A Journey Through the UNAM Scientific Research Subsystem in University City on the way to the SDGs.

A journey through the Subsystem of Scientific Research in University City

UNAM on the way to the Sustainable Development G als

COORDINATION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

The substantive activities of UNAM are: training human resources, research and dissemination. Research generates basic and applied knowledge. This activity is carried out by the entities that form the Subsystems of Colleges and Schools, both in Humanities and in Scientific Research.

The Coordination of Scientific Research is articulated by the work carried out by the Subsystem of Scientific Research (SIC), formed by 24 institutes and six centers grouped in three areas of knowledge: chemical, biological and health sciences; physico-mathematical sciences; and earth and engineering sciences. It also coordinates the activities of five Programs: University Space Program (PEU), the Research Program on Climate Change (PINCC), the University Program on Food (PUAL), the University Program on Health Research (PUIS), and the recently created Program for Interdisciplinary Soil Studies (PUEIS). In addition, it has two oceanographic ships, the ecological reserves of Chamela, Jalisco, Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz and Pedregal de San Ángel.

It also manages the Special Projects Unit in Support of Research and Teaching (UPEID), on which they depend in turn: the Research Support Network (RAI), the International Human Genome Laboratory (LIIG), the Center for Complexity Sciences (C3), and the Virtual Computing Center (CViCom). It also coordinates the Department for

the Public Communication of Science (DGDC), and several museums, like the Universum Science Museum and the Light Museum. Other important services and national observatories are managed by the entities of the SIC, like the National Seismological Service, the Ocean Service, the National Astronomic Observatory and the great National Biological Collections.

The SIC has worked intensively to generate strategic alliances with different higher education institutions, research centers, authorities and legislators, as well as to project solutions aimed at education, ecosystems, health, climate change, among others, to influence solutions at the local, national and global level, now contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Subsystem is home to more than 3,178 researchers and academic technicians, dedicated to an equal number of scientific and technological development projects, as well as laboratories and hightech equipment. It also counts with six campi along the country. In this tour of CU we will visit 17 institutes, the C3, the University Programs and the DGDC.

*The acronyms belong to the names in Spanish

INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR SCIENCES

Some of the projects where the Institute of Nuclear Sciences (ICN) participates include: finding traces of bacterial life on Mars as part of NASA’s Curiosity mission, collaborating on the ALICE project within the Large Hadron Collider, the most ambitious experiment in history to understand the origin of the Universe, and searching for the origins of high-energy cosmic rays from the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina.

The ICN has acquired experience in the development of mathematical models based on sociodemographic information and data mining to understand the behavior of diseases, such as Covid-19, which caused the most recent pandemic, which allows it to contribute particularly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 3: Health and Wellbeing, as well as through projects like particle physics and ionizing radiation in cancer treatment.

Since its beginning, the Institute has developed scientific research of great quality on diverse areas of physics and chemistry.

Its 69 researchers and 27 academic technicians carry out theoretic, experimental and applied research on the fundamental elements of matter and their interactions, in a wide range of scales, from elemental particles to the whole Universe.

The ICN has a gamma-ray irradiator to support the research, and provide services to different industries, mainly in condiments and cosmetology. The institute develop studies on the origins of life and the Universe, black holes, gravitational waves, and dark energy and matter.

It coordinates the PAUTA project (Adopt a Talent Program), to identify outstanding students, specially girls, throughout the country to support them in their studies and to promote the training for future scientists.

The ICN participates in the Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences and Astrophysics graduate programs, and it collaborates with the Schools of Sciences, Chemistry and Engineering in their bachelor’s degrees. Thus, it has over 200 students under the supervision of the academics from the Institute.

INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS RESEARCH

It is the leading institution in the country dedicated to scientific and technological research on the structure, properties, transformation processes, and performance of materials. Its 61 researchers and 28 academic technicians develop –in a coordinated manner and in collaboration with the industry and other national and international academic institutions– a great number of projects at the forefront of different areas in materials science, like ceramic, metallic, superconductors, composites and nanoparticulated materials, as well as biomaterials, polymers and materials with the ability to flow (rheology).

It has established collaboration agreements with the National Laboratory of Energy Technology of the United States, the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and the Electoral Institute of Mexico City.

As a result of this work, breast and bone implants have been developed, as well as industrial varnishes, high-performance polymeric compounds and materials for the absorption of contaminating gasses.

With its scientific and technological activity, the IIM contributes to Health and Wellbeing, SDG 3; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 9; Responsible Production and Consumption, SDG 12, and Alliances to achieve the Goals,SDG 17.

The Institute has laboratories highly specialized in materials science, among them the recently created University Laboratory for Electronic Microscopy, which allows the structural and chemical study of materials, in a micrometric and nanometric level, through advances in techniques for the diffraction of electrons and images of ultra-high amplification (500,000 amplifications or more).

The training of highly qualified human resources in materials science is of great importance for the Institute, and is carried out in collaboration with the graduate programs in Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical and Physical Sciences. The different laboratories can be visited by students and the general public through guided tours and an open house, as well as through dissemination lectures and interaction with the researchers.

For more than ten years, the IIM has published the journal Advanced Materials, whose objective is scientific dissemination aimed at undergraduate and graduate students, as well as academics interested in the subject. Guided tours and an open day are offered for the general public and students, in which they can get to know the different laboratories of the Institute, attend outreach conferences and interact with researchers.

PHOTO: REINHER ROLANDO PIMENTEL DOMÍNGUEZ

INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS

Ninety-five researchers and 21 academic technicians work at the Institute in University City. They carry out high-quality research in algebra, logic and fundamentals; analysis and differential equations; mathematical physics; geometry; discrete mathematics; theoretical computation; mathematical modeling; probability, statistics; dynamic systems and topology.

