CienciaPR

Recently, Dr. Irving Vega, Associate Professor at Michigan State University, presented his talk "Research on Alzheimer's disease: from bench to society". On the occasion of the "Brain Awareness Week" celebration, we share the video of his talk and an article written by Dr. Vega.  This is the first of multiple posts that we will be sharing with you this week exploring different conditions related to the health of our brain.

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For many people, reaching the age of 50 marks the beginning of an important stage in their lives. Many take the opportunity to reflect on their experiences, achievements, and wishes to fulfill. But we should also recognize that no matter how young and full of energy we feel, it is natural that with age certain changes occur that affect the normal functioning of our body. This is why, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), every person should have a screening test for colorectal cancer starting at the age of 50.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. In Puerto Rico, it is the second most common type of cancer. It is also recognized as the second leading cause of cancer death for women, as well as the third cause for men.

In 2009 we saw the global hysteria that can take hold after an uncontrolled influenza outbreak.  The disease caused by the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, infected hundreds of millions of people around the world.  In the United States, recent estimates show that the virus may have infected up to 90 million people and claimed around 12,500 lives.

http://unh.edu/unhtoday/2015/07/testing-waters

WRITTEN BY DAVID SIMS | SCIENCE WRITER, INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF EARTH, OCEANS, AND SPACE

Led by UNH biogeochemical oceanographer Joe Salisbury, a group of 15 scientists is currently aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel Gordon Gunter on a two-leg, 34-day expedition that will help determine how humans are causing changes in the oxygen and carbon dioxide content of oceans, leading to the global acidification of seawater.

Hello CienciaPR members!

My name is Josh Zak, and I am currently a rising junior at Carnegie Mellon University pursuing a dual degree in Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering. This summer, I have the distinct privilege of participating in a Research Experience for Undergraduates here at the beautiful University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez. I am assisting in the research efforts of PhD candidate Heberth Diestra Cruz in the lab of Dr. Aldo Acevedo in the Chemical Engineering department.

History clearly tells us that science, technology, engineering and mathematics have constantly crossed their paths with art and design. Let’s think about Leonardo Da Vinci in the 15th century, most of his projects showed an equal application of technical and artistic knowledge. After centuries, during which governments addressed their attention to the arts (e.g. kings and popes supporting Michelangelo), the Industrial Revolution, started at the end of the 18^th century, moved the attention toward technical disciplines as main tools for economic growth. Therefore, the acronym STEM was coined to refer to four principal disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.