Students under Dr. Rojas´ mentorship for thesis research
Fabián Jiménez Rey - Biosystems Engineering 2018
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Fabián is currently conducting a study intended to characterize a biological material made with hiphae from Pleurotus ostreatus that can function as a biologically active membrane for filtration purposes. His research includes the complete characterization of the material using two different substrates and two different particle sizes. At the same time, he would test the quality and durability of the biologically active filter and woudl analyze the potential economic impact of a low-cost and low-technology system for walter filtration within the current context of filter demand.
January 2018 |
Manuscript generated
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Reyner Sibaja Matarrita - Agricultural Engineering 2017
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Reyner conducted a project designed to evaluate the occurrence of both plasmodial and cellular slimemolds in the ecotone between plantations and forest patches. He worked both in sugarcane and pinneapple plantations in the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica.
His project was developed from the myxomycete soil isolation project conducted by the slimemold team in ReForesta during 2015. However, Reyner implemented GIS-based techniques and quantified a series of variables such as microbial respiration, soil texture and water retention in order to test his hypothesis that forest patches may act as refuges for microbial communities associated with plantations. He will defend his work in mid 2017. June 2017 |
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Manuscript generated
Sibaja-Matarrita R, Barboza-Chinchilla L, Rojas C. Can mycetozoans be used as health indicators of soil in the agricultural context of Costa Rica? Revista de Ciencias Ambientales 52(1): 161-174. |
Steven Umaña Carmona - Agricultural Engineering 2017
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Steven worked on a project intended to test the viability of "mountain microorganism" bioferments on the characteristics of soils used for agriculture. In order to accomplish his objectives, he designed bioreactors capable of reproducing microorganisms (mostly bacteria and fungi) originally collected from forest patches and applied the bioferments onto plots with two experimental crops.
The idea behind his project was related with the concept of ecological engineering in which the professional is able to design a strategy capable of substantially change the original characteristics of the system in order to make the productive process more sustainable. He will defend his work in early 2017. February 2017 |
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Manuscript generated
Umaña S, Rodríguez K, Rojas C. 2017. Do mountain microorganisms (MM) really work as a biofertilization strategy? A Biosystems Engineering Approach. Revista de Ciencias Ambientales 51(2): 133-144. |
Alberto Coto Fonseca - Agricultural Engineering 2016
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Alberto conducted a research project on the potential effect of climate change and the distribution of four commercially valuable crops in Costa Rica. As part of his project, Alberto used a set of bioinformatic tools to develop an integrated analysis of the implications of temporal planning under the framework of food safety and sustainability.
Alberto had the chance of going to Lincoln Memorial University during the spring of 2016 in order to present his project to the faculty and students of that university. During his visit, he also had the chance of traveling across northeastern Tennessee and see the differences in strategy and development between this part of the USA and Costa Rica. He defended succesfully in December 2016. December 2016 |
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Manuscripts generated
Coto A, Rojas C, Molina-Murilllo S. 2017. Climate Change-Based Modeling of Potential Land Use Arrangements for Coffee (Coffea arabica) and Forest in Costa Rica. CIGR Journal 19(4): 224-229. Coto A, Rojas C, Molina-Murillo S. 2017. Distribución potencial de tres cultivos agrícolas en Costa Rica bajo escenarios de cambio climático: implicaciones de manejo agroforestal y desarrollo socioeconómico. Revista Ingeniería 27 (2): 59-76. |