best novel project of the Narrativa Lleida Awards; and the novel La nit de les oques (Viena, 2016), Ciutat de Badalona prize for narrative. Currently, she collaborates as an article writer in the supplement Lectura del diari Segre.

From October 20 to 26, the International Open Access Week is celebrated, an initiative that promotes the free and universal dissemination of scientific knowledge. As every year, the Publications Service of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) reaffirms its commitment to open science, the transfer of knowledge to society, and the promotion of the use of Catalan as a language of science.

For over a decade, the Publications Service has demonstrated this commitment by actively participating in various collective spaces defending open science, such as the Public Knowledge Project —where we maintain the translations of its tools and participate in its technical committee—, the European Diamond Capacity Hub, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), the Union of Spanish University Presses (UNE), as well as in European and international projects such as DIAMAS, CRAFT-OA or ALMASI, among others.

Recently, the Service has participated in the round table on «Technological infrastructures and funding of the diamond route» during the 3rd Meeting of Professionals in Scientific and Academic Publishing, held on September 18 and 19, 2025, as well as in the panel discussion «Expert Panel "Diamond Dreams & Data Streams: Shaping Sustainable Open Access» at the closing of the European project CRAFT-OA, from October 6 to 8, 2025.

This commitment is also reflected in the resumption of the informal meetings of Catalan scientific diamond-model journals, which offer open access content without charges for readers or publication costs for authors, as these are covered by institutions. The meeting, promoted by the Service and hosted by the CRAI of the University of Barcelona, took place last April and included the participation of EAPC, IEC, UAB, UB, UJI, UPC, UPV and CSUC. Participants agreed on the need to strengthen collaboration and develop shared strategies to achieve sustainability, quality, and international projection of their journals.

The lines of action presented fully align with the strategic axis of the UAB Publications Service, which actively promotes the free dissemination of knowledge through the digital journals service and the open access monographs platform. These actions align with the UAB Institutional Open Access Policy, which promotes the use of open licenses, authors’ rights retention, and open access training.

Through these actions, the Publications Service highlights its commitment to the UAB Open Science strategy, strengthening the visibility and quality of university research.

Image: International Open Access Week. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.openaccessweek.org/resources

Cecot Comerç ha publicat a la seva pàgina web una entrevista a Gabriel Izard amb motiu de l'aparició del seu darrer llibre, Innovación y liderazgo. El nacimiento del código de barras, editat pel Servei de Publicacions de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

A l'entrevista, l'autor reflexiona sobre innovació i lideratge col·laboratiu i lliga la història del naixement del codi de barres amb l’actualitat, la importància de l'alt impacte de la tecnologia a les empreses i com és possible posar a la pràctica el concepte win-win (tots hi guanyen).

Gabriel Izard va néixer a Sabadell el 1956, és economista i ha estat professor de Màrqueting, Gestió de la Distribució, International Business i Business in Action a la UAB durant més de trenta anys. Ha estat quinze anys membre de l’Associació Espanyola de Codificació Comercial (Aecoc), on va participar en la creació del codi de barres. Actualment és delegat comercial a Espanya de l’empresa Axicon Auto ID, que desenvolupa i produeix equips de verificació de codis de barres arreu del món. A través de la seva experiència professional, l’autor relaciona el naixement del codi de barres i la seva incidència en la digitalització, la innovació i el lideratge empresarial.

Cecot Comerç està integrada per empresaris i empresàries dels diferents gremis i associacions empresarials que conformen la patronal catalana Cecot i representa directament 4.000 empreses del sector del comerç i prop de 120.000 treballadors. Aquesta entitat és una de les fundadores de la Unió d’Entitats de Retail de Catalunya · RETAILcat.

