About Us
Seaponji is a Design team of university students interested in the care and restoration of marine ecosystems, especially coral reefs. We firmly believe in the importance of these environments for the stable development of life on earth. For this reason, we decided to investigate the reef conditions and the bleaching causes for mitigated them progressively.
Our coral reefs are irreplaceable. Let’s save them.
Our Vision
Seaponji’s vision is to become a real change factor that participates actively in the restoration of the coral reefs through our design interventions so it will be possible to see these ecosystems full of color and life again. We desire to improve the lives of every organism in the seas and oceans of the world, while we supporting its recognition as a fundamental part of our lives.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a sustainable mechanism to reduce the negative consequences of the bad practices of tourism and sunscreen industries that affect our coral ecosystems. To achieve this goal, we are focusing on the filtering and collection of sunscreen chemicals like Benzophenone (most known as Oxybenzone), a significant cause of bleaching around the world.
Our team
Valentina Zapata Mercado
Scientific research specialist
Design student at Los Andes University, with an emphasis in Product and interest in Biology.
Nicole Bastidas Cano
Creative director
Design student at Los Andes University, with an emphasis in Communication and a minor in Japanese language and culture.
María Rivero Díaz
Chief editor and analyst
Design student at Los Andes University, with an emphasis in Communication.
Mariana Ramírez Toro
Chief editor and analyst
Design student at Los Andes University, with an emphasis in Communication and Product, and a minor in Textiles.
María Avendaño Castañeda
Multimedia content creator
Design student at Los Andes University, with an emphasis in communication.
Mayerlin Sanchez Silva
Scientific research specialist
Graduated artist and design student at Los Andes University, with an emphasis in Product and interest in animation.
Our mentors
Carolina Obregon Tarazona
Sustainable Designer
Carolina Obregón is a designer from Parsons School of Design in New York. She holds a Master’s degree in Fashion and Sustainability from Aalto University, in Helsinki, Finland. She is currently Design Assistant Professor at Universidad de los Andes focusing on biodesign, sustainable fashion and textiles, with a circular economy and disruptive systems thinking approach.
Giovanna Danies
Turano
Biologist and Microbiologist
Giovanna is a Biologist and Microbiologist with a PhD in Plant pathology from Cornell University. She currently works as an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture and Design at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia and her research focuses on Biodesign. Giovanna investigates in the area of ​​phytopathology and in the development of biological materials.
Nicolás Fernandez Acosta
Environmental Engineering
Nicolás holds a Master´s Degree in Environmental Engineering and has worked over 7 years in the private sector, where he has held positions as a technical sales consultant in the chemical industry and as a project engineer in the environmental consulting area. Today, as member of the academic and educational sector, his main interests are directed to research pollution and its transport in water.
Nestor
Ardila Espitia
Marine Biologist
Nestor is a marine biologist graduated from Universidad Tadeo Lozano. He holds a Master of Science in the Marine Biology from National University, and PhD in Biology from Universidad de los Andes and has contributed extensively to the studies of environmental monitoring and biodiversity of the marine systems of Colombia, in entities such as INVEMAR and the Program on Biodiversity and Marine Ecosystems.
Christopher Vaglio Cedeño
Biotechnology Engineer
Christopher is a Biotechnology engineer with a Master´s Degree in Project Management from Technological Institute of Costa Rica and a PhD focusing in Engineering from Universidad de los Andes. Today, he is a professor and Investigator at Universidad de Costa Rica at the Health Research Institute with interest in Bioinformatics, Systems and Molecular biology.
Our Partnerships
Corales de Paz
Corales de Paz is an organization that promotes and implements the participatory conservation of goods and services provided by coral reefs. We are convinced that each of us has a scientist, an explorer, a leader, a superhero within. We create opportunities and activities where you can express your other-self, that have a purpose that goes beyond fun or training, that leave a legacy or responsible reef use, that inspire change towards resilience coral reefs.