If Mexico is to compete internationally, it needs to stimulate scientific investigation, according to Enrique Graue Wiechers, the rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Unam).
Yet while there are only 420 scientific investigators for every million Mexicans, there are signs that young Mexicans are excelling in various scientific fields, with schoolchildren and students from Jalisco leading the pack.
Among them are three design students from the University of Guadalajara Center of Art, Architecture and Design (CUAAD), who developed a recyclable bag that can keep seafood cold, thus saving on energy costs and preventing waste. David Hernandez, Maria Haro and Raul Aceves developed the bag, which was awarded a gold prize at the International Packaging Design Competition.
Two students from the Preparatoria Regional de Jocotopec also received international recognition, winning a gold medal at a science engineering fair in Turkey. Martha Macias and Luis Garcia participated in the physics category with an entry on magnetic fields. “The hard work has paid off,” Martha commented after the win.
Meanwhile, eight students from Preparatoria Jalisco, a University of Guadalajara high school, have developed a group of robots that will compete in the RoboCup, an international robotics competition in Germany.
Jose de Jesus, Juan Mudeci, Rael Morales, Gael Lopez, Angel Hernandez, Omar Barreiro, Iverson Marquez and Alan Martin qualified for the competition after winning the Mexican Robotics Tournament. The eight young people will compete against teams from 70 other countries in Leipzig, Germany.