Interview with Omar López, chair of the IAI Scientific Advisory Committee
7 February 2023
"The IAI is a very dynamic entity –it offers us the opportunity to find or generate research to improve our fight against global change."
Omar Lopez
Omar López is president of the IAI Scientific Advisory Committee and Technical Secretary of the National Information System of the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of Panama (Senacyt).
What is the mission of SENACYT Panama?
SENACYT's mission is to use science and technology as an instrument or tool for the development of the country. In order to support this mission, we have a portfolio of programs and objectives that are led by different SENACYT departments to generate useful knowledge for the sustainable development of the country.
What potential does SENACYT consider transdisciplinary science to have in the study of global change?
A great potential, because countries must address the complex problems presented by climate change in a transdisciplinary way. SENACYT has open call programs that are broad enough to apply from all areas of science.
Our interaction with the IAI is of great benefit, of great support, because it allows us to prepare new scientists and researchers to incorporate new, dynamic visions that are required to address a problem as complex as global change.
Applications Open: Science, Technology and Policy (STeP) Fellowship Program
What is the state of access to information on global change?
There are many Latin American countries where there is information generated by different institutions, but this information is not entirely accessible and sometimes access is difficult. If we, the researchers, the scientists, had greater access to this data, I think we could make much more progress in the generation of knowledge.
As president of the IAI Scientific Advisory Committee, what do you recommend to countries and governments?
To take advantage of the resources that the IAI can provide! I urge all countries in the region to consolidate the relationship they have with the IAI. The IAI is a very dynamic entity that offers the opportunity to find or generate research or support the generation of research to improve our fight against global change.
As a Panamanian, what do you recommend to people who will attend the Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI) Congress taking place in June 2023?
Apart from the conference, I would recommend they open their minds a little bit. We have to start thinking differently, we have to go beyond our comfort zone in terms of our discipline and be able to see how we can incorporate different elements to the methodologies we have to be able to innovate and to be able to generate solutions that really make an impact.
"We have to start thinking differently, we have to go beyond our comfort zone."
To wrap up, what is your favorite plant, tree, or animal in the natural world?
There is a tree that I admire very much, which is the tree that I studied, whose common name is cativo. It is an extremely versatile tree because it reproduces a lot even though it has a large seed, and is of commercial interest. It is the tree from which plywood, or what we call contrachapado in Panama, is made.
And what is your favorite sound?
My favorite sound is the sound of guitars because I love acoustic guitars. The sound of the guitar for me is something special.
Full interview: https://youtu.be/KShRFqGY5Ec