INTEC doctorates promote research applied to current challenges
During the second Workshop for PhD Students and Graduates in Energy Management for Sustainable Development and Environmental Sciences, PhD students and graduates of the PhD programs in the area of Basic and Environmental Sciences presented the results of their research and shared knowledge and experiences.
SANTO DOMINGO. – With the aim of strengthening research applied to current challenges, the Area of Basic and Environmental Sciences of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) carried out the Second Workshop for PhD Students and Graduates in programs of Energy Management for Sustainable Development y Environmental science, an academic space in which participants shared their research progress, experiences, and learning in strategic areas for the country and the region.
During the event, projects focused on sustainability, climate change, energy efficiency, waste management, and environmental policies were presented, with the aim of providing solutions to problems that impact both society and the productive sectors.
El Dean of the Area of Basic and Environmental Sciences at INTEC, Luis Rodríguez de Francisco, offered the welcoming remarks at the workshop, highlighting the institutional satisfaction with the achievements of the doctoral programs in Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Energy Management.
Rodríguez recalled that these initiatives began in 2011, with one of the major achievements being the high graduation rate and scientific output resulting from these programs. "Today, we have more than 40 scientific articles published between the two doctoral programs. With your articles and publications, you truly support part of INTEC's scientific output, and that deserves recognition.", Dijo.
Both programs, launched in 2018, are the first doctoral programs in their fields in the Dominican Republic and have set a precedent by graduating the first doctors trained in the country in these fields.
Likewise, The Research Director at INTEC, Charles Sanley, presented an assessment of the impact that doctoral programs have had on the institution's scientific indicators, averaging more than 50 publications annually, reaching 69 last year and projecting a record for this year.
He also emphasized that these publications are of high quality, as the average number of citations per article exceeds the international standard. "We produce an average of 10.7 citations per article, above the world average. That's thanks to you." The academic also highlighted that 30% of the articles are in first quartile (Q1) journals, reflecting the relevance and impact of the doctoral students' work.
Presentation of PhDs in Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Energy Management
The teacher and coordinator of the PhD in Environmental Sciences, Lizaira Bello, explained that the program seeks to train professionals capable of addressing the country's environmental and climate challenges through applied research and technological innovation.
He also detailed the academic structure, which combines one year of teaching with a research period of between two and four years, during which doctoral candidates must publish at least two articles in indexed journals and participate in national and international scientific events.
Iosvani Lopez, teacher and coordinator from the PhD program in Energy Management for Sustainable Development, He shared that this academic program responds to the nation's energy needs, but also transcends the international context. “Doctoral training should not remain local, but must respond to international issues and the approaches of the global scientific community.”, He said.
The program has four priority lines of research: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and numerical methods applied to energy management and planning. These range from the design of innovative technologies to optimize industrial processes and develop biofuels to the integration of renewable energy into microgrids and their implementation in vulnerable communities.
Research resulting from doctorates
The graduate Hugo guzmán, PhD in Energy Management for Sustainable Development, shared the results of his research entitled “Energy valorization of agricultural waste biomass for its integration into distributed generation networks in the Dominican Republic”.
His research focused on the estimation and utilization of agricultural biomass as a sustainable energy source. Through a process that involved the collection and processing of more than 8,000 data points on 63 agricultural products, Guzmán designed a procedure to quantify the availability of residual biomass and assess its energy potential.
The results showed that the country generates more than 15 million tons of agricultural waste annually, with a potential impact exceeding the energy needs of 360,000 households, provided the appropriate technology and logistics are available.
The doctoral student Casimiro Maldonado, from the PhD in Environmental Sciences, also presented his research entitled “Integrated natural resource management in the Nigua River basin, in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic: an approach to local empowerment for sustainability”His work is the result of a long academic and personal process, during which he dedicated his undergraduate, master's, and doctoral theses to the study of this water resource.
During his presentation, he detailed how the Nigua River basin, with an area of more than 200 km² and a population of over 200,000, constitutes a strategic space in the face of climate change, but faces serious problems of deforestation, inappropriate land use, water pollution, and a lack of institutional coordination. His thesis included a socio-environmental assessment, an analysis of risks perceived by the community, and a proposal for a comprehensive management model that articulates the various local stakeholders.
"The most important thing, before starting this program, is to understand that there must be a commitment. Here we are a group of people with a common purpose: to find a way to contribute and elevate the Dominican Republic in its current research," Guzmán said.
The event concluded with a discussion, exchange of experiences, and conversations between doctoral students, alumni, coordinators, and authorities. This dialogue allowed for the sharing of lessons learned, the identification of common challenges, and the demonstration of the collective commitment to continue strengthening research in energy management and environmental sciences to contribute to the country's sustainable development.