On August 24, 2026, the Graduate Hall at the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS) hosted a new edition of #5MinPitch, an initiative led by Valeria Guzmán that challenges senior-year students to concisely and rigorously present the outcomes of their capstone projects (materias integradoras) before a panel of expert evaluators.
The session commenced at 12:00 PM with welcoming remarks and an overview of the evaluation rubric, followed by technical pitches delivered by the graduating agricultural engineers:
Álvaro Javier Escandón Avilés presented the project "Validation in a Relevant Environment and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Advancement of a Bioinput for Banana Applications," focusing on sustainable crop protection and technology transition for one of the country's flagship export commodities.
Darío Moshe Becerra Purcachi defended the research titled "Operational Carbon Footprint Estimation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis at the Avícola San Isidro Slaughterhouse, Isidro Ayora Canton," aimed at measuring and mitigating environmental impacts in the poultry agribusiness sector.
The students' technical rigor and pitch delivery were evaluated by an interdisciplinary panel comprising:
M.Sc. José Manuel Ruíz de León, agricultural engineer holding a Master of Science in Soil Science, with over three decades of international leadership in agronomy, plant nutrition, and technical direction across major corporations including DOLE, Stoller, and Arysta LifeScience.
Paolo Piedrahita, Ph.D., Doctor of Natural Sciences and tenured research professor at FLS-ESPOL, specializing in animal ecology, ornithology, and biodiversity conservation.
M.A. Jandry García, ESPOL Communications Department faculty member, Master in Audiovisual Screenwriting, author, and coach in narrative structure and public speaking.
Following a targeted Q&A session and constructive feedback from the evaluation panel, the event concluded at 1:05 PM, reaffirming the institution's commitment to preparing professionals capable of driving technical innovation and environmental sustainability across Ecuador's agricultural sector.
