ULL researcher Katya Vázquez Schröder is one of the winners of the Science with Meaning competition

Katya Vázquez Schröder, a predoctoral researcher in the area of Spanish Literature at the Department of Spanish Philology of the University of La Laguna, has been the joint winner of the second edition of the competition Science with Meaning, Promoted by the Emerge Association in collaboration with the academic institution itself, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics, and Prensa Ibérica in the Canary Islands, its objective is to disseminate the positive impact of research on solving scientific, technological, and social challenges. The other winner was Juan Olvido Perea García, a distinguished professor specializing in research in Biology and Evolutionary Psychology at the ULPGC.

The jury of the competition highlighted the reflection that Vázquez Schröder makes in his essay “I sit down at the table and investigate.”, The essay, about the role of the Humanities in understanding the contemporary world, champions writing and research in the field of literature through a personal perspective enriched by her own experience. It also highlights how, with an empathetic and sensitive approach to the surrounding reality, the essay by the researcher from the University of La Laguna becomes an invitation to tolerance, respect, and understanding of the implications of migration.

For its part, from the text “Finding comfort in uncertainty” De Perea García, the jury highlighted his defense of the need to maintain an open attitude toward questioning certainties as an essential condition for the advancement of scientific knowledge. He describes the path of curiosity, respect, and perseverance that a researcher follows when faced with new evidence that challenges established notions. Thus, the author introduces his readers to the study of eye color in orangutans, chimpanzees, and humans to explore other forms of communication.

Science with Meaning champions the role of research in understanding and solving scientific, technological, and social challenges. This competition selects unpublished texts that explain the positive difference science makes and what questions or problems it aims to answer. It seeks to understand the motivations and purposes that contextualize a researcher's dedication to advancing the frontiers of knowledge.

In general, through the prize offered, it aims to highlight the contribution of artistic creations to the evolution of our society, whether through cultural expressions, social reflection and criticism, or by stimulating creativity and innovation.

The winners of the 2025 edition will travel to Washington (USA) in June to visit the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and attend the Broadway musical in New York Maybe Happy Ending.