Science and technology in Colombia
Encyclopedia
Science and technology in Colombia refers to the development of scientific research and technological innovation in Colombia
, and how these in turn affect Colombian society, politics
, and culture
. In spite of its current internal armed conflict and economic struggle
there is a growing interest about the developing of its technology in different fields.
Colombia is one of eight Latin American countries to have satellite
s in orbit. On April 7, 2007 Libertad I (CubeSat
), was sent from Baikonur cosmodrome
, to orbit around the planet offering telemetry
information and as a research purpose. It represents a milestone in the history of Colombia and the first step of the Colombian aerospace
development.
, completely with Colombian technology and elaborated in the country, the "Sparrowhawk". At the moment Armed Forces of Colombia
(FACE) uses some of these airplanes, and others are of commercial use.
s in Latin America
located in Cartagena
. It produces Fluvial Support Patrol Ships, like the ARC TF Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera
which were developed by Cotecmar Co. These ships are intended to patrol rivers and littoral waters and features a helicopter deck.
s and every year it provides 4,400 samples for analysis.
keratomileusis
was developed by Ignacio Barraquer
in 1964 in Bogotá. On January 10, 1985 Dr. Elkin Lucena performed the first successful In vitro fertilization, that allowed the birth of the first Latin American test tube baby Carolina Mendez. On December 14, 1985 the Dr. Alberto Villegas performed the first heart transplant in Latin America to Antonio Yepes.
On May 20, 1994 Manuel Elkin Patarroyo
received the Prince of Asturias Awards
by his technical and scientific research in the development of syntetic malaria vaccine
.
When the national constitution was reformed in 1991, the social security system was reformed through the implementation of Law 100, which has provided health coverage to much of the population. However, a continuing economic crisis has caused the collapse of many public health institutions and affected both the public and medical staff.
Dr. Jorge Reynolds Pombo is credited with having helped in the design of the first successful internal pacemaker in 1958.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and how these in turn affect Colombian society, politics
Politics of Colombia
The Politics of Colombia take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Colombia is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government...
, and culture
Culture of Colombia
Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the early culture of Spain of the 16th century and its collision with Colombia's native civilizations . The Spanish brought Catholicism, African slaves, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites...
. In spite of its current internal armed conflict and economic struggle
Poverty in Colombia
Poverty in Colombia refers to the serious problem of misdistribution of income, characterized by some of the worst poverty statistics in Latin America...
there is a growing interest about the developing of its technology in different fields.
Aerospace
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
s in orbit. On April 7, 2007 Libertad I (CubeSat
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
), was sent from Baikonur cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
, to orbit around the planet offering telemetry
Telemetry
Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure...
information and as a research purpose. It represents a milestone in the history of Colombia and the first step of the Colombian aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
development.
Aeronautic
With the establishment in Colombia of the Aeroleaver factory more than 50 years ago, and with a joint effort of the government, it was managed to develop the first Colombian airshipAirship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
, completely with Colombian technology and elaborated in the country, the "Sparrowhawk". At the moment Armed Forces of Colombia
Military of Colombia
The Military Forces of Colombia are the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia.-Services:The Military of Colombia consists of:* National Army of Colombia * Colombian National Armada - Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attached* Colombian Air Force...
(FACE) uses some of these airplanes, and others are of commercial use.
Naval
Colombia has one of the largest if not the largest ShipyardShipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
s in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
located in Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
. It produces Fluvial Support Patrol Ships, like the ARC TF Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera
ARC TF Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera
The ARC Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera is the sixth in a number of progressively improved heavy riverine patrol and support vessels of the Colombian Navy . Specifically, it is classified as a PAF-IV...
which were developed by Cotecmar Co. These ships are intended to patrol rivers and littoral waters and features a helicopter deck.
Nuclear
The IAN-R1, which was donated by the United States and is currently located in Bogota, is a small nuclear reactor that was reactivated recently after being inactive for a few years. Even though not powerful enough to be used for energy production, the IAN-R1 is used for research purposes. This reactor is used in the production of neutronNeutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
s and every year it provides 4,400 samples for analysis.
Health
As of 2007 Colombian medicine has been recognized as one of the most advanced in the world. The refractive surgeryRefractive surgery
Refractive eye surgery is any eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea or cataract surgery. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to...
keratomileusis
Keratomileusis
Keratomileusis is the surgical improvement of the refractive state of the cornea performed by lifting up the front surface of the eye by forming a thin hinged flap under which the shape of the cornea is changed by using an excimer laser or other surgical device, and was developed by José Ignacio...
was developed by Ignacio Barraquer
Ignacio Barraquer
Ignacio Barraquer was a Spanish ophthalmologist known for his contributions to the advancement of cataract surgery. Barraquer was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
in 1964 in Bogotá. On January 10, 1985 Dr. Elkin Lucena performed the first successful In vitro fertilization, that allowed the birth of the first Latin American test tube baby Carolina Mendez. On December 14, 1985 the Dr. Alberto Villegas performed the first heart transplant in Latin America to Antonio Yepes.
On May 20, 1994 Manuel Elkin Patarroyo
Manuel Elkin Patarroyo
Manuel Elkin Patarroyo is a Colombian pathologist who made the world's first attempt of synthetic vaccine for malaria, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes that affects millions of people in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa...
received the Prince of Asturias Awards
Prince of Asturias Awards
The Prince of Asturias Awards are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Prince of Asturias Foundation to individuals, entities or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs....
by his technical and scientific research in the development of syntetic malaria vaccine
Malaria vaccine
Malaria vaccines are an area of intensive research. However, there is no effective vaccine that has been introduced into clinical practice.The global burden of P. falciparum malaria increased through the 1990s due to drug-resistant parasites and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes; this is illustrated...
.
When the national constitution was reformed in 1991, the social security system was reformed through the implementation of Law 100, which has provided health coverage to much of the population. However, a continuing economic crisis has caused the collapse of many public health institutions and affected both the public and medical staff.
Dr. Jorge Reynolds Pombo is credited with having helped in the design of the first successful internal pacemaker in 1958.