Browsing by Autor "Giovanni A. Carosso"

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Balancing production and culture: Sustainable agriculture in the Amazon
(2020) Omar Gandarilla; Giovanni A. Carosso; Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji
Sustainable food production in developing countries is challenging, as it requires balancing scalability with respect for local culture and traditions. Bolivia represents a particularly interesting example; with over 36 recognized indigenous groups encompassing over 70% of the country’s population in a relatively small territory, Bolivia is considered one of the most diverse countries in the world (Ferreira et al., 2019). Agriculture in Bolivia employs over 5% of the country’s population and represents over 14% of its GDP. Yet, the introduction of new agribusiness approaches has often been met with resistance by the local communities. For example, the use of transgenic seeds in Bolivia is forbidden by law, with a single exception in soybean production (Avila and Izquierdo, 2006). As result, Bolivia is at a disadvantage in relation to its neighbors in agricultural production. In addition, high costs of transport and export of produce due to the landlocked nature of the country, compounded by logistic difficulties of exporting through a third country, highlight the need of policies that facilitate a larger and more efficient food production.
Developing Brains, Developing Nations: Can Scientists Be Effective Non-state Diplomats?
(Frontiers Media, 2019) Giovanni A. Carosso; Leonardo M. R. Ferreira; Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji
OPINION article Front. Educ., 03 September 2019Sec. STEM Education Volume 4 - 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00095
Effective participatory science education in a diverse Latin American population
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) Leonardo M. R. Ferreira; Giovanni A. Carosso; Natalia Montellano Duran; Soad V. Bohorquez-Massud; Gustavo Vaca-Diez; Laura Ines Rivera-Betancourt; Yara Rodríguez; Dalila G. Ordonez; Diana K. Alatriste-Gonzalez; Aldo Vacaflores
High-altitude populations need special considerations for COVID-19
(Nature Portfolio, 2020) Arnar Breevoort; Giovanni A. Carosso; Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji
Perceptions and prospects in life sciences in a heterogeneous Latin American population
(2019) Leonardo M. R. Ferreira; Giovanni A. Carosso; Bruno Lopez-Videla; Gustavo Vaca Diez; Laura Ines Rivera-Betancourt; Yara Rodríguez; Dalila G. Ordonez; Natalia Montellano Duran; Diana K. Alatriste-Gonzalez; Aldo Vacaflores
ABSTRACT Particular challenges exist for science education in the developing world, where limited resources beget curricula designed to balance state-of-the-art knowledge with practical and political considerations in region-specific contexts. Project-based biology teaching is particularly difficult to execute due to high infrastructural costs and limited teacher training. Here, we report our results implementing short, challenging, and low-cost biology courses to high school and college students in Bolivia, designed and taught in collaboration between scientists from developed nations and local science instructors. We find our approach to be effective at transmitting advanced topics in disease modeling, microscopy, genome engineering, neuroscience, microbiology, and regenerative biology. Importantly, this approach was unaffected by the students’ backgrounds, education level, socioeconomic status, or initial interest in the course, and increased participants’ interest in pursuing scientific careers. These results demonstrate efficacy of participatory learning in a developing nation, and suggest that such techniques could drive scientific engagement in other developing economies.
Scientists as non-state actors of public diplomacy
(Nature Portfolio, 2019) Giovanni A. Carosso; Leonardo M. R. Ferreira; Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji