Innovation

April 21, 2008 | Year 2 | Number 23

A way of life

By Jaime Parada

Alejandro Frank Hoeflich, Director of the Institute of Nuclear Sciences of the UNAM, said that “the achievements of a country can neither be measured using criteria exclusively based on statistics, scores, macroeconomic parameters or image campaigns, nor by the resources obtained from exporting cheap labor or overexploitation of our natural resources.  They are measured by the works, creativity, independence, fairness, and capacity to create a respectable standard of living for its inhabitants.  Doing research for the purpose of creating, forming, and transmitting” ("La Cronica" Newspaper, May 23, 2007).

In the same article he talked about the recurring problems of scientific activities in Mexico: brain drain, limited budgets, low salaries for researchers, and lack of links with the productive sector.  He also pointed out the importance of cultivating the country’s most valuable resource, its children.

This theme directs us to the work that the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) of the National Polytechnic Institute is carrying out in Nuevo Leon.

The Monterrey Unit of Cinvestav, which operates at the PIIT, forms human resources and generates new knowledge in the four areas of science: exact, natural, engineering, and social sciences.

One of the accomplishments of this institution is that it has repatriated young scientists who, after completing their doctoral studies, had found work in another country and remained there.

At least 10 researchers took advantage of the opportunity to return to Mexico and contribute in their areas of specialization.  All of them want to prove that there is interest in science in Mexico, and that they can have a respectable standard of living while they participate in high-level research projects.

The most interesting aspect of Cinvestav Monterrey Unit is that it combines scientific activities with teaching.  Besides teaching courses for the students of the institution, the researchers offer workshops on physics, chemistry, and biology for basic education teachers and elementary school children, which is essential for the creation of a new mental attitude in our society.

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Experiencing science WITH THE 5 SENSES

“The empire of the future is the empire of knowledge”,
Albert Einstein.

The presence of two elements is enough to trigger a chain reaction.  This is what happens when a group of children participates in performing scientific experiments in a lab.

When just one of the young researchers takes the initiative, all the others feel encouraged to explore the unknown.  They watch, touch, hear, feel, and even taste the new experiences.

Causing children to learn science in an entertaining and completely practical way is one of the objectives of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the IPN (Cinvestav), Monterrey Unit, which works in coordination with elementary and secondary schools of Nuevo Leon.

Bruno Escalante-Acosta, Director of the institution, pointed out that the importance of this program is such that a Laboratory for Research in Science Education was created to support the program.
Alma Adriana Gomez-Galindo, an instructor at this lab, explained that one of the research lines focuses on the promotion of educational innovation and the development of intelligent systems that facilitate the teaching-learning process of sciences.

Besides working with children, the researchers at Cinvestav train elementary and secondary school teachers.  They currently teach courses on Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to teachers who are studying at “Professor Moises Saenz” Teacher’s School.

The advantage of the Monterrey Unit is that it is the only one within Cinvestav that integrates all areas of research.

“The objective is to add the efforts of the researchers, instead of separating them with limits or borders,” expressed Escalante-Acosta.

Because it is a multidisciplinary center, scientific problems of a particular area are solved by importing structures and models from various specialties.  This integration is also reflected in the courses for teachers and children, since each researcher offers contributions for the conceptualization and design of activities.

A LITTLE HISTORY
Cinvestav was established in 1960 as a decentralized institution and part of the National Polytechnic Institute, albeit it is under the Ministry of Public Education.

"The institution has two objectives, which are to form human resources and generate new knowledge in the four areas of science: exact, natural, engineering, and social sciences," said Escalante-Acosta.

There are units in Guadalajara, Irapuato, Queretaro, Saltillo, Merida, Mexico City, Ciudad Victoria, and Monterrey.

"These units were opened to respond to the needs of the various regions of the country. Those in Monterrey have a great opportunity to grow and work with an interdisciplinary focus that does not exist in any other unit of the Center," explained the executive.

REPATRIATION OF BRAINS
The Monterrey Unit of Cinvestav began its activities on October 31, 2005.  However, it was not until November of last year that it began using the new facilities at the Research and Technology Innovation Park (PIIT).

The academic staff consists of 17 researchers; 10 of them are repatriates.

“Creating the Monterrey Unit allowed us to be refreshed, attempt new things, and rescue valuable brains that were outside Mexico.  With the support of the Government of Nuevo Leon, the Monterrey International City of Knowledge Program, the Ministry of Public Education, Conacyt, plus our own efforts, we were able to bring those young talents,” stated Escalante-Acosta, who used to be the Head of the Department of Molecular Biomedicine in Mexico City.

The Monterrey Unit of Cinvestav offers two Master’s Degree programs: a) Teaching of Sciences and b) Biomedical and Engineering Sciences.  The students may be working on a Master’s or Doctoral degree, or a thesis for a Bachelor’s degree.

“All students have a full scholarship.  This forces us to apply two control systems.  One is the Admission Evaluation, which is very rigorous; the other is the commitment of the students to graduate in time and form according to the guidelines of such institutions as Conacyt,” expressed the executive.

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The magic of MATH3MATIC5

Moises Santillan-Zeron solves biology problems by applying a somewhat unconventional methodology.

“Mathematical models and formulas are the key for the understanding of everything, including the human body,” says this Physicist, who holds a doctoral degree from the National Polytechnic Institute and post-doctoral studies at McGill University.

When he was in Secondary School, Santillan-Zeron used to think of himself as a future historian or anthropologist.  At a later time he became interested in Physics because he wanted to understand electricity phenomena.  In the end, it was numbers and equations that won the game.

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‘MAKING A LIVING DOING SCIENCE’

Hector Hugo Garcia-Compean wanted to be a marine biologist, but he graduated as an Electronics and Communications Engineer from the UANL.  Today, his passion is Physics.

He joined Mexico City’s Cinvestav in 1994 and then spent three years in the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

“It is very comforting for me to know that Cinvestav is in Monterrey because children and young people have the opportunity to learn and apply sciences without having to go to another city,” said Garcia-Compean, who is fully convinced that “you can make living doing science.”

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FUTURE EVENTS

APRIL - JUNE
2008 Tecnos Award
Registration and Reception of Advanced Technology Projects
Consultar las bases en: www.mtycic.com.mx
Contact: Rogelio Flores
PHONE: +(52-81) 2020-6632 & 2020-6636
E-mail: rogelio.flores@nl.gob.mx
InformaTIOn: www.tecnos.org

APRIL 22
Seminary: "Respecting Intellectual Property Rights in the Context of the Celebration of the World's Day of Intellectual Property"
Club Industrial
Organized by IMPI, AMPI, BMA, UDEM
Contact: Fabiola Jimenez
PHONE: (52-81) 8340-9636
E-mail: fjimenez@impi.gob.mx
Information: www.tecnos.org

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