Winner of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World – OWSD and Elsevier Foundation Award.
Silvia González Pérez is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Exact Sciences and General Director of University Missions at the Private Technical University of Loja - UTPL, a member institution of the CEDIA Network. She is also an idente missionary and seeks to generate positive changes in society through her research.
My research work is part of Computational Physicochemistry, I study the properties of materials such as metals, bimetals, nanotubes, etc. using specialized software installed on a calculation server, and I interpret the results to explain its catalytic activity and other properties of interest.
At UTPL we received an invitation to participate in this call, a professor proposed that I apply, and my classmates kindly supported this idea; so with the help of the Office of the Vice President for Research we followed the steps of the application and presented the requirements: CV, the application of a director of the University, in our case, it was Mr. Rector, Dr. José Barbosa and letters of recommendation were sent from some colleagues I've worked with in recent years (I never saw the letters, which I'm glad for).
We only describe our experience to promote this field of knowledge, since it is not a well-known discipline in the country, however, together with the support of the UTPL authorities, especially the Rector of that time, Dr. Luis Miguel Romero, and with the help of other colleagues, a calculation server was implemented, with the appropriate software and during the last years we have encouraged Chemical Engineering students to be interested in this type of study. I think I am part of several teams, especially UTPL and before that I was part of Dr. Francesc Illas' team, I have never worked alone, everything I have worked on has been with the collaboration of other people, with whom I have shared the illusion for knowledge and from which I have learned a lot.
I am very happy, for me it is a great achievement of the UTPL and of Ecuador, my study is to bring me closer to the Truth, which for me is God, because for me, as an Idente missionary, the search for knowledge makes sense because it brings us closer to the TRUE.
On the other hand, it was good news that there are organizations so concerned with the development of science, I admire the struggle of researchers in difficult situations and I love that this was for Chemistry, which is a science that fascinates and excites me .
It was a pleasant experience, the team from the Elsevier Foundation and the OSWD (World Organization for Women Scientists in Developing Countries) worked with us to express our experience, it was very nice to share time with them, I learned from their generosity, her dedication, her patience and her humility to bring out the best in us, were exhausting but extremely enriching days.
I think there's a lot to do, that's exciting. I see the future with great hope. Although I think there could be more support from the institutions, for example to promote the creation of postgraduate courses and funds for scholarships in national postgraduate courses, I believe that in our country there is a lot of potential and that with more support we could make it available to Ecuadorian youth specialized quality training.
Working with a team excited by Chemistry, to find solutions, original proposals, design of new materials.
Of course, I have participated in about 5 projects financed by the CEPRA call, we are closing the last one and in a CECIRA project. Since 2009 they have supported me for my research, Red CEDIA has been, after the UTPL, the main funding entity. Red CEDIA has been very important in my career in Ecuador.
Which is essential, organizations like Red CEDIA help us so that society pays attention to these areas and I believe that people feel supported and supported.
That they discover their true potential, that we contribute something very particular to science, we see the world in a different way, with greater sensitivity, we give importance to other aspects and each one of us has something original to contribute, that stands out, because only we have those ideas, that story, that way of seeing the world. That they focus on what they want to achieve and put aside the obstacles that prevent us from progressing: envy, pride, vanity, comparisons; who love science and work as a team, who meet with other people who also love knowledge. That they trust themselves, that within them are all the resources they need to overcome the obstacles they may encounter.
