Three women from Tec community among top scientists in LATAM 2026

Cecilia Treviño Quintanilla, a research professor at the Tec’s Querétaro campus, was recognized in the sixth edition of the 25 Women in Science call promoted by the 3M company, which seeks to highlight women in engineering throughout Latin America.  

She obtained her degree in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in Industrial Engineering from the Tec’s Monterrey campus.  

Her project “Sustainable Rubber Depolymerization via Metathesis” focuses on the degradation of industrial rubber waste, converting refuse into raw material with industrial potential.  

According to Dr. Treviño, this recognition positions research at the Querétaro campus on a Latin American level.  

“When you’re put among such a small number within Latin America, it’s something that I’m still finding a little hard to grasp; however, I’m very proud and grateful”, she said. 

The Industrial Engineering graduate from the Tec has a specialization in Energy Management from EGADE Business School. 

Garza is currently the energy manager at Linde for the North LATAM region. 

She is involved in the Linde Green project, which aims to manufacture industrial gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, or argon, using clean energy to reduce their carbon footprint. 

“When delivering to a factory, a certificate can be issued showing the volume purchased and the CO₂ reduction achieved. Therefore, a company that manufactures steel, cars, or food can say: ‘We utilize low-impact gases in this process’. 

I like to think of this as changing an ‘ingredient’ in a recipe without changing the result: the factory continues to produce, but in a more eco-friendly way”, she told 3M. 

The project for which Tania Carolina Acevedo was recognized was manufacturing compostable bioplastics from corn starch so that packaging does not have to persist for years in landfills. 

Acevedo, who holds a degree in Biotechnology from Tec de Monterrey, is working to make her bioplastics available using existing machinery in the plastics industry. 

“(The) starch is mixed with other ingredients, heated, and transformed into small granules, like pellets. Those granules are then turned into containers or packaging.” 

Tania gave some advice to inspire more women: 

“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Science is built like this: by imagining, testing, and trying again, until what seemed impossible... can be manufactured”, she told 3M. 

This sixth edition was dedicated to female graduates, STEM students, or professionals with a technical STEM career who have an innovative project that is transforming the sector in Latin America. 

The evaluation process was carried out by a jury made up of 3M specialists and external experts in research, innovation, technology, and manufacturing.  

This committee considered aspects such as social impact, level of innovation, technical and financial viability, project maturity, and professional trajectory of the participants. 

This year, awards were given to ten women from Mexico, ten from Brazil, two from Chile, one from Argentina, one from Peru, and one from Colombia. 

The 25 women awarded who will receive a trophy and recognition from 3M are as follows: