From Lab to Life: Conversations with Our Researchers
CBQF - Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry
Research centre that co-creates, develops and disseminates innovative knowledge in the field of Biotechnology.
Scientists often toil away in labs, working tirelessly on experiments, research projects, and innovations that have the potential to change our world. Yet, their stories and the incredible impact of their work often remain behind closed laboratory doors.
In this special edition, we open those doors to you. We introduce two of our researchers: Joana Barbosa and Joana Cristina Barbosa. Our researchers not only share the same name but also the commitment to transfer all their knowledge to the youngest children to motivate and encourage the next generations in the search for knowledge.
The International Microorganism Day (IMD) is celebrated all over the world in an event that intends to be the major commemoration of microbes of all sorts. Considering that microorganisms play an important role in our lives as researchers too, here at CBQF - Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry and Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa – which, by the way, has the only BSc in Microbiology in our country – it couldn’t make more sense for us to celebrate an ephemeris that could be the face of the Microbiology degree. And that is the main focus of this event: to let people know more about microorganisms, mainly the students that visit us. Moreover, it is amazing to hear them at the end, sharing their thoughts on how they now know that not all microbes are bad, where they can be found, and how useful they can be. We want to create an impact on the scientific literacy of the community, and this event starts with the students at schools, hopefully also influencing the new generation of scientists for the future.
Here at CBQF - Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry and Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, we have celebrated, this year, our second edition of the International Microorganism Day; however, this date has been celebrated since 2017. It was first launched in Portugal and then started to spread all around the globe. We got on that train in 2022 and, in our first IMD event, we hit the record of visitors of all the events organized that year, with an impressive number of 600 guests, accounting for students, with ages from 11 to 18, and their teachers. For this IMD 2023, we still don’t have an official confirmation from the international organizing committee, but what we can say for sure is that we had around 800 visitors… which we hope to be enough to set a new record again! As one of the most memorable moments we would like to share how the young students came to hug us, thanking us for the opportunity to join the event and learn so many amazing things about microorganisms. Feeling their happiness and seeing their smiles was really an unforgettable memory.
For the years to come, we wish to keep on engaging more and more students to spread the knowledge on microorganisms even further and to convey an important message: learning can be fun! This is only possible with the valuable help of our colleagues at CBQF - Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry and Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, who will hopefully keep contributing with didactic and funny activities to expand our offer to those who visit us. Also, we would like to showcase more companies that use microorganisms directly in their industrial processes – we have started this year with two very interesting ones, but we want to show more. Above all, our expectation is to keep on hearing, at the end of each event: “please, let us come back next year, and make it last 3 days!”
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Scientific Art Spotlight?
FEMS Art Contest 2023 – Best Writing award By Joana Barbosa
Somewhere? Anywhere… Everywhere!
In places where no human has ventured before
Under conditions that we cannot survive
Is there where we can find them – and more!
Is there where they are happily alive!
Think about a place where you don’t wanna be.
Is there too acid? Too hot? Too cold?
It is exactly there that you can see,
The most incredible live in this whole world.
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Well, to “see” is not the word,
As these creatures are so tiny.
Microorganisms in all their worth,
They spread around, all happy and shiny!
Is the place a little too salty?
Or without oxygen to breath?
There is no place too nasty,
Where microorganisms cannot breed.
They are simply amazing,
They can live everywhere.
They survive everything.
They are and always will be there.
Everywhere that you can go
Before us, there they have been.?
And it is not hard to believe so
That even to Mars they might fly in!