The initiative was promoted by the “I Want to Be a Professional in Education” (QSPE) program and consisted of two days of work in which nine students from the University of La Serena presented the subjects and training activities they carry out in their careers.

The workshops were held within the framework of the preparation and access program for secondary education students to continue pedagogy studies in higher education, “I want to be an Education professional”, in which 25 fourth-year secondary school students from various establishments educational institutions of the Province of Elqui, experienced what is learned and what activities are carried out by the students who study pedagogies at the University of La Serena.

The program depends on the Academic Vice-Rector of the ULS and is officially recognized by the MINEDUC as a way to enter pedagogies in accordance with the requirements of Law 20.903 that regulates the Teaching Professional Development System.

The planning of the workshops was the responsibility of the program coordinator, Dr. Karla Campaña, who explained: “it had a double objective: first, to present the activities carried out in the pedagogy classes. Secondly, that the second-year students had a real approach with schoolchildren, that is, a practical activity in which they mobilized pedagogical skills developed in these three semesters of study.

To this end, it was proposed to the second-year pedagogy students, who were also part of a preparation and access program in their secondary education, to explain in first person the activities, ways of evaluating and the particularities of the education careers that are of interest to students who this year are taking the “I want to be an Education professional” program.

In this context, Florencia Hernández, a second-year student of Pedagogy in English, stated: “it was a super entertaining experience that motivated me, the girls did not have many doubts, but I did encourage them not to doubt their abilities, that the race It takes a lot of practice, daring and not feeling ashamed when making mistakes since it is in practice where one develops language skills most deeply.” The important thing is to communicate and communicate, in the end errors are details that must be paid attention to, she indicated.

On the other hand, the reception by the schoolchildren was successful. This is confirmed by Javiera López, a student at Altazor School in Coquimbo: “the activity was great, it allowed me to clarify some doubts and realize that my decision is on the right path.”

It is expected to continue holding this type of event, in order to bring the university closer to all the high school students who are part of QSPE University of La Serena.

Written by Daniel Aguayo, LEARN ULS and PACE ULS

“Cycle of talks + Science” is the space created since June by the Scientific Inquiry Program for Science Education (ICEC) of the Coquimbo Region, with the purpose of reflecting on different topics related to research and education.

There are three instances carried out to date by the ICEC Program, a space that has brought together teachers from the school system to share experiences related to scientific inquiry.

The second session was led by the preschool teacher, Marcela Fernández, who referred to the planning and conduct of scientific research through a project related to the growth of lettuce, which was carried out by the preschoolers of the School. Lieutenant Hernán Merino Correa (Limache), and how this action had an impact on the consolidation of the teaching professional career.

"Science is something that is worked on at all educational levels, we could say that the Chilean curriculum proposes a trajectory in science; and one of the interesting topics for this age group of preschoolers are plants and their basic needs, which form part of everyday life,” said the educator.

The research was disseminated at the first Congress of boys and girls at the School, where the children themselves presented their results, and also presented at the Science and Technology Fair for boys and girls “Doing science I am growing” of the PAR Explora of Valparaíso.

“For the School to take ownership of this inquiry methodology, it is not enough for it to remain at a single level, but this good practice must be shared and the management team involved, so that working on science with an inquiry approach becomes institutional (…) This collaborative work helped us in our teaching evaluation; "The sciences are the means where we can change the paradigm from a competitive education to a collaborative education for the benefit of a common good and learning, where each person feels responsible for making important decisions for life and society," said the professional. .

On the other hand, the third session was directed by Ms. Ana Alejandra Leal (IHE-Delft Institute of Water Education, Delft Netherlands) who delved into water governance and the importance it has for the community. “Governance is related to how water is distributed between society and its different economic activities, in decision-making and how society is involved in it,” explained Ana Alejandra.

In that sense, he pointed out that there are three key concepts, which are related to the distribution of water in hydrological terms, with voice and authority in legislative terms, and with knowledge and experience. “It is very important for scientific and school research to take into account both the natural and social sciences, to be able to integrate global problems, and in this way to be able to transmit in the subjects a study of critical thinking and to be able to understand both phases and complement learning. ”, he concluded.

