Virologist and immunologist Margarita del Val will receive the "Passion for Science" Award at the II edition of LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival

The Science Museum of the University of Navarra has awarded the "Passion for Science" prize of the international scientific film festival #LabMeCrazy! to Margarita del Val, virologist and researcher at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CSIC-UAM) in Madrid. Margarita del Val takes the baton from Francis Mojica, who received this award in the I edition of #LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival.

"I totally identify with the phrase "passion for science". I love learning, understanding, doubting, questioning and sharing how exciting it is. And, well, discovering something while working as a scientist is a driving force that compensates for the most arid moments", said Margarita del Val on the occasion of the awarding of the prize.

Margarita del Val holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. After a five-year postdoctoral stay in Germany, she joined the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid as a researcher where she worked for 19 years. Since 2010 she has been a researcher at the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa in Madrid and is also a researcher at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Margarita del Val's research has focused on improving the control of the body's immune system against different viral infections in order to contribute to the subsequent design of vaccines.

In the last year, due to the pandemic, Del Val has positioned herself as one of the leading scientists in Spain to explain the coronavirus crisis and the positive contribution of science to this global challenge, with her participation in different media. "In the face of a challenge of planetary scope, which has made our vulnerability as a species and as a society so evident, science has responded without hesitation, with creativity, with global collaboration, with solutions. It has shown that, despite being so fragile, we are also powerful. It is magnificent to be able to be part, as a limited individual but with your own creativity, intuition, critical spirit and independence, of this great enterprise that performs and functions as an interconnected collectivity," adds Margarita del Val.

For his part, Bienvenido León, director of the #LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival, wanted to emphasize his rigorous, patient and enthusiastic dedication to scientific research: "In addition to a first-class scientific career, he has developed a remarkable dissemination activity. Undoubtedly, his work will encourage many young people to follow his path".

The II edition of #LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival will be held online

The second edition of the LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival will take place from February 1 to 4. The screenings can be viewed online through the festival's website: www.labmecrazy.org. A total of 1,114 productions from 92 countries have been submitted for this edition.

On Thursday, February 4, the final awards gala of the festival will be presented by the Magician Numis and will be broadcast online. In addition to the "Passion for Science" award, the gala will present awards to the best works in the different categories: documentary or report; television program; video for the web or social networks; production made by students; and work produced or co-produced by a university.

On the other hand, the festival has a program of parallel scientific activities open to the general public -which will take place in person with limited seating- to learn about the fauna, fossils and invasive species of Pamplona.

#LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival is an international scientific film festival, promoted by the Science Museum of the University of Navarra -with the collaboration of the Government of Navarra, Pamplona City Council, Laboral Kutxa, and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) / Ministry of Science and Innovation-, which aims to bring science to society and especially to new generations.