Vanderlan da Silva Bolzani, vice-coordinator of the CIBFar and vice-president of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), was the winner of the edition 2015 of the Kurt Politzer Technology award, in the researcher category, granted for the Brazilian Association of the Chemical Industry (Abiquim). The award, which honors researchers that have developed projects in the chemical area with potential of industrial application, was presented on Friday (11), during the 20th Annual Meeting of Chemical Industry – ENAIQ 2015, that it happens in the Grand Hyatt São Paulo, in São Paulo.
“I am very happy with the award. I really like what I do and it is great to see that my work is being recognized. But the interesting one is that I am not chemical. I did my undergraduate studies in pharmacy, but I dedicated my entire life to chemistry”, said Bolzani to the Jornal da Ciência (Periodical of Science) to point out that Brazil still needs to create a culture of rewarding people who have their work recognized.
The project won the award uses as raw material umbu, emblematic fruit of the northeastern Caatinga. “Brazil has a great biodiversity, but there is no value-added product of our biodiversity. I know there are industries that use fruits of our biodiversity, including cosmetics, but not radical innovations.
And we have a strong scientific field of natural products, but there is no connection. The examples that had value-added products in the past, never brought foreign exchange for Brazil. Then when I see a Brazilian Association of the Chemical Industry that recognizes something about the fruits of Brazil, I consider important”, says.
The researcher also believes that with this award will attract more attention from the domestic industry. “I’m sure this can attract stares from national entrepreneurs for products of our biodiversity that is rich. I know that it has risk. And Brazilian industry is not inclined to risk. But the risk is inherent in the sector that want to innovate. And risk is inherent also science itself. Research is a constant risk”, she said.
The scientist affirms that in science there should be no barriers. In the world where knowledge brings in fact, sustainability and social development, there must be multidisciplinary. “I think my career is a bit like that, since I started in Medicine. I studied two years. I quit and went to Pharmacy and really liked it. I graduate in Chemistry. And I believe that Chemistry is important because it is the Science of life. Everything that we do is related to Chemistry, specially organic one, which I dedicated myself”.
Bolzani, who is full professor of the Institute of Chemistry of Araraquara of the State University of São Paulo (Unesp), she is graduated by the Pharmacy College of the Federal University of the Paraíba (1973), master in organic chemistry for the Institute of Chemistry of the University of São Paulo (IQ-USP), in 1977, and Phd in sciences, also for the IQ-USP, in 1982, with FAPESP scholarship. She has a postgraduate education at the Department of Chemistry at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States, with FAPESP scholarship.
Born in Santa Rita (PB), she obtained the title of full professor at Institute of Chemistry – UNESP in 1996, she was president of the Brazilian Society of Chemistry (SBQ) in the period of 2009-2010, and Advisory Board member of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
Source: Vivian Costa/Jornal da Ciência