This book of Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing contains accepted papers presented at CISIS 2021 and ICEUTE 2021, all conferences held in the beautiful and historic city of Bilbao (Spain), in September 2021. The aim of the 14th CISIS 20121 conference is to offer a meeting opportunity for academic and industry-related researchers belonging to the various, vast communities of computational intelligence, information security, and data mining. The need for intelligent, flexible behavior by large, complex systems, especially in mission-critical domains, is intended to be the catalyst and the aggregation stimulus for the overall event. After a through peer-review process, the CISIS 2021 International Program Committee selected 23 papers which are published in these conference proceedings achieving an acceptance rate of 40%. In this relevant edition, a special emphasis was put on the organization of special sessions. One special session is organized related to relevant topics as follows: building trust in ecosystems and ecosystem components. In the case of 12th ICEUTE 2021, the International Program Committee selected 17 papers, which are published in these conference proceedings. One special session is organized related to relevant topics as follows: sustainable personal goals: engaging students in their learning process. The selection of papers is extremely rigorous in order to maintain the high quality of the conference, and we would like to thank the members of the program committees for their hard work in the reviewing process. This is a crucial process to the creation of a high standard conference, and the CISIS and ICEUTE conferences would not exist without their help.

Will you please just listen to me? If you are a scientist, or a fan of science, have you ever wondered why your fact-based explanation of ground-breaking scientific research falls flat with family, friends, and the general public? Do you want your research to matter to society and not simply be confined to arcane discussion in academic circles? Social science communicator Anne Helen Toomey argues that science today faces a public-relations crisis due to its historic emphasis on “trickle-down research,” and she calls for a whole-scale change in how scientists engage with the world. This book is a guide for the scientific community and its allies to build public trust in science—and scientists—again. In this accessible volume, Toomey unpacks why “facts” mean different things to different people and how science-based attitudes and behaviors spread. Using humor, stories, and down-to-earth examples from her own science journey, she explains why seemingly straightforward evidence can sometimes feel irrelevant, or even threatening, to a skeptical public. This practical, how-to guide will help scientists think more carefully about the choices they make even before collecting data. It explores how researchers and others who work with science can address public distrust, communicate about uncertainty, and engage with policymakers for real-world impact. Science with Impact argues that science can—and should—make a meaningful difference in society. It offers hope and guidance to those of us who wish to take the steps to make it so.

La educación superior en América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) ha experimentado un extraordinario crecimiento con la llegada del nuevo milenio, pero la matrícula en programas de ciclo corto (PCC) sigue siendo relativamente baja. Los PCC —más cortos y prácticos que los programas universitarios— pueden generar capital humano calificado en poco tiempo. La crisis económica provocada por la pandemia del Covid-19 ha acentuado tendencias latentes como la automatización, el uso de plataformas electrónicas y la necesidad del aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida. Para hacer frente a estas demandas, se hace indispensable la formación complementaria y readaptación profesional de la población —una tarea particularmente adecuada para los PCC. La vía rápida hacia nuevas competencias: programas cortos de educación superior en América Latina y el Caribe explora los resultados del mercado laboral y los retornos de los PCC, estudia quiénes son sus proveedores e identifica las prácticas adoptadas por los mejores programas. Este volumen, fundamentado en datos exclusivos que incluyen una novedosa encuesta a directores de PCC en cinco países de ALC, concluye que, si bien los PCC generan, en promedio, buenos resultados en el mercado laboral, su calidad varía en gran medida. Los proveedores de PCC se adaptan con rapidez y flexibilidad a las necesidades de la economía local, y las prácticas específicas relacionadas con el personal docente, el apoyo a la búsqueda de empleo y la interacción con los posibles empleadores constituyen características inherentes a los mejores programas. La vía rápida hacia nuevas competencias se sirve de estas conclusiones para analizar cómo crear un entorno en el que se ofrezcan buenos programas y los estudiantes dispongan del interés y los medios para cursarlos. Además, hace hincapié en un sector de la educación superior que habitualmente ha pasado desapercibido, tanto en el ámbito de la investigación como de la política. La vía rápida hacia nuevas competencias despertará el interés de las autoridades responsables del diseño de las políticas, el personal investigador y el público en general.

"Job hunting tips in Spanish and English"--Cover.