Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica – Graduate Program in Biochemistry

The PPGBQA has sought to get closer and closer to society and, in this sense, has carried out various actions and awareness campaigns to prevent diseases and health problems. The outreach projects and events have the effective participation of professors, students and community members. Information on some of the social integration activities carried out with the participation of PPGBQA faculty and students is described below:

CurToART:  First scientific photography competition organized by the Graduate Program in Biochemistry during the “Current Topics in Biochemistry” symposiym. The aim was to promote scientific dissemination and popularization of science.

Cognitive Training for Older People with Smartphones: The outreach project coordinated by Prof. Dr. Alexandre Pastoris Muller (PPGBQA) aims to explore the use of resources on smartphones for the cognitive training of older people. The apps are carefully selected and designed to work on different cognitive areas, such as memory, attention, language, logical reasoning, and visual skills. Besides, the project seeks to promote moments of interaction and entertainment, improving the quality of life of the participants.

“Young Scientists – Breathing Science” Project. On 8 March 2023, the doctoral student Gustavo Henrique Pereira Gonçalves, supervised by Prof. Dr. Eduardo Alves de Almeida, participated in the project “Young Scientists – Breathing Sciences.” The outreach project was carried out at Escola Barão do Rio Branco in the city of Blumenau, with preschool students (5 years old). The aim of the project, coordinated by Prof. Otto Rodolfo Sasse, is to present to the students the performance of “young scientists/researchers” from various areas. Gustavo, a researcher in the Ecotoxicology area, used slides and material from the FURB zoological collection to present the characteristics and phases of development of anuran amphibians, as well as the effects of two pesticides on these animals.

 

Satellite event of the Current Topics in Biochemistry (2021) – “Science is made by us all”. The traditional Current Topics in Biochemistry event had a satellite event in 2021, organized and moderated by PPGBQA students. The event, held on 10 November 2021, was designed for upper secondary and undergraduate students, with the objective of discussing and answering questions about the scientific career, undergraduate and graduate studies, scientific evidence and scientific dissemination. The event had a round table with the participation of Prof. Dr. Tattiana Gonçalves Teixeira (Department of Communication and Journalism, UFSC) and Prof. Dr. Anelise Maria Regiani (Department of Chemistry, UFSC) and had a total of 94 participants (https://curtobiochemistry.ufsc.br/pre-evento-a-ciencia-que-a-gente-faz/).

Chat with graduates: Since August 2021, PPGBQA students have held weekly lives on the program’s Instagram account (@ppgbqa.ufsc) to talk with PPGBQA graduates in different areas. The lives attract an audience from inside and outside the academy interested in the field and with questions about the different career options and possibilities after graduation. Dr. Priscilla Batista Rosa (pharmacist, scientific illustrator and postdoc in Sweden), Dr. Beatriz Bonadiman (biomedical scientist, professor at UNOESC and active researcher in scientific dissemination), Dr. Daína from Lima (chemist at the Aquatic Contamination Biomarkers Laboratory), Dr. Paulo C. Lock Silveira (professor at UNESC and partner at startups Regenera and PepNano), Dr. Fernanda N. Kaufmann (professor at UFPel), Dr. Marília N. Siebert (biologist and professor at the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina), Dr. Fabiana Ourique (pharmacist and professor at the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora), and Dr. Filipe Gonçalves (pharmacist and Medical Liason at Sanofi Genzyme).

III Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Symposium and II Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Brazilian Webinar (2021). Symposium organized by the Biochemistry and Cellular Signaling Laboratory, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ariane Zamoner P. de Souza (PPGBQA) and the Neuroplasticity Laboratory, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Patricia Brocardo (PPGNEURO – Neurosciences), on 9 September 2021. The symposium featured lectures by Dr. Arthur Guerra (Psychiatrist and president of CISA), Dr. Ingrid Kandler and Dr. Sandra Martins (neonatologists), and a tribute to Dr. Conceição Segre (Pediatrician and Member of the Brazilian Academy of Pediatrics).

New pathways for knowledge: education and health workshops (2020). The project coordinated by Prof. Margarete Dulce Bagatini in the western region of the state was adapted with the creation of a sub-project called “Knowledge for confronting the coronavirus,” with the objective of informing the population and discussing prevention measures for the pandemic caused by the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.

Project “Imagine: training educators for a multicultural, inclusive and innovative teaching practice (Biological Sciences Teaching Degree)”, which has the participation of Prof. Guilherme Razzera (permanent professor at PPGBQA) and is coordinated by Professor André Ávila Ramos (CCB/UFSC), who was the winner of the 9th Edition of the Professor Rubens Murillo Marques Award (PPRMM) from the Carlos Chagas Foundation (FCC), in 2019.

Prevention program for the harmful use of alcohol. The PPGBQA is involved in prevention strategies for the harmful use of alcohol, a global health problem, through a series of outreach actions and projects coordinated by Professor Ariane Zamoner Pacheco de Souza since the year 2010. These actions had the valuable collaboration of the Santíssima Trindade Parish, located near UFSC, for about 7 years. This collaboration was shown to be relevant for the dialogue and interaction between project members and the community. The activities related to this project included:

1. 2019: Event on the international day for the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome– September/2019 at UFSC.
2. 2010-2019: Workshops and seminars in the UFSC Teaching, Research, Outreach and Innovation Week (SEPEX).
3. 2020: “I Brazilian Webinar and II Symposium on the International Day for the Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”. The event was organized by Prof. Dr. Patricia Brocardo from the Department of Morphological Sciences (UFSC) and Prof. Dr. Ariane Zamoner Pacheco de Souza (PPGBQA).

Assessing the visual quality of individuals aged 55 or over from the western region of Santa Catarina. In 2019, we carried out actions with groups of older people to assess their visual health and give guidance on how food can help visual health in two cities in Santa Catarina. The activities included seminars, lectures, and workshops.

Green July Campaign (2019). This activity, coordinated by Professor Margarete Dulce Bagatini, aimed to raise awareness and provide information to the general population of the city of Chapecó regarding the diagnosis and preventive measures against head and neck cancer.

Science workshop for upper secondary students – our daily bread (2017). Activity organized by professor Andreza Fabro de Bem and students Letícia Galant and Gabriela Cristina de Paula to bring biochemistry closer to upper secondary students.