Adrián Casanova: «Scientific dissemination is more necessary than ever in these times of 'infodemic’»
Educating future generations, stimulating critical thinking, or promoting the exchange of high-value information among scientific community members are some of the direct consequences that can provide effective scientific dissemination in the information society in which we live.
However, this is a practice that, on many occasions, is often placed in the background because it does not receive the resources it needs to develop properly, despite the many benefits it can bring to many aspects of our lives.
That is why it is crucial to highlight the work of researchers such as Adrián Casanova Chiclana. PhD in Biology from USC, a postdoctoral researcher at Campus Terra and a confessed passionate about teaching and dissemination, Adrián Casanova is very clear about the values he wants for the scientific community he is part of.
The value of teamwork, the creation of collaborative networks and the promotion of multidisciplinary synergies are some of these concepts on which his perspective as a researcher gravitates, a very valuable perspective in these times and that we present in this interview.
Today we talk with Adrián Casanova, among other things, about the application of genetics and genomics in the conservation of species, the current situation of Galicia in terms of supercomputing and bioinformatics and his participation in the I Congreso Ibérico da Mocidade Investigadora del Campus Terra.
-What role do genetics and genomics play in species conservation?
-They provide useful information to identify vulnerable species or populations and contribute to the design of management and conservation plans for natural resources.
For example, if there is a high genetic differentiation between wild populations of a plant species, in principle they should be used in repopulations or reintroductions of seeds or propagules from the most genetically "similar" populations, which are not necessarily the closest geographically.
However, it is necessary to work with a holistic vision, working with other disciplines, such as ecology, together with all the agents of the territory.
-What would be the possible repercussions of a decrease in genetic variability? What is the situation in Galicia?
-Genetic diversity is the raw material for the adaptation and evolution of natural populations. A decrease could imply a reduction in their future viability. I need more information about Galicia to have an informed opinion. In my work in conservation, I usually research vulnerable species or populations, so my overall perception could be biased.
-One of your current lines of research focuses, among other things, on applying population genetics and genomics in managing fish and bivalve species of commercial interest. What are your findings so far?
-First of all, findings in Science are usually collective. The ones in which I had participated most closely were the design of a genetic tool to correctly identify between two commercial flatfish species, turbot and brill, from a tissue sample; and the identification of cockle (Cerastoderma edule) and oyster (Ostrea edulis) of genomic regions with nucleotide variants (e.g. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) or structural variants that could potentially be related to resistance to diseases such as martelliosis and bonamiosis, respectively—both diseases, with a high socioeconomic cost.
I am currently working with the first genomic data of arnica (Arnica montana) within a multidisciplinary team of Campus Terra (Genetics-Plant Production-Ecology) to determine genomic variables that may be related to the different existing chemotypes of this plant, presenting different anti-inflammatory and allergenic properties.
I am also collaborating with the University of Granada on the first genomic approach of a commercial crustacean species (soldier shrimp or shrimp; Plesionika edwardsii) to obtain useful information for managing this fishing resource.
-In your research work, you worked with equipment from the Galician Supercomputing Center (CESGA). Based on your experience, at what level would you say Galicia is in terms of bioinformatics? What resources does the Galician scientific community have in this field?
-CESGA is fundamental and necessary. There is no point in having a large amount of data (biological big data) if you don't have a proportional computing (and storage) capacity.
We are lucky to have CESGA and its technical team in Galicia. Also, CESGA is very accessible; I started using it one month after my application, being a PhD student.
At the same time, in Galicia, there are several consolidated conferences of users of CESGA, R, and other free and open-source scientific software that serve as a meeting point for exchanging experiences and advice and even establishing synergies in different research.
To summarize, we are not doing badly in Galicia. Still, we must continue betting on all these activities and the increase/renewal of CESGA resources according to the needs of society.
-Currently, in addition to working as a postdoctoral researcher hired under the calls of our campus, you are finishing the Master of Teaching offered by the USC in Lugo. As a person who had already taught as a predoctoral researcher, what led you to make this decision? What or who awakened your interest in teaching?
-Before the research, I had participated for years as an intern in the Office of Sustainable Development of the USC, organizing environmental film series, urban horticulture workshops with a hoe, hiking trails, and so on. The truth is that I enjoyed them very much.
Later, already in the field of formal education, I lived teaching, trying to be like those teachers of primary, secondary, FP and university who made me enjoy their subject with the means available. Besides, you always learn! Students ask questions and show doubts and ideas that force the teacher to reflect, look for new information, and question themselves...
-You, in 2018, were one of the winners of the VIII edition of Inspiraciencia. What role does and should science popularization play in today's society? For you, what is the importance of popularizing Science in Galician?
-I think scientific popularization is more necessary than ever in these 'infodemic.' It should be valued more at all levels. Galician can be used for everything, and Science cannot be less.
-What are the keys to a really effective dissemination?
-I don't have too much experience, but stimulating people's curiosity is the engine of learning and knowledge (I got this from the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire). Be brief but rigorous, providing the tools so that people can investigate on their own if a topic has been of special interest to them.
Finally, be humble. Everyone knows the most about what they work on. It's as simple as that.
-A new edition of DivúlgaT is currently being organized , a science outreach event organized on campus in which you have participated on previous occasions. What role do these types of events play in promoting the transfer of knowledge and sharing scientific findings? Will you be participating in this new edition?
-These events are key for citizens to know and value what is being done in their immediate environment and, as I said before, to stimulate curiosity. In addition, I also learn because they are quite diverse in terms of topics, and I can discover things I had yet to learn about and even establish collaborations.
Even last October, on the occasion of the 'I Iberian Early-Career Researchers’ Congress of the Campus Terra: Roots of Knowledge' I discovered a team from the USC that is researching the resilience to forest fires of the camariña (Corema album), an endemic shrub on which we are analyzing genomic data for its conservation in the framework of the LIFE INSULAR project, in which IBADER is involved.
Even some sampling points are the same! Surely, we can collaborate, even exchanging hypotheses and ideas... Of course, I will participate!