Domenica Garzon (Quito, December 11) is one of the first female theoretical physicists from Ecuador, recognized by the MIT Technology Review of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as one of the top innovators in Latin America in the year 2022.
Domenica Garzon | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 11 Quito, Ecuador |
| Education | Theoretical physics |
| Alma mater | Universidad Yachay Tech University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Occupation(s) | Theoretical physicist, inventor, explorer |
| Awards | MIT Innovators Under 35 Best Undergraduate Researcher Yachay Tech University Premio Abdón Calderón |
She is the co-founder of the Rikuna Center, a program that brings scientific research to vulnerable communities in Ecuador,[1] and Water-Y, a project that seeks to use physics to solve water scarcity problems.[2]
Research
editHer research projects include astrophysics, and condensed matter.
Astrophysics
editShe conducts her research on gravitational waves at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (Canada).[2]
Condensed matter
editWithin this area, she conducted research with topological defects and graphene.
Months after the April 2016 earthquake that shook much of northern Ecuador's coast, access to clean water was a recurring problem, which led to the idea of solving this issue.[2] Garzón, together with students from Yachay Tech University, invented a coating that makes this condensation process more efficient. The coating is an organic nanomaterial that increases the amount of water that can be condensed. The process ensures that the water is clean, as the condensation process is a natural purification process.[3]
Exploration
editDomenica is the co-founder of the "Rikuna" center ("to observe" in the indigenous Kichwa language). An interdisciplinary project that combines research, exploration, and scientific dissemination in the less explored areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In the first exploration, Domenica and the members of the Rikuna project discovered the first Cretaceous reptile reported in Ecuador. This was the first time a Mosasaur has been reported in the Ecuadorian Amazon.[4]
Honors
editIn 2024, she became the first Ecuadorian Physicists to receive the AAUW doctoral fellowship (US).[2]
In 2022, she was recognized by the MIT Technology Review magazine of MIT as one of the top innovators under 35 in Latin America.[5]
In 2015, Domenica received the Abdón Calderón award from the mayor of the city of Quito for academic excellence.
In 2022, she became the first person in history to achieve the highest grade and be recognized by the School of Physics at Yachay Tech University as summa cum laude, where she was also acknowledged as the best undergraduate researcher.[2]
In 2019, she received a bronze medal in the global physics contest, the university physics competition, with her team from Ecuador being the only South American team to receive a medal that year.[6]
Early years
editShe grew up in the city of Quito, Ecuador. She completed her primary education at Virgilio Drouet school and her secondary education at La Dolorosa Private School. Later, she moved to the province of Imbabura to continue her studies at Yachay Tech University. After a few years, she decided to move to the United States to continue her research at the University of Illinois.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Excellence in Outreach, Service, and Diversity Award". physics.illinois.edu. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Doménica Garzón, una de las mejores innovadoras de Latinoamérica". Teleamazonas. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Water-Y, el proyecto de cuatro universitarios para producir agua a partir del aire". Primicias. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "First record of a mosasaurid (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Ecuador". Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Innovadores menores de 35". MIT Technology Review (in Spanish). 6 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
Sus innovaciones democratizan la educación, la salud, la calidad del agua y tienen un impacto positivo en el medioambiente
- ^ "The University Physics Competition". www.uphysicsc.com. Retrieved 2022-11-26.