2013_08_23_CIE_trabajos-fin-Degree

One of the experiments carried out by Amaya Espuelas. PHOTO:

The work Fin de Degree (TFG) allows the student to put in internship the knowledge acquired in the degree program, in a project tutored by a professor of each area of Sciences (Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology). 

The subject matter is varied: a project of research experimental field or laboratory; a proposal of management; a program professor; or a bibliographic project . Some of them are available in the form of educational videos. Some examples are given below:

Hepatic differential study in mice
In the case of Biochemistry , one of the students, Allende Miguélez, carried out a study with Dr. Matilde Bustos at the laboratory of Pathology of CIMA, to identify why two different mouse strains (not genetically equal) have different predisposition to develop into tumors. To do so, they used two strains BALBC and C57BL6 deficient in the enzyme ferrochelatase -the deficiency of this enzyme produces a picture similar to porphyria, a metabolic disease in humans, generally hereditary-. From their study they deduced that the deficiency of this enzyme in BALBC mice gives rise, in addition to porphyria, to a greater predisposition to have tumors, something that does not occur in C57 mice.

The presentation can be seen in this video.

Effect of solar radiation on the understory of a beech forest
At area of Biology, the student Javier Puy evaluated the effect on vegetation of the amount and heterogeneity of solar radiation in the understory of a beech forest located in the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park. According to Puy, "The amount of light explains the variation in the composition of herbaceous species, and the heterogeneity explains the variation in the diversity of herbaceous plants in the understory".

What Javier observed was a strong light variation from the south-facing slopes, where species that tolerate high radiation values are found, to the interior areas of the north slope where more shade tolerant species are found. He also detected a greater issue of species in the areas of clearings, waterfalls and mixed forest. 

From Javier's work , led by Professor Ricardo Ibáñez, from department of Environmental Biology, guidelines can be derived for the adequate management of the forests.

Scientific experiments
One of the Final Projects of Degree of Degree at Chemistry consisted of the production of ten didactic videos on simple scientific experiments, each accompanied by a PDF explaining the process followed by the student Amaya Espuelas, under the direction of Professor José Ramón Isasi, from department of Chemistry and Edaphology.

The experiments performed include a methanol gun, an instant stalagmite, a dichromate volcano and a traffic light in solution. The production of these videos is part of a series of actions aimed at promote the knowledge dissemination scientific and making the benefits of science visible to society. Among others, we will work in this line of producing informative audiovisual material ("VI-DEC, Didactic Videos of Scientific Experiments"), extending it to other areas of Science such as Physics or Biology.