Higher Polytechnic School of the Coast (Ecuador) ESPOL Recognizes And Rewards Quality Research In Major Quartiles
ESPOL recognizes the importance of science, and its generation of value . Therefore, each year it recognizes and rewards the dedicated, committed and empathetic work of students and professors who produce quality research .
On Tuesday, November 15, in the auditorium of the STEM building, the third edition of Cuartiles Mayores was held , an event that rewards the best researchers of the Polytechnic of the Coast and contributes to one of the strategic objectives of the Institution: to develop and disseminate high-impact research and innovation for society.
The director of ESPOL, Cecilia Paredes; the vice-rector for Teaching, Paola Romero; the Vice Chancellor for Research, Development and Innovation, Carlos Monsalve and the Dean of Research, Ángel Ramírez.
The rector Cecilia Paredes highlighted important figures that support the dedicated work of researchers and students: ” During 2021 , for example, our institution achieved the execution of 325 research projects , of which 45 had counterparts from national and international companies and almost half have external collaboration”.
“ The publication of 448 articles in journals indexed in SCOPUS and WoS , with 65% of the total articles published, in quartiles 1 and 2. As well as 43 research proposals that received non-reimbursable external funds ”, he highlighted during his speech.
The researcher Juan Manuel Cevallos, who also directs the Center for Biotechnological Research of Ecuador (CIBE), won recognition for attracting non-reimbursable competitive funds for research and development. For him, it is an honor to have received this distinction: “This motivates us to move forward, to continue raising funds, to continue researching and making publications that benefit, in this case, the agricultural sector of Ecuador and society in general…”.
The work of Juan Manuel Cevallos focuses on cocoa postharvest, by developing a methodology to increase the aroma of fine aroma cocoa during fermentation so that this product can be sold at a better price.
While the researcher and director of the Center for Research and Educational Services (CISE), Margarita Ortiz, stood out in the group of research oriented to the QS (Education and Training) knowledge subarea. “I worked in 2 lines of research, whose publications are reflected between 2017 and 2021. The first focused on gamification as an active methodology in STEM areas. And the second was oriented towards learning analytics for decision-making”.
For Ortiz, the development of research with an educational focus demonstrates the efforts of ESPOL in terms of innovation and as part of the strategy to position itself as a benchmark in higher education in the country .
Undergraduate and postgraduate students were also the protagonists of this event. They were awarded gold, silver and bronze digital badges for their participation in research. At ESPOL, the badges are an innovative, certified and verifiable digital representation of recognition for outstanding skills, learning, achievement or participation.
For example, Malcon Mora, a polytechnic from the Faculty of Earth Sciences Engineering (FICT) won a bronze badge for the research topic Mapping the soundscape during social isolation due to COVID-19 : “It is an honor to be decorated along with high-calibre researchers and influencers of the scientific arts”, he said.