PPGEAS/UERJ
Lines of Research
Teacher Training and Biology Teaching
This focus area deals with research topics related to the teaching of Biology, characterized by addressing various educational issues from the perspective of the specificity of the content specific to this discipline, also taking into account the possibility of dialogue between these contents and other areas of knowledge, within an interdisciplinary context. The different projects developed in this line of research have as their guiding axes Teacher Training and Educational Practices related to Biology teaching in different contexts. Therefore, the influences suffered by Biology undergraduates throughout their training are investigated, which bring together elements as diverse as the interactions experienced in school spaces, religious influences and environmental groups, as well as the effect of curricular and historical matrices related to the teaching of the school subject. Other works also seek to address their performance in different contexts and the issues related to them, such as in the case of education in the countryside or in their interaction with other social spaces. Different projects investigate the diversity of educational practices employed by these teachers, among which the use of experimental activities and different teaching strategies stand out, analyzing their production and use in the classroom. Among the latter, the pedagogical processes that occur in the classroom and the different interactions that occur within this space receive special importance.
Professors
D. Ana Cléa Braga Moreira Ayres
D. Flavia Venancio Silva
D. Francine Lopes Pinhão
D. Luis Fernando Marques Dorvillé
D. Maria Cristina Ferreira dos Santos
D. Regina Rodrigues Lisbôa Mendes
D. Tatiana Galieta Nacimento
D. Wagner Gonçalves Bastos
D. Andrea Carla de Souza Goes
D. Gustavo Henrique Varela Saturnino
D. Hellen Jannisy Vieira Beiral
Biodiversity and Society
The different projects developed in this line of research can be grouped into the following interconnected axes: floristic and phytosociological surveys; ecological characterization of communities; plant chemical diversity; society and the environment; microbial biodiversity and its relationship with human health; biotechnology and animal behavior.
Floristic and phytosociological surveys in different ecosystems expand knowledge about plant diversity, allowing the construction of the environmental history of the areas investigated, as well as the management of Conservation Units. The information generated can support the government, the private sector and organized civil society with information that promotes environmental conservation policies.
The ecological characterization of communities is essential to understanding the functioning of ecosystems and their complex relationships. This knowledge provides potential for environmental recovery of impacted areas.
Research on plant chemical diversity opens windows for the discovery of new substances that can be applied in various human activities, and information on the use of plants by different traditional populations is an important ally of these scientific approaches.
One of the research axes encompasses different relationships between society and the environment. A dichotomous view, which in a certain instance was the basis for nature conservation, isolated different communities from the management of their environmental heritage and fostered conflicts. Some projects seek possibilities for reunion. Due to financial and personnel shortages, administrators of Conservation Units do not need to establish partnerships with the University to base their management on knowledge. Furthermore, all studies have their relevance increased due to dealing with forest fragments surrounded by a highly anthropomorphized matrix. In this way, the environment is understood in its temporal and spatial dimensions and the knowledge generated can be transmitted through different Environmental Education actions.
Knowledge about microbial biodiversity and its relationship with human health has its relevance increased due to the degree of environmental degradation in the region and the population density of some municipalities, which can allow the contamination of large populations, as well as the reemergence of diseases that have already been eradicated.
The phenomenon of growing and unplanned urbanization, which is common in large cities, increases the proximity between human dwellings and the remaining natural areas in cities. This phenomenon produces conflicts between human populations and wildlife, especially mammals, which originally inhabit these areas. In addition to the pressure on wildlife, with the possible destruction of habitats, this contact makes humans susceptible to contamination by pathogens transmitted by their natural reservoirs. Therefore, knowledge of the perception and relationships of users of these areas, associated with the study of the behavior of wild animals, is essential for the formulation of conservation and public health policies.
Professors
English 
Portuguese