Students from our branch campus in Guayaquil majoring in biotechnogy took part part in a training course titled "General Botany and Preservation of Samples". The aim is to update and strengthen students' knowledge. The course was led by Marco Cerna.

 

Some of the topics of the course were:

 

- Anatomy, physiology and plant systematics

 

- Collection methods of botanical specimen 

 

- Studies and conservation of plant samples

 

The herbarium is an area where plant samples will be filed once they have been treated and dried, allowing students to learn about their properties and uses. These activities are the beginning of future scientific research projects that will enable UPS professionals to develop products aimed at helping people.

 

After the theoretical part, students carried out field activities such as taking samples, labeling them with specific data sorted by gender and species in order to analyze them in the university's laboratories.

 

Students conducted conservation and drying tests to create a herbarium on the university campus. "Students have to collect samples and then carry out biotechnological research," said José Luis Ballesteros, director of the biotechnology undergraduate program in Guayaquil.