In addition to the research, education is another one of the Institute’s substantive tasks. It teaches courses in the Mathematics bachelor’s degree and in related fields, as well as in diverse graduate programs.

Its researchers participate in seminars, workshops, and congresses, both in Mexico and abroad; and they serve to almost 200 fellows that, in most cases, develop their master’s and Ph.D. thesis.

The “Sotero Prieto” library contains the most extensive collection on Mathematics in Latin America. Another leading enterprise is their book editorial, dedicated to students from high school to graduate level, among them, the Papirhos collection.

The IM is also responsible for coordinating the Mathematics and Development Conacyt Network, with more than 300 members from 34 institutions.

Among the science outreach society programs stands out Mathematics for Peace, funded by the Ministry of the Interior, as part of crime prevention policies in Morelos.

Some of its members build mathematical models in epidemiology to propose alternative options and scenarios for the best decision-making during a pandemic like the Covid-19, that affected us recently.

With all of the above, the IM channels its efforts to achieve SDGs 4, Quality Education; 5, Gender Equality and 10, Reduction of Inequalities, in order to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The IM plays a relevant role in the National Contest of the Mexican Mathematics Olympiad, for which their academicians conducts training at the primary, secondary, and baccalaureate levels.

INSTITUTE OF ASTRONOMY IA

Astronomy is the oldest science studied by human kind. Founded in 1867, the National Astronomical Observatory was ascribed to UNAM in 1929, where it was made into an institute in 1967. The Institute of Astronomy (IA) has two headquarters, one in University City and another one in Ensenada, North Baja California. It manages the operation of the National Astronomy Institute in its two locations: San Pedro Martir in Baja California and in Tonanzintla, Puebla, which makes it the largest astronomic entity in Mexico and one of the largest in Latin America.

In University City, 46 researchers and 31 academic technicians develop astrophysics and astronomical instrumentation through research, training of human resources and dissemination. 30 researchers, and 31 academic technicians work in the foreign units and stations.

The IA has completed the final phase of integration of the inFRared Imager and Dissector for Adaptive optics (FRIDA). It is a cutting-edge scientific instrument that develops AI for the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC), the largest of its kind in the world, that allow us to observe and study a vast range of phenomena within the Solar System and into the farthest bounds of the Universe.

The IA trains human resources in bachelor’s, masters and doctoral degrees, and it incorporates students into research projects. The IA has 30 researchers and

38 Academic Technicians assigned to foreign units and stations.

Alongside other UNAM’s institutes, the IA participates in a collaboration agreement with the Mexican Space Agency (EAM), to carry out joint actions to design, build, test, launch and operate a nanosatellite of the Aztechsat constellation that will monitor marine animals, contributing with the SDGs Climate Action (13) and Life below water (14).

To preserve dark skies, the IA carried out various outreach activities, with the aim of creating greater awareness about light pollution, and considering that preserving dark skies is important for astronomical observations and for the health and care of the environment.

With the authorities of the government of Baja California, it contributes to the regulations on the subject.

Its guided tour program has served more than 7,000 students, and “The Universe, on Fridays” welcomes more than 300 people the first Friday of the month.

IQ

INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY

It has the fundamental purpose to organize and carry out research in the field of Chemistry, as well as preparing faculty and research personnel with a high standard of qualifications in order to contribute to the scientific advancement of the country.

It has the Laboratory of Scientific Models and Data for projects in supercomputing with the Institutes of Astronomy and Nuclear Sciences; the Analytical Services Laboratories, with ISO certification; the National Laboratory for the Structure of Macromolecules, the only one of its kind in our country, and the National Laboratory of Science for Research and Heritage Conservation, contributing with them to SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

The Institute is organized in five departments: Physical Chemistry, where research lines centered in theoretical and experimental chemistry are developed; Inorganic Chemistry, which conducts the integrated study of formation, composition,

structure and chemical reactions to the elements and inorganic compounds; Natural Products, that conducts research about Mexican plants and their possible use; Organic Chemistry, whose primary purpose is to generate knowledge in organic chemistry through the synthesis of innovative compounds given their chemical structure and biological activity, and the Chemistry of Biomacromolecules, which conducts research about plant biochemistry and the structure and physicochemical of proteins, using techniques of X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance and calorimetry.

It has two locations: one in University City with 68 researchers and 41 academic technicians, and one in the Joint Center for Sustainable Chemistry (CCIQS) with seven researchers and six academic technicians, resulting in a collaborative effort with the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM) and UNAM.

It also has one of the most complete and updated chemistry libraries in Latin America and it participates in the graduate program in Chemistry Sciences and in the doctoral program in Biomedical Sciences at UNAM.

INSTITUTE OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY IFC

This entity is the result of a process that started in 1971, with the creation of the Experimental Biology Department within the Biology Institute and it continued with the incorporation of a group of researchers of the School of Medicine in 1973. In 1979 the Center for Cellular Physiology Research was created, through the Experimental Biology Department, and in 1985 the Institute of Cellular Physiology was approved.

One of its primary objectives is the generation of original knowledge and the training of human resources in diverse areas as cellular biology, biochemistry, genetics, developmental biology, neurophysiology, neurochemistry and neuropathology, among others.

Its academic researchers and technicians carry out research projects of national and international relevance, such as those of the Laboratory for Research and Development of Interactive Applications for Neuro-Rehabilitation (LANR), with video games that are in the testing phase to contribute, together with conventional rehabilitation, to the recovery of cognitive and motor function in patients with cerebral vascular disease (CVD); the development of a vaccine that in pre-clinical studies has been shown to prevent the development of lesions in the arteries, as well as the progression towards fatty liver. Another

important development is that of a molecule, called Iztli peptide (IP-1), in reference to the Aztec god of sacrifice, which reduces lung damage caused by the tuberculosis bacteria, and helps the body fight it.