The talks will continue to be held every other Friday during the months of July and August of this year.

Written by Daniela Ledezma, ICEC Program

The Consortium of State Universities of Chile wishes to refer to the proposal put forward by the Ministry of Education in relation to the use of the surpluses of the University Credit Solidarity Fund.

For a couple of years now we have asked the authority to make the use of surpluses from the Solidarity Fund more flexible in order to cover gaps caused by the implementation of free provision, cover expenses inherent to institutional work and, more recently, contribute to financing the fees of thousands of students, affected by the significant drop in the income of their supporters. For the year 2020, the National Budget Law contemplates the possibility of using up to 30% of the surpluses from 2019, which has not been specified, since the respective regulations are still being processed and there is a discrepancy regarding of the interpretation of the legal norm that supports it.

Given the current health crisis, we have asked the Ministry of Education to expand the restrictive interpretation that has been given to the authorization to use the Fund's surpluses, as well as the options for using these resources, in order to be able to cover expenses associated with the Fund. management of the pandemic. In response, the Ministry of Education proposed as a condition the possibility of delivering a significant part of the resources of the Solidarity Funds in soft loans to private higher education institutions, mainly those not assigned free of charge.

In this regard, we consider it necessary to express our most energetic rejection of this response emanating from the Ministry of Education, since these are resources that are exclusively administered by the universities (Law 18.591) and whose surpluses reflect the effort that each institution has deployed for the recovery of previous credits, added to resources that universities have allocated from their own budgets.

It is important to point out that, before the pandemic, the State Universities raised the possibility of using the surpluses of the Solidarity Funds to address financial gaps derived from free tuition, as a way to address these deficits without having to access new public resources. This need is now more critical as a result of the temporary withdrawal of many students, the abandonment of higher education by others and the rescheduling of fee payments that thousands of students have made in all higher education institutions.

On the other hand, the implementation of various distance education tools made available to our students (mainly computers, tablets, connectivity devices, software acquisition, technical strengthening of platforms, computer security systems, among others), as well as the Multiple activities that we are developing to work in the fight against the pandemic, based on the contribution of science and technology, have meant the reallocation of very significant resources to these purposes.

The above makes evident the urgency of authorizing universities to use a greater percentage of their surplus resources from the Solidarity Fund in order to cover the serious financial deficit that this very complex scenario has generated. We cannot forget that the accreditation processes also consider a requirement of financial viability that will be very complex to meet if we continue to face the effects of this crisis without any type of support.

The higher education financing system must be analyzed as a whole and it is not correct to isolate a single instrument, making the institutions that have it appear favored over the others. In recent decades, enrollment growth policies - strongly restrictive for public institutions - and the enormous amount of resources allocated to financing student fees, regardless of the type of institution they access, have allowed exponential growth and deregulated private education system, to the detriment of state provision.

Risking at this time a further weakening of state universities constitutes a serious danger for the country, as they are higher education institutions that have been created by law with the mission of contributing to the strengthening of democracy, sustainable and comprehensive development. of the country and the progress of society in the various areas of knowledge and domains of culture, all of them functions that today are essential to face the serious economic and social crisis that affects our country.

We hope that by reading these words the community can understand that it is not feelings of meanness that inspire our concern about the new use that the Ministry of Education wants to give to the resources of the University Credit Solidarity Fund, but rather the justified reason that assists our universities to use their own resources, mainly for the benefit of our own students and in the unrestricted fulfillment of our mission.

Source: CUECH

The program will feature more than 15 musicians on stage and will have the collaboration of the outstanding concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Alberto Dourthé.

The string ensemble of the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra is already fine-tuning the last details for what will be the II Chamber Music Concert of the 2020 Season. On this occasion, the trip of the month of July can be seen again from the cast's Facebook LIVE; which hopes to excite and captivate its followers and the general public with the artistic proposal they have prepared.

