Researcher from the University of Valencia interning at UCSC

This is Patricia Orrego, who is currently working alongside academician from the UCL Faculty of Science, Dr Carlos Lara.

Patricia Orrego, a geodetic engineer and PhD student in remote sensing at the University of Valencia, Spain, is conducting a research internship at the UCL Faculty of Science. For a month and a half, accompanied by academic Dr. Carlos Lara, they will undertake field trips to the Reloncavi Gorge, located in the Lakes Region, to take samples from four points and analyze them later.

After obtaining his master's degree in remote sensing at the University of Valencia, he began his PhD in the same subject starting in 2020. “Within the PhD programme, they offer the opportunity to carry out international residencies. The duration of stay must not be less than three months. “I did the first part of this residency in 2022 in Brazil, at the University of São Paulo,” Patricia explained.

In this way, the stay is continued in Concepcion, at the Catholic University of Santísima Concepcion (UCSC). “After Brazil, I returned to Valencia, where I met Carlos Lara. He was recommended by a professor from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, who worked in GIS, but wanted to delve deeper into remote sensing and put us in touch.”

In 2022, the first approach was taken, when they taught a course on remote sensing applied to water in Concepcion. “Through Carlos Fondecyt’s project, he works in the coastal zone and I work at the lake and reservoir level. “I was interested in learning more about your region, which is why we created the link and I came to work here,” he added.

Specifically, the work consists of estimating water quality parameters using satellite images. The work includes field trips, water sampling, and radiometric measurements at the same time. “We use instruments to see the spectral signature of the water and then the satellite image data is validated with these measurements. Carlos works in the same way, but on the coast, the idea is to compare radiometric measurements taken from two different instruments in different ways,” Patricia explained.