Dr. Zeneida Wong, Associate Researcher in the “Environmental Sustainability” line at the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), won the final of the “Solo de Ciencia Chile” Scientific Monologue Tournament, held on Thursday, September 4 at the University of Concepción (UdeC).
In the monologue that earned her the opportunity to represent Chile in the Ibero-American final of Solo de Ciencia, Dr. Wong addressed the topic of “upwelling shadows” in just three minutes—a subject she explored in her doctoral thesis in 2022.
“It was quite a challenge because we’re so used to the technical, scientific side of things, and trying to translate that into simpler language was fun. I found the perfect moment to connect science with creativity and emotion to reach the audience,” she said.
Dr. Wong added that she enthusiastically embraces the mission of representing Chile in the Ibero-American final: “Although I’ll be representing Chile, I’m Ecuadorian, but here I was given the opportunity to do science. I think it will be an exciting and interesting challenge.”
In addition to Dr. Wong, the tournament brought together ten outstanding researchers from various regions of the country. UdeC Biology student Paula Moreno won the audience award. The event aimed to bring science closer to the public through short, clear, and engaging stories, fostering dialogue between research and society.
According to Sergio Villagrán Zúñiga, Director of Solo de Ciencia Chile, this milestone marks a turning point in national science communication: “This format originated in Spain and has been running for over 10 years. It’s now in its third edition in Ibero-America. In 2025, for the first time in Chile, we took on this challenge and brought it here with the support of the Biobío Cluster. The format is practical: three minutes to tell a story, captivate the audience with a scientific topic, without slides or props—just body and charisma.”
Claudio Jiménez Águila, Director of Outreach at UdeC, emphasized: “We always wanted this to have a national scope. We received around 25 proposals from Punta Arenas to Antofagasta, which confirmed the public’s support for fun and engaging science communication. We had 10 finalists, and we hope Chile’s representative in Quito will make the country proud.”
The Ibero-American Final of Solo de Ciencia is organized by Spain’s Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), and will take place on November 27 in Quito, Ecuador.
Photos: UdeC Outreach Office
Watch the final of Solo de Ciencia Chile here:
