Josefina Castellví facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josefina Castellví
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Castellví in 2014
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Josefina Castellví Piulachs
1 July 1935 |
| Alma mater | University of Barcelona |
| Awards | Creu de Sant Jordi Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Oceanography |
Josefina Castellví Piulachs, born in Barcelona, Spain, on July 1, 1935, is a famous Spanish oceanographer, biologist, and writer. An amazing fact is that a mountain peak in Antarctica, called Castellvi Peak, is named after her!
In 1984, she became the first Spanish person to join an international trip to Antarctica. She studied biology at the University of Barcelona, earning her first degree in 1957 and a higher degree (PhD) in 1969. In 1960, she started working at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Barcelona. She also did important research for the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
Starting in 1984, Josefina helped organize research in Antarctica. She was key in setting up the Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base on Livingston Island. She led the oceanography team at this base from 1989 to 1997. From 1989 to 1995, she also directed Spain's National Program of Antarctic Research.
Josefina has received many important awards. These include the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia in 1994 and the Creu de Sant Jordi Award in 2003.
Contents
About Josefina Castellví
Josefina Castellví was born in Barcelona. Her father was a doctor, and her mother was a housewife. She grew up during a difficult time in Spain, just before the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
She went to the Montserrat Institute and graduated with a degree in biology from the University of Barcelona in 1957. In 1960, she became a specialist in oceanography after studying at the Sorbonne in France. Josefina earned her doctorate in science from the University of Barcelona in 1969.
After finishing her first degree, Josefina traveled to France to continue her studies. By 1960, at age 25, she was already taking part in oceanographic trips on French ships. She also taught at the Sorbonne. That same year, she began working at the Institute of Marine Sciences. She later became the director of this institute from 1994 to 1995.
In 1984, Josefina became the first Spanish woman to join an international expedition to Antarctica. She played a huge role in the research during these trips. She also helped set up the Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base on Livingston Island. Josefina was the chief director of this base from 1989 to 1993. This helped Spain become a member of the Antarctic Treaty System in 1988.
When she returned to Barcelona, Josefina continued her research at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). At first, she did experiments in the lab because Spain didn't have special research ships. But in 1971, when Spain got its first oceanographic vessel, Josefina could finally study the ocean directly. She could see how tiny living things behaved in the sea currents.
In 1987, Josefina Castellví, Antoni Ballester, and seven other people set up Spain's first base in Antarctica. They built it on Livingston Island and named it Juan Carlos I. Josefina was 52 years old then. Even at that age, in 1997, she was still directing the Antarctic base. About 12 people lived there for four months each year.
Working in Antarctica was a huge learning experience for her. She called Antarctica a "natural laboratory." She explained that the deep ice holds billions of years of Earth's history. Learning to understand this history helps us share amazing knowledge about our planet.
In 1995, after living in Madrid for a few years, Josefina returned to Barcelona. She led the Institute of Marine Sciences of the CSIC. Throughout her career, she shared her research through talks and books. One of her books, published in 1996, was called I Have lived in Antarctica.
In 1994, she received the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia. In 2003, she received the Creu de Sant Jordi. These are very important awards in Catalonia. Since 2010, she has been the president of the Summer University of Andorra.
On October 8, 2013, she won the Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia Award. This award honors people who have made great contributions to Catalan culture. On May 13, 2013, she also received the Catalan of the year Award.
In 2014, she was chosen as the vice-president of the Advisory Council for the Sustainable Development of Catalonia (CADS). On March 5, 2015, she received the August Pi i Sunyer Medal from the University of Barcelona. Josefina Castellví was the first woman to receive this special medal.
Even though she retired in 2000, Josefina Castellví remains very active. She still works with the Advisory Council for Sustainable Development. She also continues to give talks about her work in Antarctica. She emphasizes how important this frozen desert is for studying how living things adapt to survive.
Josefina Castellví is known as the first Catalan and Spanish female oceanographer. She has received many awards for her research. She especially values the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia (1994) and the Creu de Sant Jordi (2003). These awards represent the respect from her city and country. Josefina Castellví still lives in the same apartment where she was born.
Books and Articles
Josefina Castellví has written many books and more than 70 scientific articles. She has also led many international groups focused on oceans and Antarctica.
Some of her books include:
- 1967: Ecología marina (Marine Ecology)
- 1996: Yo he vivido en la Antártida (I Have lived in Antarctica): This book tells her own story about her time in Antarctica. She explains how she led the Spanish Antarctic base Juan Carlos I for four seasons. She was the first Spanish woman to lead research on the continent. The book also shares fun stories, especially about Antoni Ballester, who was a pioneer in Spanish research in Antarctica.
- 2005: El Paper que juguen els oceans en l'equilibri del planeta Terra (The Role of Oceans in Earth's Balance): This book talks about the impact of climate change and how the environment has changed over the years.
