06/08/2020

CBMM discusses Brazil's potential in science and technology.

What is Brazil's potential in the areas of science and technology? This was the topic discussed in the webinar held by the Brazilian Metallurgy and Mining Company (CBMM) this Wednesday (5). Epidemiologist Cesar Victora and chemist Fernando Galembeck, winners of the CBMM Science and Technology Award in 2020, participated in the conversation moderated by Catia Luz, Associate Editor of Economics and Business at the newspaper O Estado de São Paulo .

Galembeck, winner of the 2020 CBMM Award in the technology category and professor at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), pointed out that Brazil needs more interaction between academia and industry. “There’s a lack of that ‘face-to-face’ contact. Academics and companies know each other very little. We need to talk and have the courage to discuss and take risks. That’s how we can get closer.”

Winner in the science category of the CBMM 2020 Award, Cesar Victora, epidemiologist and professor at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), spoke about his experience in combating Covid-19. In the World Health Organization's (WHO) committee on infant nutrition, of which he is a member, the researcher has been dedicated to evaluating a recently published study indicating that the coronavirus can be transmitted through breast milk.

“We came together in an emergency group and started studying. Is it true that milk is contagious? If it is, does the child get sick and could it die? If the mother stops breastfeeding, could the child die from other causes? All of this is quite complex statistical modeling,” he explained.

With 280 published works and 36 patents, several of which have been extended to more than 20 countries, Galembeck recalled that the desire to apply scientific knowledge to new technologies has been with him since early on. “As a teenager, I worked in a pharmaceutical laboratory and realized the enormous limitations we had due to a lack of technology. In college, I wanted to be able to transform my learning into technologies that would produce economic results, jobs, and expansion.”

One of the projects he is currently working on is hygroelectricity, which means capturing energy from the moisture present in the air. “Many people are surprised by this, but everyone knows that a lot of electricity is produced in the atmosphere, as we see in storms and lightning. Even so, capturing this electricity has been a challenge for a long time,” he pointed out.

But the chemist is not discouraged. “Today, photovoltaic energy is a reality. But it took about 100 years to develop. Alternative energies are advancing. I believe that the development of hydroelectricity could be very rapid. Several groups in China, Europe, and Israel are working in this area.”

Regarding the future of science and technology in Brazil, Victora hopes that attractive conditions will be created to encourage young researchers to remain in the country. “Every year, three or four of my best students go abroad and never return. Our universities have few job openings and the salaries are low. Brazilian students are highly valued abroad and receive excellent scientific training. Our authorities need to look beyond the immediate future.”

IMPA's Director-General, Marcelo Viana, won the 2019 CBMM Science and Technology Award in the science category . A specialist in the field of Dynamical Systems, Viana earned the honor for his contributions to science, which have raised Brazil's prestige on the world stage.