The IF develops projects aimed at studying diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Chagas, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cirrhosis, some heart diseases, as well as a wide variety of processes that include the sleep-wake cycle, sensory perception, memory. and learning, cell death and genetic regulation. With these and other projects the IFC contributes to SDG 3, Health and Well-being.

The Institute of Cellular Physiology participates in the graduate programs in Biomedical Sciencies, Biochemistry and in Biological Sciences. It also participates in scientific promotion activities, like Summers of Science, Youth towards Research, and the Experimenta program, aimed to attend high school students, contributing with such activities to SDG 4, Quality education.

PHOTO: ANDRÉS KAMAID TOTH

INSTITUTE OF OCEAN SCIENCES AND LIMNOLOGY

Mexico has a larger marine than land portion, which makes the study, conservation and management of this complex system essential for using it adequately.

The Institute of Ocean Sciences and Limnology Institute (ICMyL) was founded in 1981 through the Center under the same name, and it cultivates five classic research areas: biological oceanography and marine ecology, physical oceanography, marine geology, aquatic chemistry, and limnology, as well as other emerging areas like climate change, biogeochemistry, and connectivity of marine ecosystems in University City, Mexico City; Mazatlan, Sinaloa; Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo and Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche. In addition, it has the Justo Sierra and the Puma oceanographic vessels, which constitute a well-equipped and functional platform for up to date oceanographic research.

Its research is oriented to recognize the processes that structure and define the functionality of fresh water, coastal and oceanic ecosystems, characterized by the biodiversity in their different scales of complexity. Studies allow us to know the degrees of pollution through fossil fuels and other contaminants like heavy metals and excessive nutrients, among others. The researchers study the sediments, their origin and composition, and develop models of marine currents, the causes for

marine life distribution and the active principles found in actinobacteria and the venoms of marine snails .

The Institute houses UNIMAR as part of the Computer Science System for Biodiversity and the Environment, which provides users with the Institute’s information about fish, sponges, echinoderms, mollusks and deep sea fauna. This database has a geoportal with geospatial, ocean and fresh water data. Their academic personnel participates actively in the training of human resources from the undergraduate degrees at UNAM and from diverse institutions in Mexico and abroad, as well as the graduate programs at UNAM, including the one in Ocean Sciences and Limnology.

To contribute to the study of climate change, it has a monitoring program that allows it to record variations in sea level, increased temperature, acidification and the increase in areas with very little oxygen. The evaluation of risks due to flooding and changes in salinity, the effect of invasive species and the blooming of toxic algae that affect settlements in the coastal zone, as well as achieving “clean, healthy and resilient, predictable systems” has also been considered. , safe, sustainable.” “Transparent, accessible and inspiring oceans.” All of this contributes to SDGs 13, Climate Action, 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and 14, Life Underwater.

FOTO: ERICK JORDÁN

INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY

It is the entity with the greatest tradition and importance in the country, dedicated to generating geographical knowledge of the territory - which includes its natural, social and economic resources - the dissemination of this knowledge and its use in solving the challenges that our nation faces daily. ; Since its creation in 1943, it has exercised leadership, setting trends in scientific and educational matters.

Its departments are: Economic, Physical, and Social Geography. It has a Geospatial Analysis Laboratory, an Editorial Section and a Library that houses one of the best map libraries, with more than 20 thousand copies, as well as bibliohemerographic, cartographic and audiovisual collections specialized in geography and related sciences.

The Institute faces the challenge of identifying problems with opportunity, adjusting its methods and approaches, producing relevant results and training new geographers in its graduate program, providing them with an updated vision and great analytical capacity.

It provides research on strategic issues for the country, mainly those that aim to prevent disasters, monitor traffic accidents, coastal erosion phenomena, carbon sequestration and climate change, as well as urban development, health and sustainability. Its researchers develop diagnoses, management plans and regulations at the regional, state and municipal levels in critical areas, such as the Early Warning System for drought and pests of agricultural importance for the Yucatan Peninsula, contributing to SDGs

3, Health and Well-being 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; 13: Climate Action; 14: Underwater Life, 15: Life of Terrestrial Ecosystems, and 17: Alliance for the achievement of the SDGs.

The IG participates in the creation of protected natural areas, such as the Sierra de Tamaulipas and Mariposa Monarch Biosphere Reserves. It is part of the International Space Technology and Research Laboratory (iSTAR), UNAM’s first binational laboratory, specialized in geotechnological fields, in collaboration with the California State University.

In collaboration with the CIC and members of the Institutes of Research on Applied Mathematics and Systems, and of Geophysics, as well as the Faculties of Sciences and Medicine, developed a vulnerability index for our country during the COVID-19 epidemic, which integrates the main demographic, socioeconomic and health aspects of the population, at the municipal level.

With the CIC and the IGf, it implemented the iCOVID-19 University Platform, with data from various sources, institutions and organizations in a standardized way for consultation and multi-scalar and temporal analysis, which allows decision making and the analysis of its effects on the socioeconomic field, in the medium and long terms. All of these projects constitute important actions for SDG 17.

INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY

This Institute was incorporated into the UNAM in 1929, and is dedicated to scientific research on the geological structure, the mapping of the national territory according to its geological and hydrometeorological characteristics, the fossil record and the soils of Mexico, as well as on the origin and the preservation of nonrenewable natural resources, such as water and oil, and the diagnosis of natural hazards that pose a threat.

It has laboratories that strengthen the geographic information system (GIS), as well as for the analysis and monitoring of contaminants in aqueous samples.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Institute participated in multidisciplinary research projects promoted by UNAM, particularly for the analysis of the dispersion of SARS-CoV-2 and the drugs associated with its treatment in wastewater and soil.