On April 17, Ràdio UNAL, belonging to the National University of Colombia (Bogotà), interviewed Julio Mario Hoyos and Juan Carlos Moreno, Biologist and Philosopher, respectively, and authors of the book Las claves de la investigación Científica, recently published by the Publications Service of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

The interview was included in the program Panorama de la Ciència, produced by the Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, and can be listened to in full at the following link: https://radio.unal.edu.co/detalle/claves-para-entender-la-investigacion-cientifica

The historian of science Oliver Hochadel, author of the book El mito de Atapuerca published by the Servei de Publicacions of the UAB (2013), is featured in a new interview on the Educational Evidence portal, conducted by David Rabadà, PhD in Geological Sciences and professor of Earth Sciences, where he analyzes the role this site has played in the construction of scientific and media narratives.

In the conversation, Hochadel explores how Atapuerca has become not only an international reference in the field of paleoanthropology, but also a paradigmatic case of the relationship between science and the media. As he explains, one of the keys to its success has been the ability of scientific teams to communicate and generate public interest around their findings.

The author points out that, for years, researchers established a close relationship with journalists, whom they often saw as allies in the dissemination of scientific knowledge. This connection helped consolidate a successful narrative that has turned Atapuerca into a phenomenon that goes beyond the academic sphere.

These reflections are in line with his book El mito de Atapuerca, in which Hochadel examines how major scientific narratives are constructed and the role played by dissemination, institutional interests, and the media.

The full interview can be read at the following link:
https://educationalevidence.com/oliver-hochadel-sobre-atapuerca-ellos-vieron-a-los-periodistas-como-amigos/

About the author

Oliver Hochadel (Bruchsal, Germany, 1968) is a historian of science and a senior researcher at the Institució Milà i Fontanals (CSIC) in Barcelona. His research focuses on the interaction between science and its publics throughout history. He has developed his academic career in several European countries and in the United States, and for nearly twenty years he also worked as a science journalist.

The Barcelona Design Museum – Disseny Hub (DHub) is hosting a conference on circular economy to be given by Dr. Joan Rieradevall Pons and Dr. Carles Gasol Martínez, authors of the book Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad, published by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
In the talk, the authors will discuss the main concepts of the circular economy and link them to some of the objects displayed in the permanent exhibition Matter Matters. Designing with the World, which also appear in their latest publication Circular Economy. The Road to Sustainability. The book presents circular economy as one of the key strategies to achieve sustainable development.

The event is part of the autumn activity cycle Shared Matter, organized by the Barcelona Design Museum, and will take place at the Espai Mirador on Wednesday, October 1, at 6:00 p.m. The activity is free and open to the public. To access the DHub, attendees must first register at reception starting at 5:30 p.m. Once the conference is over, the accreditation will allow free entry to visit the Museum’s exhibition.

Joan Rieradevall Pons holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences and is a scientific advisor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB). An expert in sustainability, eco-design and circular economy, he has published more than 170 articles and supervised numerous doctoral theses.

Carles Gasol Martínez holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the UAB and is an associate professor at the Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at the UAB (DEQBA-UAB).

Both authors are also co-founders of the UAB Research Park spin-off companies Inèdit Innova and Tectum Garden. As a result of their ties with the university, last May Circular Economy. The Road to Sustainability was published by the UAB Publications Service, both in print (paid) and electronic (free, open acces) editions.

The authors’ professional and academic experience has led to this publication, which aims to bring readers closer to the concept of circular economy, presenting it as one of the key strategies of the 21st century to foster sustainable development, while questioning whether it will become a reality or remain a short-term aspiration after analyzing political, economic, social, and environmental factors.

Other events

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Thursday, June 5, the authors participated in a dialogue at the Mundana space in Barcelona on policies, indicators, tools, and innovation strategies to reduce the environmental impact of consumption.

On Wednesday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m., the Byron Bookshop in Barcelona hosted the first presentation of the book, which gave special mention to the individuals, professionals, and organizations that contributed to making it a reality.

