Student researchers from the Department of Natural Sciences presented their projects in an important intercollegiate forum.
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In the midst of an incomparable scientific and social scenario, students from the Department of Natural Sciences showed that the contribution of research is a force to be reckoned with in the Island’s development. These students participated in the Junior Technical Meeting (JTM) and the Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting (PRISM).
This event brings together more than 600 students from universities all over the Island and several stateside institutions in a platform that allows these scientists to present their research. In these congresses, undergraduate and graduate students have a chance to present their projects before one of the most important scientific forums.
“By attending this congress, we could prove that our Department of Natural Sciences is at the same level as those of other research universities. When the professor-student-administration triangle is balanced, great achievements and advancements are possible in whatever we set out to do,” said Guzmán Blas, who serves as professor and mentor for the researchers.
The following are the projects that our natural sciences students presented at the congress:
1.Use of clay from Puerto Rican soil to produce electrical energy
In their work, students Alondra Bogoljubskij Valedón and Sarahí Medina Nieves described how a microbial fuel cell can produce electricity using the bacteria that live in the clay of Puerto Rican soil, thus providing a promising source of renewable energy.
2.Teaching and learning during the physics-chemistry course using the Scilab software as a supporting tool
In her project, student Joenisse Rosado Rosa proposed the use of the Scilab software as a supporting tool to help solve computational problems in the physics-chemistry course and help reinforce student learning. Scilab is a free open-source software for numerical calculations that provides a powerful computing environment for scientific and engineering applications.
3. Magnetic ZnxCo1-xFe2O4 nanoparticle preparation for biomedical applications
This research was presented by Daniela Carrasquillo Figueroa and involved the preparation of ZnxCo1-xFe2O4 nanoparticles using the sol-gel method with EDTA-NH3. In this case, the magnetic material was prepared for use in the hyperthermic treatment of malignancies and the administration of drugs in specific places of the human body.
The projects developed by this group of students under the direction of Dr. Guzmán Blas try to foster the use of the scientific method to help solve problems in our society, such as energy production, cures for diseases like cancer, and the teaching and learning of physics and chemistry. In the same way, they seek to encourage a culture geared toward the presentation of results in congresses and the publishing of scientific articles, as well as the creation of teams and breeding grounds for research among students and faculty.
The students received their respective certificates of recognition, as well as congratulations and compliments after their presentations. The results they presented generated high expectations both in the students and the researchers in attendance.
Congratulations!