The Pleasure of Researching

By Lubia Ulloa Trujillo
Photos: Osvaldo Gutiérrez

Researching is a fascinating
job to Carlos Eduardo.

When we speak about scientists we often think of adults. However, this adjective is owned also by young people, who constantly challenge questions searching the best solutions.

To Carlos Eduardo Aragon Abreu, a biochemist in the Bioplants Center of the University of Ciego de Avila, studying what happens in the living organisms was always his great dream. He says since high school he liked the world of chemistry and later he chose that major in the University of Havana.

"The link with my  workplace since the third year through the Technical Youth Brigades, made it possible to draw my future research in the vegetable kingdom, which I have concreted in these six years of experience."

Ciego de Ávila is a predominantly agricultural province and Carlos Eduardo strives to strengthen that status with his contributions, one of which was the growth of the coefficient of multiplication of bananas, a research that won the provincial prize of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba. But the young man do not boasts, because he considers that it is a duty to the Revolution to put into practice the learned lessons.

"I do not work for awards, on the contrary, I have serious commitments to my institution, that helps my improvement  to search alternatives and methods that enable the territory to continue at the forefront of agriculture."

"I do not lose neither the link with the University. I currently teach Vegetal Biochemistry to the second year of Agricultural Engineering and I am a tutor of thesis and master's degrees, because my goal is to be able to lead projects and at the same time to generate them."

At 31 years old he continued on his way to a doctorate in Biological Sciences to develop other studies related to the causes of death of the plants when passing from the conditions of experiment to the field.

You could thing that his long hours dedicated to the world of research do not leave him time for more, but Carlos Eduardo denied such an assertion.

"Research is not a straitjacket, it is fascinating for me and I enjoy it as well as reading or playing football. There is always time for dancing, spend time with the family and going out with the girlfriend ".

Tamara thinks the care of the
environment should be
taught in every school.

Nature in the hands of an economist
Among the eleven scientific and technological territorial programs the province runs there is the sustainable development of tourism. Tamara Figueredo Martín, with a degree in Economy, is a member of the group of young researchers that bets for the rational exploitation of natural resources to generate sustained incomes.

"When I graduated they send me to the Center for Coastal Ecosystems Research (CIEC) in Cayo Coco. I thought they were mistaken because I never imagined my major had such a great application in the care of the environment".

She confesses that during these five years of work she has understood how important is what she does and therefore she studied to reach the category of master in integrated management of coastal areas.

"The work captivates me every day, to appreciate the beauty of the keys is comforting and at the same time it requires you to be more efficient at giving criteria."

Tamara had the privilege of initiating and completing the evaluative study of the main environmental goods and services in the area, which is proposed to become a national park at Jardines de la Reina (Queen's gardens), in the South of the Cuban archipelago.

"The research’s aim was to determine whether the control of this ecosystem, which has a tourist, fishing and of conservation use, was financially viable for get incomes to benefit the economy, or only for exploitation."

"The data showed the first option is the rightest one because it gives better results to continue showing to the specialized tourism a certain kind of animal that allow its capture and sale.”

The young woman, who is a candidate to researcher, wants to start her

doctoral thesis in a financial mechanism that contributes to the sustainable development of the area. "To study Jardines del Rey, where there is one of the four most important tourist complex in the country, to know Math is not enough."

Gustavo wants to be
a maxillofacial surgeon.

Health, a human right

About 4 000 researchers make part of the scientific potential of Ciego de Ávila, and more than a half are young people who works in different spheres of the social and economic development of the province, including health.

Gustavo Hernández Quesada, a specialist in Dentistry and Msc. in Oral Health, is one of those young people contributing with their actions to maintain the humanist spirit  of the revolution.

At  28 years he has done various works related  to dental care to mentally disabled children, which allowed him to establish the new classification in this population sector.""Those suffering from it deserve to be treated in a special way and the important thing is to teach them to maintain a proper hygiene of their teeth."

This dentist is a part of the Mario Muñoz Monroy movement, which brings together medical students with an exceptional academic performance. "Making part of the movement allows me to improve and to be a best doctor, because it encourages in me the values of solidarity, respect for others and love for the profession."

Gustavo is today absorbed in researches on dental implants, a topic on which he is writing his thesis to become a maxillofacial surgeon.

Carlos Eduardo, Tamara and Gustavo received the Forgers of the Future badge, granted by the Technical Youth Brigades to their prominent members in the scientific work and, like many others, they enjoy reading, sports or other forms of recreation.

Cuban sciences have their future in young people like them.