Víctor López, Marco Terán and Axel Viscarra, students majoring in biomedicine in our branch campus in Quito, won third place in the Scientific Challenge organized by Inspire Foundation which seeks to promote the development of scientific and technological development in Ecuador. 

Participants accepted the challenge of designing an innovative environmental prototype with a $ 30 budget. López, Terán and Viscarra built a low-cost 4-stage garbage classifier that detects plastic, metal, glass and organic objects; they used their knowledge in physics, mathematics and electronics, and built it without the use of complex materials such as microprocessors.

The parameters for the classification were usability, accessibility, design, originality, simplicity and energy saving. In the first stage, it extracts the metal by means of a magnet, in the second, it separates the plastic by using water. The third, it separates organic material and the glass by boiling water.

In the last stage, the glass is separated from the water by using meshes. All this is functional through the flow of water and a mini pump. This competition was supported by SENESCYT and other national and international organizations.

The students also attended the forum "Somos Ciencia: Impulso científico hacia Ecuador 2030", which took place in Quito in November.