Doctors Joan Rieradevall Pons and Carles Gasol Martínez will present their book Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad (Circular Economy. The Path Towards Sustainability) on Wednesday, September 17, at 7 p.m., at the Byron Bookshop in Barcelona (C/ de Casanova, 32). The return from the summer holidays will be the opportunity to officially introduce this work, which presents circular economy as one of the decisive strategies to achieve sustainable development.

Joan Rieradevall Pons holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences and is a scientific advisor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB). An expert in sustainability, eco-design, and circular economy, he has published more than 170 articles and supervised numerous doctoral theses.

Carles Gasol Martínez holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the UAB and is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering at the UAB (DEQBA-UAB).

Both authors are also co-founders of the spin-off companies from the UAB Research Park, Inèdit Innova and Tectum Garden. As a result of their close ties with the University, last May Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad was published by the UAB Publications Service, in both paid print and free open-access electronic formats.

The authors’ professional and academic experience gave rise to this publication, which aims to bring readers closer to circular economy, proposing it as one of the decisive strategies of the 21st century to foster sustainable development, while raising the question of whether it will become a reality or remain a short-term aspiration after analyzing political, economic, social, and environmental factors.

On Wednesday, September 17, at 7 p.m., the Byron Bookshop in Barcelona will host the first presentation of the book, which intends to pay special tribute to the individuals, professionals, and organizations that contributed to making it a reality.

In addition to the authors themselves, the event will feature representatives from the UAB and from the fields of environmental policy and circular economy, such as Xavier Gabarrell Durany, professor in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering and Vice-Rector for Campus and Sustainability at the UAB; and Pilar Chiva Rodríguez, a graduate in Chemical Sciences and Director of the Circular Economy Area at the Catalan Waste Agency (ARC).

Other events
Coinciding with World Environment Day, on Thursday, June 5, the authors took part in a dialogue at Espai Mundana in Barcelona on policies, indicators, tools, and innovation strategies that help reduce the environmental impact of consumption.

On October 1, the authors will give a lecture on sustainable design at the Design Museum of Barcelona, within the framework of the exhibition “Matter Matters. Designing with the World.”

The deadline for submitting manuscripts for the 2025 Literary Awards, organised by the Cerdanyola del Vallès Town Council and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), ended on 7 February.

The following is the composition of the jury for the current edition of the awards.

JURY OF THE XXXI PREMI DE NOVEL-LA ‘VALLDAURA-MEMORIAL PERE CALDERS’ OF 2025

Núria Balagué Mola (Barcelona, 1958) has a degree in Hispanic Philology and Italian Philology and a PhD in Documentation from the University of Barcelona. She has been assistant director of the Library Service of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Barcelona.

Joan Mañas López (Gualba, 1970) holds a degree in Literary Theory and Comparative Literature from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and is the owner of the second-hand bookshop El Pergamí Vell. He has participated as a juror in several novel awards and is the author of the novel Arqueologia de l'amor, awarded the Just Casero de Girona Prize in 2006.

Arià Paco Abenoza (Igualada, 1993) holds a degree and master's degree in philosophy from the University of Barcelona. Since 2025, he also holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Arizona, where he has been an assistant professor for five years. He has published three novels: Mentir a les mosques (2020), Covarda, vella, tan salvatge (2022) and Teoria del joc (2025, Anagrama Novel Prize). He collaborates with various cultural media and podcasts.

Miquel Ribas (Barcelona, 1972). He has a degree in Cultural Anthropology and a master's degree in Audiovisual Scriptwriting. Professor of Social Sciences with extensive teaching experience, he has devoted his free time to writing various works of fiction for children, young people and adults. His two latest works are the historical novel Rei de Sicília, príncep de Sardenya and Ilha do Farol.

David Vidal Castell is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communication and Culture at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), journalist and literary critic (ARA newspaper). Director and founder of the Master's Degree in Literary Journalism, Communication and Humanities at the UAB. Doctor in Communication (Alteritat i presència, 2002), the Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya (CAC) awarded him the prize for research in media and culture in 2005 for his essay El malson de Chandos and has received the Lleida Narrative Award (La fulla a punt de caure, 2007) and the Gaudí Award for the script of the film Petitet (2019).