The concert that will take over social networks next Friday, July 24, has been inspired by 'The Musical Essence of Bach' and will feature the talent of great musicians and performers from the professional ensemble; added to the skill and agility of the guest violinist, Alberto Dourthé, concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile; who, virtually, from his house in Santiago, will meet again with the Coquimbo Region within the framework of an unforgettable musical evening. 

“The Essential of Bach's Music or Bach's Musical Essence is for me, without a doubt, like the origin of so-called classical music; Although Bach was baroque, but deep down it is like the orchestral formation, the harmonic bases; As they say, he is the father of our music, Western music. Therefore, without a doubt, it is a wonderful program that can be done and, indeed, for me it is a gigantic joy to be able to be part of this instance with the OSULS,” said the guest soloist.

Along with Dourthé, there will be Paulina Elgueta Castillo, Cecilia Olmos Pujado, Daniela Gayoso Anacona, Daniel Navea Rojas, Ramiro Álvarez Maluenda, Juan Pablo Luengo and Vanesa Flores Godoy in charge of the violins; Polyana Brehmer Olivares, Ricardo Muñoz Búrquez and Lorenzo Cabello González on violas; Diego Álvarez Barra, Monserrat Trujillo Peña, Iván Rivas Morales and Andrés Carvajal Castillo on the low strings – cellos and double bass, and Alonso Araya on the harpsichord; under the guidance of the concertmaster of the regional symphony orchestra, Leonardo Godoy Sepúlveda.

Regarding the concert inspired by the figure of Johann Sebastian Bach, it responds to an artistic proposal made by the OSULS string family: “in the first part of the program we will present an adaptation of Bach's 15 inventions; which will be performed by violin-cello or violin-viola duos, where we will have five duos. While the other part of the program, to conclude, all the strings will come together to perform the Second Movement of Bach's double concerto for two violins (in D Minor BWV 1043) by maestro Alberto Dourthé and me," explained Godoy Sepúlveda, adding that it is very important to highlight the figure of this great teacher, since he is “a musician who never goes out of style and there is always a new reading of his music throughout history. He is a composer who died in 1750; but, nevertheless, today he remains one of the most programmed composers; So, these five visions that we are going to see in the inventions are super interesting, being a work originally for harpsichord. These five visions will allow us five approaches to Bach's repertoire,” he emphasized.

Concerts to enjoy from home

The health alert still present in the country has forced the 2020 season to take place with online concerts via streaming; which are then transmitted through the orchestra's digital media; reaching thousands of homes around the world just one click away. This measure becomes extremely relevant, even more so in this time of confinement, where the integrity and health of people is as important as continuing to bring music, art and culture closer to families and new generations.

“For us it is essential to stay in touch with our community in any way possible for all of us. We are in this line doing our second online concert and maintaining our season from home; ratifying our commitment to the community and our audience, offering them a program that goes beyond what we would bring to the concert hall; but also, it has the mission of educating and sharing with all of them in these difficult times,” Godoy stressed.

For his part, the guest soloist indicated that this type of concert is very significant for people at home: “as a musician one is effectively educated to play on stage and be in direct contact with the public; You see that, you feel it, not only in the applause, but you see it in the attention that people have when they are observing and listening to what you play. Obviously that won't exist here, but one prepares to play this type of work and it is very impressive; because you don't measure what it means to people and the amount of public you can reach. I think it's a fantastic form of dissemination,” said Dourthé.

The presentation next Friday, July 24, will be broadcast on Facebook LIVE at 20 p.m., and like the rest of the activities of this 2020 season, it is possible to carry them out thanks to the financing provided by the Ministry of Cultures, the Arts and Heritage since 2016; added to the financing granted by the University of La Serena.

For more information about this season, activities, videos and future concerts, you should visit www.sinfonicalaserena.cl; subscribe to the YouTube channel (Sinfonica La Serena) and follow the cast on their social networks such as Instagram (@sinfonicalaserena), Twitter (@sinfonicaLS) and Facebook (@Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad de La Serena).

