vol. 1 núm. 1 (2023): semilleros en acciÓn

En esta ocasión tenemos al Ingeniero Jairo Alberto Arias Cabezas, promoción 25 del programa de Ingeniería ambiental, compartiendo sus experiencias desde que se graduo en el 2016.  

Greywater from washing (GWW) contains a wide variety of synthetic chemicals used at the household level, such as microplastics, dyes and detergents. Therefore, these effluents must be properly treated before discharge, or for the development of reuse activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity and degradation performance of organic compounds in FFA by the application of Fenton oxidation, analyzing the degree of green approach of this technology. The process used removed 91.7% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) present in the effluent, and although it presented a low green approach with a rate of 21%, it was evidenced that it has a high removal capacity with respect to other treatment processes.

Hacia mediados del siglo XVII, Galileo Galilei público un texto titulado: “Diálogos sobre los dos máximos sistemas del mundo”, el cual sería, según muchos historiadores, el primer texto de divulgación de la ciencia. Posteriormente, hacia finales del siglo XVIII, se incrementaría la necesidad de hacer más accesible al público la ciencia que se producía y esto conllevo a que en 1799 se fundara la Real Institución de Gran Bretaña que tenía como principal fin la divulgación científica. A continuación, en 1845, se fundaría la revista norteamericana Scientific American que se constituyó en la primera publicación con un propósito claramente divulgativo. Con el pasar de los años y con el incremento de un gran número de áreas del conocimiento esta necesidad se fue consolidando (Daum, 2009).

The Soils and Geology field trip was conducted last March in the department of Casanare at Finca La Isla, an area with a rich history of cattle ranching. The research was divided into three phases: in Phase I, background information was gathered on the area, including soil-forming factors, natural and anthropogenic hazards, and changes in land use. In Phase II, observational methods, such as the auger method and the trunk method, were applied to identify soil horizons and collect physical and chemical data. Finally, in Phase III, the information collected was processed and analyzed, evaluating the land use capacity of the soil. Finca La Isla was found to have a land use capacity class VI, which indicates severe limitations for agricultural activities. Sustainable management practices, such as agroforestry systems and rotational grazing, are recommended to optimize land use and minimize use conflicts. This qualitative methodology provided a preliminary view of soil condition, and quantitative laboratory analysis is needed to support conclusions and promote sustainable environmental engineering decisions.

El Decano de la Facultad de Ingeniería, ingeniero Juan Miguel Escobar Roa les da la bienvenida al primer volumen de la Revista Pharos.

The present work sought to determine the IDRIS for the rural area of ​​the municipality of Iza, Boyacá, contributing to the formulation of actions that improve the quality of life of the population. This was carried out through characterization in aspects of education, access to health and food services, basic services, the satisfaction of needs, and natural resources, for the subsequent application of the CEDRSSA methodology, thus obtaining an IDRIS of 0.69. From this value, an analysis of alternatives was carried out, for which it was obtained that a strategy of payments for environmental services should be chosen. With this, it was shown that IDRIS works as a pertinent tool to characterize rural areas and favors the formulation of public policies and other actions for these territories, for which this research is a contribution in the deepening of sustainable development indices focused on to rural populations.

Research is one of the foundations of the University, therefore it must be welcomed with great commitment in educational institutions. This paper includes reflections that arise from the experiences in the development of different research projects, in the direction of research hotbeds, by chairs related to research aspects (e.g. methodology research and research seminar) and the management of undergraduate, master's and doctoral work. In other words, it is a synthesis of ideas that arise when we perceive the need of research hotbeds since they are a good space to generate research skills in students.

In the present investigation, a proposal for an adaptation plan to the environmental guide was established through actions from the social, economic, and environmental points of view, generated by the construction of a strip road of approximately 21.4 km inside the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The road improvement project is located between the town of Minca and La Tagua village; both belonging to the rural área of the tourist, cultural, and historical district of Santa Marta. Within the study area, ecosystem deterioration was evaluated, taking into account social, economic, and ecological aspects; these areas were selected due to their great importance for Colombia and the district because they concentrate great biodiversity of flora and fauna by having all the terminal floors in which different biomes are found, from snow-covered mountains to rainforests, it also groups the wisdom and cultures of indigenous groups such as Kogui, Arahuacos, Wiwas and kankuamos. All of the above was carried out based on reported studies and studies carried out in the field, in order to design the  Adaptation Plan to the environmental Guide (PAGA) of INVIAS, formulating restoration, preservation, and improvement actions, in order to conserve the biodiversity of the compromised ecosystems and communities.