The juries of the XII Manuel Losada Villasante Awards have decided to award two researchers from cicCartuja: Consolación Álvarez (IBVF), the award for Agri-Food Research; Gabriel Lozano Barbero (ICMS), the award for Innovation Research.
The award for Agri-Food Research has been given to Consolación Álvarez, a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the University of Seville with her project «Biofertilization of rice with symbiotic cyanobacteria from the Guadalquivir marshes»:
«The use of chemically synthesized nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture is a common practice that has been applied since the beginning of the first green revolution, in the early 1970s. After more than 50 years of application, serious environmental problems associated with their use are appearing. A similar situation occurs in the marshes of the Guadalquivir River, where the Doñana National Park is located. This area contains the largest surface area in Spain dedicated to rice cultivation, and one of the most productive areas in Europe, producing an average of 370,000 tons of this cereal in about 40,000 hectares. However, the conditions in which rice is grown are ideal for the growth and development of cyanobacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. Soil microorganisms that fix atmospheric nitrogen are positioning themselves as one of the best alternatives to fertilizers.
The Innovation Research Award goes to Gabriel Lozano Barbero, a senior scientist at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (CSIC). The award-winning work is “Development of photonic materials and light-emitting devices based on nanophosphors.” The researcher himself explains the project as follows:
“The search for new materials capable of increasing the functionality of the light sources we use is key to the development of intelligent, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions. This is particularly relevant in applications that go beyond lighting: from telecommunications to security or health care. The integration of optical materials in LEDs offers new opportunities to prepare more efficient and versatile light-generating systems that contribute to overcoming the limitations faced by current technology. This approach is expected to have both a scientific-technical and economic and environmental impact.”
More information: https://fundacioncajasol.com/galardonados-xii-premios-manuel-losada-villasante/