Sonia Arriaga facts for kids
Sonia Lorena Arriaga García is a Mexican scientist. She is an expert in environmental biotechnology. This means she uses living things to help solve problems in our environment. She is also a professor and researcher.
Sonia works as a top researcher at the Potosino Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IPICYT). She is also a high-level member of the National System of Researchers (SNI). Her work focuses on cleaning air pollution. She studies how to remove harmful chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). She also uses math to understand how air cleaning systems work. Another part of her research is treating tiny living particles in the air, called bioaerosols.
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Education and career
Sonia started her journey by getting a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. She earned this in 1999 from the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí. She then continued her studies there, getting a master's degree in 2001.
She went on to earn her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2005. She studied at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Iztapalapa. During her PhD, she spent time studying in Sweden at Lund University. There, she learned about how tiny living things can break down certain air pollutants. Her main PhD work was about using special filters, called biofilters, to clean air from VOCs.
After finishing her PhD, Sonia joined IPICYT in 2005. She worked on a project about turning organic waste into clean energy. In 2006, she became a professor and researcher at IPICYT. Later, in 2014, she visited Aalborg University to learn new ways to find and identify tiny living things. Since 2019, she has also been a professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS) in Quebec.
Since 2021, she has been working in Ireland at the National University of Ireland. There, she is studying bioaerosols inside buildings.
Research lines
Sonia's main research areas are biotechnology and environmental engineering. She uses math to understand how biofilters clean the air. In her lab, they work on cleaning indoor air from pollutants like formaldehyde.
Another important area of her research is treating bioaerosols. These are tiny living particles in the air. She uses special cleaning methods for them. She also studies how to turn air pollutants into useful products. These products can be valuable proteins or biopolymers.
Some of her main research projects include:
- Checking air quality in furnaces (2019).
- A special course between Mexico and Quebec (2018).
- Breaking down air pollutants using a special light and chemical system. This project was supported by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) in 2011 and 2015.
- Finding and breaking down VOCs, hydrocarbons, and pesticides in Guanajuato, Mexico. This project used a biofiltration system and was funded by CONACYT in 2007.
Removal of air pollutants
Sonia's lab at IPICYT checks the air inside buildings. They especially study bioaerosols. These are tiny living things floating in the air. They can include spores, viruses, bacteria, pollen, and fungi. These particles can cause breathing problems and allergies.
For example, her team checked the air in a children's doctor's office. They found that the amount of bioaerosols was 10,000 times higher than what the World Health Organization says is safe.
Besides finding and identifying bioaerosols, Sonia also works on ways to treat them. Her team is developing systems that use light to clean the air. They are making these systems better so they can work with regular light. This makes them more friendly to the environment. These technologies also aim to turn air pollution into valuable products like biopolymers or proteins.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonia shared important information. She told people through Mexican news how long the SARS-CoV-2 virus could stay in the air. She explained that the virus could stay in the air for up to three hours. It could also stay on surfaces like plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 hours.
This showed that the virus could spread through the air. Because of this, she advised people to wear masks. She also said it was important to have good air flow in places where sick people might be.
Awards and recognition
Sonia has received many awards for her work.
- 2000: Best student award for her chemical engineering class at Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí.
- 2005: Medal for University Merit from Metropolitan Autonomous University-Iztapalapa.
- Since 2007: Member of the National System of Researchers (she reached the highest level, Level III, in 2022).
- Since 2016: Regular member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences.
- 2019: Potosino Science and Technology Award for young researchers in engineering sciences.
- 2022: Promoted to Level 3, the highest rank, in the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores.
See also
In Spanish: Sonia Arriaga para niños
