Costa Rica

Adaptive Elevation Device for Wheelchairs (AEWheelchair)

Engineering Mechanics

Worldwide, close to 15% of the population (more than 1 billion people) have some sort of disability, where close to 70 million of them need a wheelchair to move around. However, when they ne…

Forest App: Redesign the Urban Landscape so Birds Will Return to San Jose, Costa Rica

Earth and Environmental Sciences

Develop an application to encourage native tree species to be planted so native birds will return to San José, Costa Rica. Forest App is based on an application that encourages native tree s…

Inclusive Translator for People with Hearing Impairment

Systems Software

The project, Inclusive Translator for People with Hearing Impairment, aims to help society to communicate with people with disabilities through a software that will allow the reincorporation…

Making a Bio-Polymer from Starch of a Sweet Potato (Ipomea batata) Baulegard Variety that Germinates Seeds

Materials Science

This project evaluated an experimental procedure to obtain bio-plastic that would germinate seeds using sweet potatoes (Ipomea Batata) Baulegard variety. Unlike other bio-plastics made from…

Effect of Traditional Organic Technique (BAMI) in the Development of Cucumber Plants of Cucumis sativus L

Plant Sciences

In response to agrochemical contamination, the traditional technique “Bamboo - Treacle” or “BAMI” is proposed, as organic fertilizer to influence the development of the cucumber plant. The b…

In vitro Establishment and Acclimatization of Coffee (Coffea arabica) in Three Costa Rican Traditional Varieties and in a Promising Variety Resistant to Leaf Rust (Hemileia vastatrix)

Plant Sciences

Coffee (Coffea arabica) constitutes in Costa Rica and in the canton of Acosta, a fundamental part of its economy, due to this, there is interest in varieties with high productivity and resis…

Biocontrol of the Taeniopoda reticulata (Locust) Plague Using the Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae

Animal Sciences

An assessment is made of the effect of biological control using the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, on the Taeniopoda reticulata, Fabricius (1978) locust plague when introduc…

Device for Teaching and Learning the Braille Alphabet

Robotics and Intelligent Machines

This research is developed as a felt need on the importance of providing a tool for people with visual impairment that facilitates communication through the development of teaching and learn…

Evaluation of Biofungicidal Activity of the Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis) Seed for the Control of Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) in Avocado (Persea americana) in vitro

Plant Sciences

Anthracnose is a disease caused by the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides fungus, which attacks various agricultural crops including avocado; this phytopathogen causes millionaire losses (approx…

Gas Leakage Detection and Control System for Home­use Gas Cylinders

Costa Rica experiences a high incidence of emergencies caused by gas leaks; 4700 events in total were reported in the year 2015 alone. Some of the factors that contribute to worsen the probl…

Annona muricata Extract for the Control of Aedes aegypti Mosquito

Dating more than fifty years, controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito in Costa Rica has been a major problem; this mosquito is the vector for the dengue virus and lately the Chikungunya virus…

Creation of a Mechanical Material-Cutting System with Potential for Use in Low-Cost Nanotechnology

The project is focused on designing, building and programing a material-cutting mechanical system for applications in Nanotechnology and chemical analysis. Usually the cutting process relies…

Extracts of the Lecanicillium lecanii Fungus as Biological Controller of Coffee Leaf Rust in Turrialba, Costa Rica

The following research is the study and use of the Lecanicillium lecanii fungus as bio-controller of Coffee Leaf Rust (Hemileia vastatrix) in coffee plantations affected in the Turrialba are…

Image-to-sound Processing and Conversion System to Offer Environmental Perceptions to Visually-Impaired Individuals by using an Alternative Acoustic Language

The purpose of this project is to develop a computer-based system that will allow visually-impaired individuals to perceive sounds that replace visual information, and enable a trained user…

Automated Point Design and Fabricator for Orthopedic Kirschner Pins

Energy: Chemical

Automated point design and fabricator for orthopedic Kirschner pins was implemented in the National Children’s Hospital’s (In Spanish: Hospital Nacional de Niños) Maintenance Area in order t…

Innovative Alternative Method for the Synthesis of Graphene

Energy: Physical Fourth Award

Historically, production of graphene has been done through the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process, which depends on expensive and large-sized machinery, and on different types of carbon…

Intelligent Road Signage and Traffic Monitoring System

Energy: Chemical Fourth Award

Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of violent deaths in Costa Rica. Faulty road signaling and the country’s weather conditions are factors that directly influence the incidence…

Strategic Procedure to Improve the Acclimation of Cassava (Manihot esculenta) in vitro Plants through Variation of Source and Quantity of Carbon

Physics and Astronomy

This project was executed in order to improve the acclimation of cassava vitro plants by applying CO2 to the explants during their in vitro period, so these can establish an autotrophic syst…

Use of Bio Ferments in the Biological Control of Moniliasis (Moniliophtora roreri) in Cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

Physics and Astronomy Third Award

Monilia (Moniliophtora roreri) is a fungus that causes cocoa plant death. It first appeared in the Southern and Pacific regions of Costa Rica. It is considered as one of the most important l…