In the context of climate change and as part of the Interinstitutional Climate Action Program, the IGl evaluated the vulnerability of drinking water supply sources in the Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico.

On 2019, the IG inaugurated the Lysimeter Station (earth monoliths that preserve their structural arrangement and are

extracted to study their characteristics), the first of its kind in Mexico and the second on the continent, to analyze and compare the quality of soils irrigated with wastewater, treated or not, as a primary initiative of SDGs 3, 6 and 11: Health and Wellbeing, Clean Water and Sanitation and Sustainable Cities and Communities, to which UNAM joined with the creation of a node for sustainability strategies in the nation.

The UNAM´s Northwest Regional Station in Hermosillo, Sonora, depends on the Institute of Geology (IGl) and houses academic staff from several university departments, including the Institute of Ecology. It carries out studies on geology and ecology in the northwest of Mexico and trains masters and doctors in Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences.

The IG is also responsible for the Geology Museum, located in the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood, the National Paleontological Collection, at its CU headquarters, and from the Mixteco Tlayúa Regional Museum, in Puebla.

It has more than 60 researchers and around 50 academic technicians. Since 2004, the IG publishes Nuestra Tierra Magazine, available in https://erno.geologia.unam.mx/revista/nuestratierra/numeros

INSTITUTE OF GEOPHYSICS

Created in 1945, the Institute of Geophysics aims to understand the earth system, and its activities include a wide range of Earth and Space sciences. It consists of five departments where 71 researchers and 82 academic technicians study and monitor Space, the Earth’s magnetic fields, natural resources, telluric movements, volcanos, and solar radiation. It has several observatories to support its research: cosmic and solar radiation, magnetism, sonar radar, light waveform length measurement, and the University laboratories in isotopic geochemistry, paleomagnetism, and nuclear geophysics, petrology, digital cartography, and paleolimnology.

It also has a unit in Michoacan, with laboratories on natural magnetism and archaeometry, and in 2022 it inaugurated the first solar pannel sismological station at the south of the Pico de Tancitaro.

The IGf’s commitment is to provide reliable and timely information for decisionmaking on geophysical and environmental phenomena that allow rational and sustainable use of the country’s natural and energy resources or that imply risks

for society, thus participating with SDGs 3: Health and Welfare; 7: Affordable and nonpolluting energy; 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; 12: Reduction of Inequalities; 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; 13: Climate Action; and 17: Alliances to Achieve the Objectives.

The Institute publishes the Geofisica Internacional magazine, one of the UNAM oldest publications, with half a century of existence. It also has the Geophysics Museum hosting a valuable collection of antique measurement instruments.

The IGf manages the National Seismological Service, the National Oceanographic Service, and Geomagnetism Service, as well as the training of experts through its participation in the graduate programs in Marine Sciences and Limnology and Earth Sciences. The National Seismological Service collaborates with the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization with transmitting real-time data for the detection of possible nuclear tests. As part of its commitment to disseminate, sensitize, raise awareness, as well as offer and recommendations to address, prevent and mitigate the effects on health and the environment related to the problem of arsenic and fluoride in water, members of the Institute conjunted the efforts of 60 authors from the academic, scientific, civil society and socio-environmental entrepreneurship sectors in Mexico in the book Towards the fulfillment of the Human Right to Water. Arsenic and fluoride in water: risks and perspectives from civil society and academia in Mexico.

INSTITUTE FOR ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE CHANGE

It is the most important Mexican institution dedicated to the study of the atmosphere and its interactions with the ocean, the biosphere, the lithosphere and society.

Research conducted at the Institute integrates the physical, mathematical, chemical, biological, geographical and socioeconomic aspects of the atmosphere and the environment, which allow the development of knowledge that addresses complex problems and the proposal of solutions through atmospheric environmental sciences. It has 48 researchers and 34 academic technicians from diverse backgrounds, in addition to other scholars with different technical specialties and visiting renowned academics from Mexico and abroad.

Its Department of Atmospheric Sciences carries out impact, vulnerability and climate adaptation studies in Mexico, the impact of meteorological phenomena like heat waves or droughts, ocean circulation and the ocean-atmosphere interaction, urban climate and meteorology of the Valley of Mexico.

The Department of Environmental Sciences conducts air quality modeling for the Valley of Mexico,

greenhouse gas emission inventories, and studies of environmental pollution, suspended particles in the air, as well as the impact of pollution on health and the environment.

The international non-governmental organization, The Degrees Initiative, supports two of its projects that analyze, using global climate models, the response toward the particles injection into the stratosphere and its impact on heat waves, rainfall, and the richness and distribution of terrestrial vertebrates.

In the movile Mexican Observatory of Climate and Atmospheric Composition (OMECCA), in Calakmul, Campeche, their researchers advance in the knowledge of the carbon cycle and atmospheric pollution in the country, contributing to propose strategies that stop global warming, address environmental deterioration, and reduce their impact on human health and ecosystems.

Another outstanding project is the Atlas for studying the impacts of climate change on water systems developed in collaboration with Clark University.

On the other hand, their academicians designed the Fog water collector, a project already being used in high mountain areas that will help with the water crisis.

All these projects contribute to achieving several SDGs, including Good Health and Wellbeing, Reducing Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Climate Action, Underwater Life, Life on Earth, and Partnership for the Goals.

It has collaboration agreements with the federal government and the private and social sectors. Highlighting those carried out with the Ministry of Education, the Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis (CAMe), the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS IF

Founded in 1939, the IF contributes in a notable way to the development of science in the country, thanks to the efforts of the 123 researchers and 52 academic technicians involved in close to 100 research projects.

On an international level, it collaborates with the gamma-ray observatory, the study of carbon-14 for the dating of organic samples and the ALICE experiment, whose objective is to recreate the Big Bang at a microscopic level.

