This November, the Women in Science Club and Office of Student Activities sponsored Hostos Science Week 2020. Led by Assistant Professor of Biology Carmen Inda, Ph.D., the event incorporated a cross-disciplined approach to learning about science and included an art contest, a virtual trip abroad, a COVID-19 laboratory simulation on campus, and a lecture by an infectious diseases expert.
As part of one of the week’s activities, students were given a guided virtual tour of Dr. Franco Álvarez de Luna’s laboratory at Hospital Santiago Ramón y Cajal in Huelva, Spain. He also presented a lecture on introductory methods used to detect COVID-19. On campus our College Laboratory Technicians (CLTs) hosted a virtual open house in which our senior CLT, Dora Villa, directed a laboratory simulation of COVID-19. In the last part of the COVID-19 virtual laboratory session, our expert, Dr. Elizabeth Diago Navarro, gave a presentation on COVID-19 detection methods and vaccines.
Additionally, Inda helped launch a science art contest showcasing images created by Hostos students using low-power magnification microscopes at home. The student participants, in alphabetical order, were: María Fernanda Armijos, Patrick Baffour, Ashley Encarnación, Stefan Akomea Kyei, Amadou Maiga, Sukhmani Nayer, Xaenora Ramcharran, Marilu Villareal, and Sadia Zaman.
The collection of close-up views produced by students ranged from tattoos to fungus on lemon, red onions, and bamboo leaves. Amadou Maiga’s magnified images of his abdomen, arm, knee, bay leaf, and cotton received the most votes of the contest.
“It was exciting to see them learn how to use a microscope from a photographic perspective,” remarked Inda. “It was a great first Hostos science art contest. We had 27 images that explored the value of learning to look up close, and I’m proud of the work.”
Watch the Science Art Contest
here and the tour with Dr. Franco Álvarez de Luna
here.
Acknowledgements
Experts
Dr. Francisco Franco Alvarez de Luna
Dr. Elizabeth Diago Navarro
Students
Ángel Cardenas
Ariana Serrano
CLTs
Albert Tadros
Ewa Dziobak
Karin Contreras
Michael Padilla
Renata Baczewski
Senior CLT Dora Villa
Special thank you to Jerry Rosa and to Rhonda Smith.
Contact Assistant Professor Carmen Inda for more information at
mindagarcia@hostos.cuny.edu.