The School of Biological Sciences and Engineering presented some of its research achievements in the XLI National Biology Conferences, through different representatives.

In the facilities of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, in Quito, the XLI National Biology Conferences were held, from November 23 to 25, 2017. This year, the event had the participation of 8 keynote speakers, around 100 short exhibitions and a poster session. Two teachers from the School, Sofía Carvalho and Alonzo Alfaro-Núñez, were keynote speakers at the event. In addition, Micaela Navarrete, gave a short presentation and two students, María José Aldaz and Marlon Zambrano, participated in the poster session.

Sofía Carvalho and Alonzo Alfaro-Núñez conferences were related to their scientific research. In the case of Sofia, her lecture was on how changes in light can affect the genetic development of plants. Alonzo gave a speech on the evaluation of plastic pollution in the ocean using environmental DNA (eDNA). In the case of Micaela Navarrete, her presentation had the purpose of exposing her research, carried out in collaboration with Hugo Romero, a faculty from the same School. Her research was about the diversity and distribution of Oca in the country, through the analysis of a collection ex situ maintained in Yachay Botanical Garden.

On the other hand, students María José Aldáz and Marlon Zambrano presented their research in the poster session. Marlon’s research is about the independent origin of histone H2B variants in different plants lineages. It resulted in the assertion that H2B has the same ancestor and that it has evolved independently in the different lineages explored. María José’s research explores the organization and distribution of histone genes in the genome of the unicellular algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This research was awarded with the third place in the award of posters of the event.