JURY OF THE XXX PREMI DE POESIA ‘MIQUEL MARTÍ I POL’ OF 2025

Josep Gerona Fumàs (Sabadell, 1956) holds a degree in History and is a secondary school teacher in Sabadell. He currently combines his dedication to painting with writing in Catalan and Spanish. He is founder and member since 2001 of the group of poets from Sabadell Papers de Versàlia, a collective that works in different initiatives to promote and disseminate poetic creation. Their publications include: Mnemòsine amnèsica (2006), Quan deixaré de creure (2000), Àlbum de noses (2001), Trompar l'ull (2004), Hospital General (2007) i La vida original (2007).

Josep Domènech Ponsatí (Sant Feliu de Guíxols, 1966) is a poet and translator. As a poet he has published Cap a un dic sec (2004), Desdiments (2006), Apropiacions degudes & cia (2007), El Càcol (2015), Preqüela (2018), El coeficient de flotabilitat (2023) and Rotija (2024). In 2024 he was the joint winner of the XXIX Premi de Poesia ‘Miquel Martí i Pol’, organised by the UAB and the Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès, with his work Eixint de fer. As a translator from Portuguese he has published works by Clarice Lispector, Graciliano Ramos, Lima Barreto, Armando Freitas Filho and Hilda Hilst, among others. He has twice won the ‘Giovanni Pontiero’ Translation Prize, and once the ‘Jordi Domènech’ Poetry Translation Prize.

Josep Antoni Aguilar Àvila (Xàtiva, País Valencià, 1979) is a lecturer in Catalan language and literature at the Universitat Catòlica de València ‘Sant Vicent Màrtir’. His research focuses on medieval Catalan chronicles: he has published a large number of articles and studies on Ramon Muntaner, Bernat Desclot and other historiographical texts from the 13th-14th centuries. His annotated edition of the Chronicle of Muntaner was awarded the ‘Ramon Aramon i Serra’ Prize of the LXXX Cartell de Premis Sant Jordi of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2011) and the Extraordinary Doctorate Prize of the Universitat de València (2012), and has been published in the ‘Biblioteca Filològica’ collection of the IEC (2015). On the literary side, he is the author of three collections of poems: Els rims de guerra d'Ezzelino da Romano (València: Denes, 2022), Quatre mots (Premi ‘Josep Grau i Colell’ 2023) and Ballar amb els espectres (XXIX Premi de Poesia ‘Miquel Martí i Pol’ 2024).

Juan Carlos Otero (Sabadell, 1968) is a secondary school language and literature teacher. He won the Jocs Florals de Cerdanyola del Vallès in 1991, 1992 and 1993. In subsequent years, he participated as a member of the jury for the same prize. His poetry publications include L'hàbil escomesa (Reus, 1991, runner-up for the Gabriel Ferrater Prize), La cort de les mudances (Algemessí, 1993), Dilapidàvem les hores felices (Terrassa, 1995, Calassanç Prize) and El buen veneno (Rubí, 2024). His forays into narrative are Terrores nocturnos y otras fábulas para jóvenes (Cerdanyola, 2005) and Quadern de la selva (Cerdanyola, 2008).

Laura Ortensi (Roses, 1991). Journalist, teacher, philologist, criminologist, young woman, poet and aspiring subsidiary. She has published the book of poems Matar la madre (Hinojo, 2021), which won the 22nd Joan Duch Poetry Prize for young writers. He has also recently participated in the essay Màtria o barbarie (Ángulo, 2024) and has just published La marca del anzuelo (Jefe de brote ediciones, 2024).

