Passion Txiki

Ana Galarraga Aiestaran has a degree in Veterinary Science and Food Science and Technology. She has developed her professional career at the Elhuyar Foundation and is currently director of the Uhin Ultramoreak podcast, among others.

A regular contributor to the Basque media, she also participates in other initiatives to socialise science, in Basque and with a feminist vision.

She has participated in different artistic projects: theatre, performance, photography, music, cinema… but she has a special connection with literature. In this field she has published several works, both for children and adults. Her latest project has been published together with the musician Petti: the stage performance and the album-book ‘Frankestein agurgarria’ (Elkar, 2024).

The Mad Science team specializes in offering science-based activities, workshops, experiences and shows for children and young people. As part of the Passion Txiki programme, Mad Science will bring educational, engaging and fun activities to the workshops, introducing children and young people to the world of science and giving them the opportunity to experience science in a practical and enjoyable way, while maintaining scientific rigor. Through experimentation and hands-on learning, participants will be encouraged to explore science for themselves, sparking their curiosity and allowing them to enjoy the learning process along the way.

PhD in Biology, Vega Asensio currently works as a scientific illustrator and designer. In 2011, she founded NorArte Visual Science, driven by the need to improve science communication and outreach by bringing together her two passions: drawing and science.

She works mainly with research professionals, creating a wide range of graphic materials, including illustrations, data visualisations, diagrams, animations, document layouts, graphical abstracts and scientific posters. She also teaches courses on data visualisation and graphic design for science professionals at universities and technology centres. From 2017 to 2025, she coordinated the first master’s degree in Spain in this field aimed at scientific illustration professionals, offered by the EHU.

One of her main goals has always been to bring scientific illustration closer to children. Working with other specialists, she has developed projects such as Zientzia-Arkatza, Mandala Zientifikoak and Komiki-Ekin, which provide schools with educational materials using illustration and other visual resources to make science clearer and easier to understand. She also runs workshops for kids in museums, libraries and other cultural and educational venues.

An active member of Aranzadi Zientzia Elkartea, where she develops science outreach and educational projects. She joined its Board of Directors in 2016 and headed the Astronomy Department from 2018 to 2023. She worked for eight years as a planetarium educator at Eureka! Zientzia Museoa, where she also coordinated activities promoting scientific culture. At Aranzadi, she is particularly involved in organising workshops and delivering courses for adults, young people and kids. She trained as a sociocultural practitioner, specialising in Social Education for Groups at Risk of Exclusion, as well as in the Management of Cultural Projects and Venues.

Since 2021, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Astronomical Associations of Spain and is part of the Women Astronomers Group of this Federation. In 2024, she coordinated the 4th Proam Astronomy Congress of the Spanish Astronomical Society, held in Donostia/San Sebastián, and joined the Scientific Committee of the 26th Spanish National Astronomy Congress, held in Madrid.