Its contribution to basic physics are very important and include its participation on the research that led to the Higgs Boson and in the search for dark matter in the Universe. It also conducts work in complex fluids, high energy, nanoscience, and classic and quantic optics.

It collaborates with the National Anthropology and History Institute for the study of methods and materials for the conservation and restoration of the historic and archeologic patrimony of Mexico. It is noteworthy to mention its contributions to the creation of the Institute of Materials Research, the Center of Applied Sciences and Technological Development, and the Institute of Physical Sciences, among others.

In the field of applied physics, its medical physics projects stand out, such as the evaluation and technical supervision of mammography systems at the National Women’s Institute and the development of nanospheres to transport radioactive nuclei and anti-cancer drugs; in multidisciplinary research, he carries out studies on HIV and the effects of atmospheric pollutants on health, thereby contributing to SDG 3: Health and Wellbeing.

Several of its researchers participated in the international project: Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) for the analysis of the most detailed threedimensional maps of the Universe ever made, that constitutes the most exhaustive proof of the accelerated expansion of the Universe along 11 billion years.

The Institute of Physics is, without a doubt, a beacon for science in Mexico.

PHOTO: ARNULFO MARTÍNEZ DÁVALOS Y MERCEDES RODRÍGUEZ VILLAFUERTE

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PROGRAMS

The University Programs for Research were created by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to study complex societal issues that cannot be understood, addressed, or resolved in a single way. These programs seek to involve society in finding appropriate solutions with an overall vision and are designed as promoting and coordinating structures under the Coordination of the Scientific Research (CIC).

The first Program was for Food (PUAL) in 1981, which was replaced by the Sustainable Food Program (PUAS) in 2021. Other programs include the Program for Clinical Research (PUIC), renamed Health Research (PUIS) in 1988, and replaced by the University Research Program on Epidemiological and Emerging Risks (PUIREE) in 2022. The Program of Energy (PUE) was established in 1982, followed by the University Space Research and Development Program (PUIDE) in 1990, which was extinct in 2000 but reopened in 2017 as the University Space Program.

Other programs are the University Research Program for the Environment (PUMA), created in 1991, which became the University Program of Strategies for Sustainability (PUES) in 2015; the Program of Materials Science and Engineering (PUCIM), established in 2001; the Climate Change Research Program (PINCC), founded in 2009, and the University Program for Interdisciplinary Soil Studies (PUEIS), established in 2021.

The main objectives of these programs are to develop multidisciplinary research areas and train specialized human resources in the topics they cover. The programs create research networks from academic personnel assigned to various UNAM departments, which establish links with other groups, research, and external entities, including public and private organizations to strengthen the existing infrastructure and offer better solutions to complex challenges of society, sucha as the Susteinable Development Goals (SDGs).

The current programs are The PUIREE, whose objective is to monitor significant epidemiological events for early warning and analysis, carry out permanent analyses of evolving risks, establish alliances to implement preconceived responses early, disseminate the importance of prevention and anticipatory studies, and coordinate activities at the University for an early response in circumstances of epidemic risk, contributing to SDG 3. The PUAS seeks to influence policies and practices on the production, management, processing, and adequate and sustainable consumption of food, therefore it affects SDGs 3,12, and 9.

The PINCC develops a climate action strategy to reduce emissions and energy demand and adapt UNAM to climate change, providing strategies for SDGs 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12,13, 14, 15 and 17. The PUEIS strategically promotes the participation of academia and various social sectors, to contribute to the study, preservation, and use of soils to maintain their essential functions for the development of life on the planet, conserve biodiversity, and enhance economic activities. for the social and economic well-being of the country, influencing SDGs 10, 11,12, and 13.

The PEU creates synergies between more than 40 research projects on space sciences in faculties, centers, The University of Mexico has several programs aimed at contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF APPLIED MATHEMATICS & SYSTEMS

Since 1976, the institute has been conducting original research in various fields such as applied mathematics, mathematical physics, probability and statistics, computer science and engineering, and social systems. Along with carrying out research projects, its academic staff also trains human resources in undergraduate and graduate programs like Mathematical Sciences, Computer Science and Engineering, Data Science and Engineering, and Earth Sciences. The institute also conducts continuing education and knowledge divulgation activities.

The institute has developed close relationships with both the public and private sectors. It links with more than 100 prestigious national and foreign institutions such as the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the National Institute of Forestry Research, Agricultural and Livestock (INIFAP), and universities of Havana and Berlin through much of its research. It has also partnered with the government of Mexico City on various projects, including the Center of Technological Development and Innovation-Vallejo, which has a laboratory for artificial intelligence and data science. Its Delfin Program of projects of higher education institutions in the Pacific area is also noteworthy.

The mathematics cultivated in this institute has a broad range of applications in various scientific disciplines. Therefore, the topics of its research range from nonlinear analysis, classical and quantum mechanics, tectonics, social systems, geophysical systems, computational architecture, self-organizing systems, and statistical analysis of phenomena, to historical studies, medical

studies, linguistics, and artificial intelligence, among others.

The institute has 78 researchers and 46 academic technicians, and it has established itself as a significant contributor to the formation of networks of scientists who work in areas related to applied mathematics. Its contribution is relevant to the achievement of SDG 3: Health and Well-being, 4: Quality Education, 10: Reduction of Inequalities, 11: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and 17: Alliances to achieve the Objectives.

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING II

The Institute of Engineering (II) is the most productive research center for diverse areas of the discipline. It is a community-integrated of almost 104 researchers, 102 academic technicians, and a fluctuating population of more than 850 undergraduate and graduate students developing their theses throughout each semester, as well as close to 150 staff members. It occupies 15 buildings in University City with an extension of 280,082.76 built square feet, including laboratories, cubicles, offices, workshops, two auditoriums, and common areas.