JURAT DEL XVII PREMI DE NARRATIVA BREU ‘CATERINA ALBERT’ DE 2025

Carmen Alcolea has a degree in Hispanic Philology (1996), a postgraduate degree in Foreign Language Teaching (1997) and a degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology (2013) from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. For two decades, she has been teaching Secondary Education and Baccalaureate. She is the author of a novel.

Carla Clúa Alcón (Tarragona, 1996) is a journalist with a master's degree in International Relations - European Studies. She has worked in various Catalan written and audiovisual media, although she currently lives in Genoa (Italy), where she works in the environmental communication sector. He has received several literary prizes, among which the following stand out: Premis Literaris de Constantí (2024), Premi Bolleré (2023), Premi Alt Urgell de Joves Autors - Homilies d'Organyà (2023) i Relats de Dones de Tarragona (2023, 2022 i 2021). In 2024 he won the XV Premi de Narrativa Breu per a Joves ‘Caterina Albert’, organised by the UAB and the Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès, with the work Pausa, sucre, Sevilla.

Martí Gironell i Gamero (Besalú, 1971), a Catalan journalist and novelist, holds a degree in Journalism from Pompeu Fabra University and in English Philology from the University of Barcelona. He has worked at Ràdio Besalú, Ràdio Olot, Catalunya Ràdio and TV3. He collaborates in the media such as El Punt Avui, La República and L'Illa dels Llibres. His books include El pont dels jueus (2007), which has been translated into several languages; La venjança del bandoler, which won the Nèstor Luján Historical Novel Prize in 2008, and La força d'un destí, winner of the Ramon Llull Prize in 2018.

Xusa Serra has a degree in Anthropology, a postgraduate degree in Thanatology and a master's degree in Nursing and Health Research. She is a nurse at the Unit of Support for Illness, Grief and End of Life at the General Hospital of Catalonia and is also a therapist at the Grief Group of the Association of Women for Equality of Cerdanyola del Vallès. She teaches the workshop ‘Ara sí que sé a les escoles’ and is the author of the book I, també em moriré?

Anna Pallejà Franquet (Tarragona, 2006). She has never stopped reading all kinds of books. What began as a secret diary has gradually become her great passion: writing. Nowadays, he combines literature, studies, music and family. Her work Tres missatges per oblidar-te, won the XIII Premio de Narrativa Breu per a Joves ‘Caterina Albert’, awarded by the Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in 2022.

On Wednesday, 17 December, the Master’s Degree in Literary Journalism, Communication and Humanities of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), in collaboration with the UAB Publications Service, held the award ceremony for the 6th UAB Literary Journalism Award, which this year was presented to Laura Serrat Casamitjana, from Manresa, a former student of the Master’s programme. The event, held at the Faculty of Communication Sciences, also served to announce the launch of a new editorial series devoted to narrative journalism.

The UAB Literary Journalism Award recognises unpublished works of narrative journalism and documentary literature written in Catalan and has become a platform for promoting new voices in the field. In this sixth edition, the jury particularly highlighted the literary quality, journalistic rigour and narrative strength of the work submitted by Laura Serrat Casamitjana.

The ceremony was attended by UAB institutional representatives, including Virginia Luzón, Vice-Rector for Communication; David Vidal, Director of the Master’s Degree in Literary Journalism, Communication and Humanities, and Joan Carles Marset, Head of the UAB Publications Service, as well as members of the jury, students and family members.

A new editorial series

The UAB Publications Service will publish the winning work in both print and digital formats, inaugurating the new editorial series Literary Journalism. This new series aims to provide continuity to the Award and to establish a stable space for the publication of high-quality works of narrative journalism and documentary literature.

The Literary Journalism series reinforces the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’s commitment to the promotion of the Catalan language, the dissemination of knowledge, and the dialogue between academia and the professional world of journalism, enabling works produced within the university context to reach a wider audience.

Since its inception, the UAB Literary Journalism Award has sought to recognise novelistic reportage and unpublished works of documentary literature, while fostering creativity, critical thinking and narrative excellence in journalism.