Some of her scientific articles include:
- 1963: Pigmentos de la diatomea marina Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) en su dependencia de los factores ambientales y de la dinámica de las poblaciones (Pigments of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum and their dependence on environmental factors and population dynamics)
- 1964: Un sencillo experimento para demostrar la influencia de la concentración de elementos nutritivos sobre la calidad de los pigmentos de las algas (A simple experiment to show the influence of nutrient concentration on the quality of algal pigments)
- 1981: Aspectos microbiológicos del estudio oceanográfico de la plataforma continental. I. Planteamiento general (Microbiological aspects of the oceanographic study of the continental shelf. I. General approach)
- 1990: La investigación en la Antártida (Research in Antarctica)
- 1997: ¿Por qué la Antártida atrae a los investigadores científicos? (Why does Antarctica attract scientific researchers?)
- 1999: La Antártida (Antarctica)
- 2002: Españoles en la Antártida (Spaniards in Antarctica)
- 2007: De cómo España abrió su ruta a la investigación antártica (How Spain opened its route to Antarctic research)
- 2014: El musclo i el seu entorn ambiental (The mussel and its environmental surroundings)
- 2015: Fascinación por la Naturaleza (Fascination with Nature)
Film About Her Work
On the 25th anniversary of the Spanish base in Antarctica, Josefina Castellví, at 77 years old, returned to Antarctica. She went with journalists and a documentary director named Albert Solé. He directed a film called The Ice Memories.
The film shows Josefina's farewell journey from the "white continent." It is a tribute to all the hard work she and three other scientists did. Their efforts helped Spain build its first base to study this remote part of the planet. The film tells the story of her return to Antarctica.
Albert Solé, the director, said that he comes from a family of strong women. When he met Josefina, he immediately recognized her as a powerful and determined person. He realized that her story had an amazing mix of elements: a woman, science, adventure, and Antarctica.
The film's story begins in 1986. Four Catalan scientists, Agustí Julià, Joan Rovira, Josefina Castellví, and Antoni Ballester, managed to reach Antarctica. Their goal was to set up a tent on Deception Island. This was to encourage the Spanish government to join the Antarctic Treaty, which happened in 1988.
The leader of that first trip, Dr. Antoni Ballester, later became ill. Josefina Castellví then took over and managed the small base. This was at a time when resources for the Antarctic program were very limited. She became the first female head of a research base in the history of international Antarctic research.
After retiring, Josefina enjoys lace bobbin and gardening. But photos and miniature penguins in her house remind her of her greatest adventure. She also found a suitcase with 30 hours of film she had recorded during her first years in Antarctica. Because of these memories, Josefina decided to return to Antarctica for the film.
The documentary was first shown on Spanish television on May 30, 2014.
Awards and Honors
Josefina Castellví has received many awards for her important work.
August Pi i Sunyer Medal
The August Pi i Sunyer Medal was created by the University of Barcelona in 1983. It honors outstanding professors and researchers. The award is given to a scientist who has recently achieved something very important. Josefina Castellví is the first woman to receive this medal.
Josefina Castellví i Piulachs is one of the most famous Catalan researchers in the world. She was a pioneer in Spain's Antarctic research. She also led the building of the Spanish Antarctic Base. Her scientific work in marine bacteriology has been very successful. Even though she is retired, she still helps share knowledge and supports research.
Josefina Castellví worked for the CSIC and was its delegate in Catalonia. After graduating in Biological Sciences in 1960, she joined the Institute of Marine Sciences. Later, as a research professor specializing in marine bacteriology, she became the director of the Institute. Her interest in studying bacteria in extreme places led her to Antarctica. In 1984, she became the first Spanish woman to join an international trip to those icy lands. She has published over seventy scientific papers and participated in 36 oceanographic expeditions.
Besides her scientific skills, Castellví was also a great leader. She was a CSIC Delegate in Catalonia in 1984 and Director of Coordination of the CSIC in 1986. From 1987 to 1988, she helped set up the Juan Carlos I Spanish Antarctic Base. Between 1989 and 1994, she was the Head of the Base. Later, she managed the National Antarctic Research Program, coordinating international science projects in Antarctica.
Other Prizes
- Proèmula Prize for the female director of the year (1994).
- Gold Medal for Scientific Merit awarded by the City of Barcelona (1995).
- Narcís Monturiol Medal for Scientific and Technological Merit awarded by the Government of Catalonia (1996).
- Lady of Goya Award awarded by the Spanish Friends of Goya Association (1997).
- Imhotep-Creu Blanca Foundation Prize (1998).
- The Spanish Geographic Society's National Prize (1998).
- The Spanish Order of Civil Merit (2002).
- Creu de Sant Jordi Award by the Government of Catalonia (2003).
- Nationale Swisse Environmental Award (2003).
- Esteva Bassols Prize: "Senyora of Barcelona" (2005).
- Catalan of the year Award voted by the readers of El Periódico de Cataluña (2013).
- August Pi i Sunyer Medal awarded by the University of Barcelona (2015).
See also
In Spanish: Josefina Castellví para niños