The II has two external units in Juriquilla Queretaro and Sisal Yucatan. In this latter, it develops research on environmental engineering and studies on the use, development, and conservation of the coastal zone.

A noteworthy strategy has been developed to adapt to extreme weather conditions affecting the Huizache-Caimanero system, which is the most productive coastal fishing lagoon in the Mexican Pacific. This is achieved through the promotion of a Local Ecological Planning Program (POEL) that aims to support sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) by

encouraging Responsible Production and Consumption of Natural Resources (SDG 12). The program also advocates for Actions to Adapt to Climate Change (SDG 13), encourages better fishing practices in order to prevent overfishing, and strives to conserve and adapt the coastal zone and Underwater Life (SDG 14). Fishermen and residents work together to create a restoration strategy, through alliances with government, academia, society, and fishing cooperatives, in order to achieve the objectives of the SDG 17.

Since its very beginning, its advocated researching general issues in engineering, collaborating with public and private entities for improving the practice of the discipline at a national scope and providing engineering services to diverse sectors. It has also paid particular attention to the training of human resources and to disseminating the results of its research to contribute to the development of the country and society’s wellbeing. As a result, some projects are financed with resources provided by UNAM, and, in a larger share, by research contracted by businesses and corporations. The Institute participates in the graduate programs in Engineering, Urban Planning, and Computer Science and Technology.

Because of all of the above, the prestige of the II is outstanding.

INSTITUTE OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

Created in 2018 and preceded by the Center of Applied Sciences and Technological Development, and the Instrument Center founded in 1971, it combines the research and the technological development in diverse areas of the Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering, with a multidisciplinary approach, paying attention to the training of human resources.

It is divided into the departments of Instrumentation and Measurement, Optics and Microwaves, Technoscience, and Information Technologies. It participates in the graduate programs in Engineering, Materials Sciences and Engineering, Computing Engineering Sciences, Physical Sciences and Musical Technology, as well as in the recently created specialty in Manufacturing, and in the development and transfer of the Classroom of the Future. It has a National Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing, 3D Digitalization and Computerized Tomography (MADiT), the Spectroscopic Characterization University Laboratory (LUCE), the Environment Nanotechnology University Laboratory (LUNA), a Research and Development Technological Unit (UIDT) in the General Hospital of Mexico Eduardo Liceaga, and another in the Manuel Gea González General Hospital. It leads the Science

Laboratories project for the UNAM High School, and it intervenes in the development of the Virtual Museum for the UNAM Board. It is also a participant entity of the Advanced Technology University pole in Apodaca, N.L.

In addition to the above, ICAT provides advanced technological services to other UNAM departments, external organizations and private companies, through the development of prototypes, advanced design and manufacturing, metrology services, development and consulting for computer and telecommunications systems, among others. others, thus contributing to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

It Collaborates with the “Manuel Gea González” and “Eduardo Liceaga” General Hospitals in the development of methodologies and prototypes for biomedical and health applications that can serve as diagnostic, therapeutic and support procedures for clinical practice and teaching, summing to the ODSs 3, Health and Wellbeing and 4, Quality Education.

Its 47 researchers and 68 academic technicians work in more than 100 far-reaching projects aimed at solving relevant problems. Its collaboration agreements with more than 50 research centers and national and international universities are noteworthy.

INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY IB

Founded in 1929, it develops scientific research on biodiversity and its potential and sustainable use, participates in the training of human resources and it disseminates the knowledge for the understanding and conservation of our natural wealth. In University City, it has the departments of Botany, Zoology and the Botanical Garden, as well as the stations Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, and the Chamela-Cuizmala, Jalisco.

Its archives include 10 zoological collections with more than 4,000,000 specimens and the National Herbarium, with more than 1,300,000 specimens. The Botanical Garden houses the live plants collection and welcomes more than 80,000 visitors a year. Its objectives are: to facilitate and promote botanical research, teaching and dissemination, as well as to detect, protect and propagate rare or endangered species.

Its National Biodiversity Pavilion, with more than 3,000 specimens shows museum exhibitions with part of its collections, and has the National Biodiversity Laboratories, and Genetic Sequencing and Molecular Biology, in addition to the Biology Public Communication Unit and a digital library, key for SDGs 4: Quality Education, 14, Life Below Water, and 15, Life on Land.

Its studies on the floras of Mesoamerica and the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, cacti from the Bajío, biology and conservation of arachnids from Mexico, useful flora and agricultural systems from the north of Puebla, medicinal plants, inventories of quelites and purslanes from Mexico and the potential study of select Mexican medicinal plants, which provide knowledge for the achievement of SDGs 2: Zero Hunger; 3: Health and Wellbeing; and 15: Life on Land.

It also investigates some emerging diseases in Mexico, transmitted from animals or insects to humans, and the ecological relationships between reservoirs, vectors and parasites, generating important research for SDG 4: Health and Well-being. ICAT participates in “The barcode

of life”, an inventory of the planet’s biodiversity based on the genetic study of each species, in which Mexico is among the first five countries with the highest number of registered species.

In relation to climate change, it studies its impact on the vulnerability and adaptation of the main terrestrial and marine species in Mexico, in the characterization and evaluation of priority sites for conservation and in the distribution of select vertebrate species, crucial information for SDG 14: Life Bellow Water and 15: Life on Land.

It creates distribution maps of medically important scorpions; collects and conserves endemic or endangered species of agavaceae from Mexico; designs strategies for the conservation of wildlife and the protection of plant specimens at risk due to construction projects, with SEMARNAT, SADER, Conafor, CONANP and PROFEPA. It has 74 researchers and 86 academic technicians and it participates in the undergraduate degree in Biology and in the graduate program in Biological Sciences.

PHOTO. ALEJANDRA RODRÍGUEZ CRUZ.

EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT OF THE ECOLOGICAL RESERVE OF THE PEDREGAL OF SAN ANGEL

The REPSA constitutes a unique opportunity to carry out research and teaching by being a natural space surrounded by the urban area of Mexico City.

This is why in 1983 UNAM created the Executive Secretariat of the Pedregal Ecological Reserve. This area, which constitutes the third part of campus, safeguards 237 hectares of a unique ecosystem, the desert scrub of palo loco of at least 1,500 forms of native life that adapted to the natural conditions of the southern basin of the Valley of Mexico. Inside the reservoir, field practices, courses, workshops and research projects are carried out by academics and students from UNAM and other institutions interested in presenting projects, as long as they are duly registered and follow the established regulations.

Currently, there are more than 450 registered products, which include research projects, books, theses, etc. in a wide range of subject areas that span from biology and film to geology, architecture, veterinary, art, economy, and outreach, among others, from diverse education institutions, like the Metropolitan University, and from different nature, like the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO).

Two biogeographic provinces converge in this area of the country: the Nearctic and the Neotropical, giving to the REPSA its magnificent biodiversity.

At this point, both species coexist, those originated and adapted to cold climates, as well as endemic species and adapted to tropical climates. Its topography, due to the differences in the inclination of the terrain, the accidents of the original relief, and the capricious forms in which the lava solidified, promoting a wide range of microenvironments: on the one hand, humid and dark, and the other very illuminated and dry, or partially illuminated, and humid, etc., which allows the differentiated establishment of life forms.

Its seasonality, since practically half of the year is dry and the other half with constant rain, it promotes the presence of species adapted to survive prolonged drought.

With its research, conservation, education and dissemination activities, this space contributes to SDGs 15, Life on Land, 4, Quality education, and 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities.

PHOTO: REPSA

INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY IE

The IE has its roots in 1972 in the Population Ecology Laboratory within the Institute of Biology. Its mission is four-fold: high quality research, the training of researchers and professionals, the dissemination of scientific knowledge and the application of knowledge to the resolution of environmental problems in Mexico and the world.

Mexico is one of the countries with the largest biodiversity in the world, but unfortunately, it also has one of the highest rates of environmental destruction.

The Institute has the responsibility to understand the causes and patterns behind this diversity and to develop original research with solid theoretical foundations.

In its three departments, it conducts diverse research: evolutionary, molecular, genetic, and plant physiology ecology, parasitic fungi, plant-animal interactions, plant and animal conservation, reserves, conduct, biodiversity and climate change, all through an ecological and natural history perspective.

The Institute carries out environmental diagnostic studies that set the foundations to define conservation and sustainable policies, and its academics have been key for the creation of governmental entities like the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), the National Ecology and Climate change Institute and the National Council for Natural Protected Areas.

It participates in the committees at the reserves of Chamela-Cuixmala, in Jalisco; Calakmul, in Campeche; Janos, in Chihuahua; Montes Azules and El Triunfo, in Chiapas; Los Tuxtlas, in Veracruz and TehuacanCuicatlan, in Puebla. It also manages the Isla Isabel National Park in Nayarit.

Its challenge is to integrate the areas of the discipline to develop new theoretical approaches and translate and communicate this knowledge to decisionmakers; for this, and to contribute to SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, 13: Life on Land 15: Climate Action, and 17: Partnership for the Goals, it accounts with the National Laboratory of Sustainability Sciences (Lancis), located in CU, and with nodes in Baja California Sur and Yucatán.

PHOTO: SERGIO ENRIQUE RAMOS CASTRO

FOTO. LUIS EMILIO DE LA CRUZ LÓPEZ

INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

Established in 1941 as the Medical and Biological Studies Laboratory, it investigates biological phenomena at the molecular, cellular, organism, and population levels, focusing on the understanding and solution of human health problems.

The Institute has peripheral units in the National Institutes of Pediatrics, Cancerology, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Neurology and Neurosurgery, as well as in the Autonomous Universities of Tlaxcala and Veracruzana, which have allowed it to influence scientific development in these entities and contribute significantly to SDG 3: Health and Wellbeing, 4: Quality Education, and 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.

The Institute´s departments are: Cell Biology, and Physiology; Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Immunology, and Genomic Medicine and Environmental Toxicology. It has established agreements with companies in the national pharmaceutical and food industries.

Some of its achievements include developing a vaccine against porcine cysticercosis, establishing neonatal screening as a routine diagnostic test nationwide, developing drugs to treat myelodysplastic syndromes, enhancing the effect of chemotherapy in cervical cancer patients, controlling epilepsy, and identifying an early biomarker for the detection of acute

kidney injury. It has also described immunogens that produce antibodies against HIV and determined the components of arnica that have a protective effect against toxic pollutants.

The IBo participates in various dissemination activities to make information accessible to researchers from other institutes, the health sector, businessmen, teachers, students, doctors, and policymakers responsible for health, science, and technology. It has been publishing Gaceta Biomedicas for more than 20 years. The institution plays a fundamental role in generating highlevel biomedical researchers through its Bachelor’s degree in Basic Biomedical Research, Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences, and Master’s and Doctorates in Biological Sciences, Biochemical Sciences, Production Sciences, and Animal Health, as well as Medical, Dental, and Health Sciences, contributing to SDG 4: Quality Education.

In collaboration with personnel from the National Institutes of Health, hospitals, and other universities, the IBo and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics (FMVZ) are working on developing a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and a treatment to care for patients with COVID-19 using intranasal Dexamethasone. They are also developing a method to detect antibodies against the virus, contributing to SDG 3: Health and Well-being.

