Identify skills and organize groups in related areas to carry out research and studies related to the dam collapse in Brumadinho, MG. This was the central objective of a meeting that took place on Monday, the 11th, in the Auditorium of the Social Benefits Management Group (GGBS) at Unicamp, and which brought together the academic community, as well as representatives of entities linked to different areas of knowledge interested in collaborating.
The idea came up in a meeting between the dean Marcelo Knobel, the dean of research Munir Skaf and the professor at the Geosciences Institute Jefferson Picanço, who was in Brumadinho and who will lead the group formed. According to Knobel, who spoke with Picanço after the event, "Unicamp is trying to find skills to carry out adequate research and be able to really collaborate not only with the victims, but also in prevention."
The dean of research opened the event by highlighting the role of the academy and remembering the episode that occurred three years ago in Mariana. "We have the opportunity to do things differently. Society needs the support of the University. The idea, therefore, is to try to study, which is what we do best, help and create parameters for actions, mitigating in the medium and long term the consequences of disaster," said Skaf. The pro-rector also raised the possibility of seeking resources from different funding sources.
Afterwards, Jefferson Picanço spoke about his work at the Center for Scientific Support in Disasters (CENACID), at the Federal University of Paraná, and about what he experienced on his trip to Brumadinho, reported in the Brumadinho's diary. The professor also spoke about the moment experienced in the disaster management cycle, in which we seek to understand what happened, and the multidisciplinary and collaborative nature of the group to be formed. "It is necessary to raise the demands of the community, complement the actions that are already being carried out and relate the recovery and mitigation steps, thinking about what will be done from now on", he highlighted.
The dean of research highlighted the presence of around 100 researchers, teachers, staff and students from different areas of knowledge, who "were available to provide scientific bases for the mitigation of this enormous disaster that was the collapse of the dam in Brumadinho". A multidisciplinary group participated in the meeting. There were professionals in the areas of mathematics, law, chemistry, anthropology, geosciences, computing, architecture, nursing, biology, journalism, areas linked to population studies and environmental studies, among others. Possibilities for studies were raised in the most diverse areas related to the subject, such as environmental licensing, legislation, environmental geochemistry, dam safety, support for the homeless, trauma, teacher training and characterization of collected material.
Members of entities external to Unicamp, but linked to scientific and social areas, interested in collaborating also participated in the meeting. Among them, Natália Alves and Rodrigo Neiva, from the Anima Education Group, which is based in Belo Horizonte. In the region between 20 and 40 km around Feijão there are eight Anima campuses, with physical structure and technical and administrative staff at the disposal of the University of Campinas. “Given the distance from Unicamp, we can be a partner in the field, using the team there to collect samples, for example,” said Natália. Silvia Brandalise, director of the Boldrini Center, offered the clinical part of the medical assistance and the laboratory part for mass spectrometry analyzes and DNA breakage analysis. She highlighted the University’s participation. "Unicamp always takes part in public policies. It is a great example to give to students," she said. The researcher and head of the x-ray tomography line at the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Natalie Lopes, cited the possibility of collaboration in the area of materials characterization. "We were able, for example, to determine what the contaminant was and what its concentration was," she said.
A preliminary schedule will define the next steps. A new meeting should take place in mid-March, with the groups already formed to define the next steps. Picanço evaluated the event positively. "In this first meeting, declarations of support and intention took place. We must now deepen conversations. We will separate different groups of researchers to work on more specific things to move forward in a more assertive way", he concluded.
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