Written by Camila Pérez, University of La Serena Symphony Orchestra

Meanwhile he PhD in Energy, Water and Environment begins this process in mid-October of this year.

The Doctorate in Food and Bioprocess Engineering at the University of La Serena begins its applications on August 01 and the results will be announced in the fortnight of November, to begin the process in March 2021. This program Its objective is to train researchers of the highest level, who are leaders capable of carrying out original and independent research and higher teaching, aimed at developing and applying practical and innovative solutions, by training graduates with specialized knowledge in the area of ​​Food Engineering. and Bioprocesses.

The program was accredited for the third time for a period of 3 years, by the National Accreditation Commission (from June 17 of this year to June 17, 2023).

The Doctorate in Food and Bioprocess Engineering has three lines of research: Food Processes and Technologies; Bioprocesses; and Mathematical Modeling and Computational Simulation for Food and Bioprocesses.

“We invite you to be part of the Doctorate program in Food and Bioprocess Engineering, which belongs to the University of La Serena, an institution committed to the Coquimbo Region, which is developing training programs for professionals and postgraduates, privileging their quality both in terms of academically as well as values, and promoting in its students a critical vision and responsibility regarding their environment. This Doctorate trains researchers of the highest academic level in the area of ​​Food and Bioprocess Engineering, preparing the doctor both for higher teaching and to carry out original and independent research, aimed at promoting creativity and innovation in production processes and thus contribute to improving the competitiveness of the productive sector of the country and the world,” said la Director of the School of Food Engineering and the Doctorate, Dr. Vilbett Briones.

The profile of the graduate of the Doctor in Food and Bioprocess Engineering program will be a postgraduate with a solid background in food science and technology, complemented with advanced knowledge of bioprocesses, mathematical modeling and computational simulation. The Doctor in Food and Bioprocess Engineering will be a researcher of the highest level, possessing a high sense of professional ethics and characterized by his commitment to the search for truth, by his duty to generate and disseminate new knowledge, and by his abilities. of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. 

The professional will be qualified to formulate, manage, develop and evaluate basic and applied research projects, and to conceive solutions and innovations with a multidisciplinary and innovative perspective, oriented to the development and generation of products and production processes, as well as goods and services in areas and disciplines associated with Food Engineering and Bioprocesses, and to train highly specialized human resources.

Applications can be made at http://diab.userena.cl. For more information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. o This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Dr. Claudia Bernal, Program Coordinator) or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Alejandra Mura, Secretary of the Program) .

PhD in Energy, Water and Environment

Regarding the application for the Doctorate in Energy, Water and Environment, this process will begin in mid-October of this year, to start the program in 2021.

The Doctorate began its academic activities in 2018 and was accredited during this year, by the National Accreditation Commission, for a period of two years, extending until 2022.

This program aims to train high-level graduates, specialized in energy efficiency, non-conventional renewable energies; water and water resources, and environment and environmental sustainability; with solid scientific and technological knowledge, and specialized training that allows them to carry out research activities in these areas. 

The lines of research are renewable energies, energy efficiency, water, water resources, the environment, sustainability and environmental decontamination. The program seeks to train specialists with advanced knowledge in the theoretical and empirical foundations related to energy, water and the environment, who are trained to develop research in these areas.

The Director of the program and academic of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Nelson Moraga, in relation to the doctorate, invites "starting in October, to apply to our program aimed at students who wish to continue their academic training, acquiring scientific training and technological excellence, which allows them to generate new knowledge in three areas that are fundamental to achieving sustainable development.” 

This program has a faculty of fourteen prestigious researchers, who interact directly in teaching and research activities with each student in the program, allowing them to achieve the interdisciplinary training they require for their future performance as researchers and teachers in higher education centers. 

The University of La Serena, in the postgraduate field, has five Doctorate programs, in disciplines that have distinguished academics of recognized prestige and high research productivity.

Written by María José Barraza, FIULS 2030 Project