PHOTO: VERONICA ROSARIO CABRERA PERAZA

CENTER FOR COMPLEXITY SCIENCES

Convinced that the greatest challenges of the country are complex problems whose solution requires to develop interdisciplinary work between exact, natural, social and humanistic sciences, and that there are new ways of maximizing the human capital of UNAM, the Center for Complexity Sciences (C3) has the mission to conduct transdisciplinary research aimed at the study of physical, biological and social systems, under the perspective of complex systems and non-linear dynamics focused on solving common interest issues.

The C3 constitutes a gathering and interactive space where academics and graduate students, from diverse areas, interact and contribute to the solution of transcendent problems, whether in basic science or in applied areas of national importance.

The projects at C3 emerge from basic research, the creation of technological tools and the discussion and identification of problems of environmental or social transcendence.

Seed programs at C3 are characterized by the combination of computational and mathematical modeling from the perspective of complexity sciences and through the management of vast databases in diverse areas.

These programms are: Complexity in ecology and environment; Computational intelligence and mathematical modeling; Social complexity; Complexity in systems biology; Complexity and health; Neurosciences, and Art, science and complexity, with which the C3 can contribute to practically all the SDGs.

The C3 is also interested in generating socioenvironmental observatories and citizen science projects that contribute to the detection of the risks, conflicts and dangers that the social and environmental sectors in Mexico are exposed to. These will be useful tools to understanding the causes of such risks

and to prevent their consequences, where the most marginalized sectors tend to be more vulnerable. Biosecurity, epidemiology and the socioenvironmental conflicts surrounding the appropriation and contamination of water sources, are among the issues being considered.

Besides the design of models to understand and control the Covid-19 epidemic, the C3 developed a mobile application for monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission among the population. The citizen’s data contribute to support decision-making on possible interventions and response measures.

The APP COROVAVIRUS-UNAM allows the public to notify some symptoms of Covid-19, close contacts, and the postal codes of home and work, for quick identification of infection sources in specific locations.

The Editora C3 project stands out, which publishes and distributes free access scientific texts. In the future, it will incorporate other strategic areas such as the study of complexity in neurosciences and art, to mention a few. Its new facilities are located next to Universum.

PHOTO: GACETA UNAM

GENERAL DIRECTORATE FOR THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE, AND ITS MUSEUMS

The DGDC, founded in 1997, promotes, disseminates and encourages science and technology, to make them reach the university community and Mexican society as a whole, and thus integrate them as part of the culture.

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires a community that is aware of the iportance of science knowledge, and of the social action in the consecution of them. The DGDC is compromised on it through the public communication of science through its activities and its museums.

The Universum Science Museum, in Ciudad Universitaria, with 13 permanent rooms and temporary exhibitions is one of the DGDC prides. It stands out the Exhibition “Dinosaurs among us”, which shows the uninterrupted connection between the dinosaurs that dominated the planet for about 170 million years, and the modern birds- This Exhibition was organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York with the support of the North Museum of Nature and Science in the United States; the Philip J. Currie Museum of Canada; the Science Museum of the University of

Navarra Spain, and Universum.

The Museum for Light, dedicated to science dissemination related with light fenomena, and located for several years downtown Mexico city, has been moved to the city of Mérida, Yucatán.

Another of its prides is the magazine ¿Cómo ves? with 25 years of existence, its popular science dissemintion books; his radio programs: We ask because we are children; The science that we are, Ibero-America on the air, and Radiosfera, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Radiosfera.

On television: Naturaleza UNAM and #Ciencia EnCorto; in the newspapers: UNAMirada a la Ciencia (also on the internet). In the Web, the DGDC offers Ciencia UNAM, and Science at Distance, aimed at high school students.

The DGDC also participates in the Postgraduate Degree in Philosophy of Science, organizes courses and diplomas in scientific dissemination; It is responsible for the Museum Research Seminar, the Youth Research Program and offers various workshops and courses for all audiences.

All of this is complemented by research and studies in the field of knowledge of public communication of science, as well as with the “Manuel Sandoval Vallarta” Library and the specialized “Ameyalli” Repository.

PHOTO. GACETA UNAM

EARTH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PHYSIC-MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

CHEMICAL-BIOLOGICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES CIC DEPARTMENTS

Institute

Cellular Physiology

Institute of Ocean Sciences and Limnology

Institute of Geography

Institute of Geology

Institute of Geophysics

Center of Atmospheric Sciences

Institute of Physics

University Research Programs

Institute of Research in Applied Mathematichs & Systems

Institute of Engineering

Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology

Institute of Biology

Executive Secretariat of the Ecological Reserve of the Pedregal de San Angel

Institute of Ecology

Institute of Biomedical Research

Center for Complexity Sciences

General Direction for the Public Communication of Science and Universum

Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, PhD. Rector

Patricia Dolores Dávila Aranda, PhD.

General Secretary

Tomás Humberto Rubio Pérez, MSc.

Secretary of Administration

Diana Tamara Martínez Ruíz, PhD.

Secretary of Institutional Development

Raúl Ascencio Aguilar Tamayo

Secretary for the Prevention, Attention and Universitary Security

Hugo Alejandro Concha Cantú, MSc.

Attorney General

Ma. Soledad Funes Argüello, PhD.

Coordinator of Scientific Research

Manuel Suárez Lastra.

General Director for Science Outreach

Edition: Rosalba Namihira Guerrero, DGDC, with information from the Scientific Research Subsystem and the Statistical Agenda UNAM, and UNAM Global.

Translation: Inés Familiar Miller / Alejandra Vega, UNAM Los Angeles, Rosalba Namihira.

Design: Rosario G. Fajardo H./ Lucía Itzel Guerrero Zamudio

Logistical support: Teresita de Jesús Mendiola Quiroz

Photography: Ernesto Navarrete, DGDC / Subsystem of Scientific Research/ 2nd Contest of scientific photography

2012 SIC - DGDC.

Total or partial image reproduction for purposes other than for UNAM is forbidden without the written permission of the DGDC.