March Newsletter
New content on atmospheric water harvesting!
For new visitors:
I’m Isabela Ferrer (Isa), a Colombian 🇨🇴 17-year-old living in Bogotá. Learning is my biggest passion. I enjoy diving into new subjects and areas and exploring them inside and out, so be ready to find some (apparently) random content now and then. I like keeping myself busy and am hungry for new experiences that take me out of my comfort zone and help me grow. Come along with me on this adventure!
For old friends:
This month included a lot of heads-down chemistry research 👩🔬, program application writing ✍️, and a great spring break. Let’s jump right in!
New content release!
I finished the first article of a series I want to write about Atmospheric Water Harvesting.
A small preview: one way to collect water molecules from the air is through special materials that attract water to their surfaces. These are called desiccants! Hydrogels, MOFs, Zeolites… these materials have structures that allow them to produce water even in the dryest places of the world. My article explains why this happens and analyzes experiments that prove their use.
Warning! This IS a technical article, so I know it is not for everyone. However, if you are interested in learning about the magic production of water from air, my article might entertain you for a while.
Going deep into research papers, going into YouTube rabbit holes, and reaching what seemed like many roadblocks, reminded me of my passion for exploring topics that actually make my brain hurt. My next goal will be to understand the math behind adsorption kinetics and fluid mechanics in the context of atmospheric water harvesting. No joke, I am a little intimidated.
Fundación Pies Descalzos
This is a foundation that works on educating young Colombians who come from low-income backgrounds. I have been in contact with people in the partnerships department and will start to have recurrent meetings with teachers of the organization.
My role will be to help the students incorporate technological innovations into their entrepreneurship ideas and school ecosystem. While I do this, I will learn about the foundation’s needs keeping them from expanding their impact.
Other relevant experiences
That’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed this month’s update and I can’t wait to have you here for the next.
What to expect by the end of April 🗓:
Progress toward understanding the math behind atmospheric water harvesting
Results of the first meetings with the foundation
Advances on my project for small artisans