The project is co-financed by the Production Promotion Corporation, and the monitoring will be advised by the international organization Laspau, affiliated with Harvard University.

With the objective of transforming the Faculty of Engineering of the University of La Serena into a national and international reference in the fields of research, development, innovation and entrepreneurship, with emphasis on mining, energy and sustainability, the Advisory Council of the FIULS 2030 Project. The activity brought together different actors and sectors of society, with the participation of both public and private institutions.

The FIULS 2030 project developed by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of La Serena (FIULS) through the Corfo Program “New Engineering for 2030 Regions”, began to be developed in its first stage in 2016 with the development of the plan strategic and in 2018 the second stage of implementation began.

In relation to the project, the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés Pizarro, indicated that “the idea is that it carries out joint work with government entities, companies and the University; and with this to be able to focus on technological transfer and innovation, improve engineering curricula and align with the needs of the country.”

The Regional Director of Corfo, Gregorio Rodríguez, stressed that it is “very interesting that a project financed by Corfo and the Regional Government has the participation of the University of La Serena, in which the shortening of engineering majors was defined in its axes, the modernization of the network with technological transfer and the implementation of postgraduate models. This is what the region and the country need to face the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution.”

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and director of the FIULS 2030 project, Dr. Engineer Mauricio Godoy, pointed out that “the call was very good, since the region as a whole, government authorities, regional council, companies at the national level and University. “We are very happy to have this strategic alliance and I am sure it will turn out very well.”

The President of the Coquimbo Regional Council, Adriana Peñafiel, stated that “the important thing is to emphasize that the University, through the project, has a great human capital of 2 students who can be trained to meet social needs, responding by incorporating the technologies".

The Seremi of Mining, Roberto Vega, regarding the initiative of the Advisory Council, stated that “we are very happy to support the regional university that is a pioneer at the national level in the study of mines. “We see a great opportunity where mining companies in our region can develop and solve their problems through the university”

While the Seremi of Public Works, Pablo Herman pointed out that "the formation of the Advisory Council was a very beneficial activity since the university meets with the actors and their real problems to provide solutions to their needs."

The FIULS 2030 project seeks to contribute to the country's competitiveness, through the incorporation of world-class standards to the Faculty of Engineering of the University of La Serena.

The private sector is also part of the Advisory Council. In this sense, Jorge Araneda, Study and Development Manager of Antofagasta Minerals, indicated that “the day was beneficial and the main challenge is to link in a better way and define the areas more precisely, there is a good possibility of synergy and joint work. ”.

In addition, Benjamín Pieper, Operations Support Service Manager at Minera Los Pelambres, was present.

Written by María José Barraza, FIULS 2030 Project

The reinforcement modules are carried out simultaneously in the provinces of Elqui, Limarí and Choapa.

More than ninety percent of the students, belonging to educational establishments assigned to the program of the University of La Serena, began the first reinforcement modules, which the ULS Accompaniment and Effective Access to Higher Education Program (PACE) designed for the courses. middle third and middle fourth.

There are more than three hundred places available in this new cycle of reinforcements for students belonging to the twelve educational establishments affiliated with the institution's PACE Program.  

Daniela González, a fourth-grade student at the Gabriela Mistral High School in the La Serena commune, said: “I want to highlight that the PACE Academy is a great opportunity for all those who want to enter higher education, which requires responsibility and perseverance. The unconditional support that the professionals on the team give us helps us guide ourselves on what we want for our future.”

Regarding the content of the activities and the different workshops to reinforce the initiative, the student explained that “the activities that we develop during the program classes are a support to enter higher education prepared and even to remember what we have learned during the course of previous years of our secondary education; In addition, we work on psychological preparation, something that we all need to be successful in the first years of university and that is essential to not get stuck along the way and continue our desire to be university professionals.

On the other hand, José Cordero, a third-year student at the Nicolás Federico Lohse Vargas High School in Los Vilos, indicated: “I am very happy to enter this Academy of the PACE Program, since as the team of professionals always tells us, the program helps to all those talents to enter higher education; I look around me and what I see are great talents, who can become the best in their specialty and the academy will help us improve and have a different and close look at higher education.”

As for the PACE ULS Academy, this belongs to the work plan of the PACE ULS Middle School Preparation (PEM) area, and the reinforcement modules in which the students are working are: Language, Mathematics, Sciences (Chemistry- Physics-Biology), English, Integral Development and Life in higher education.

Academy classes are every Friday starting at 14:30 p.m. simultaneously in the three provinces.

Written by Daniel Aguayo, PACE ULS Program 

The instances have involved different stages of work, in which different key actors from the university and external community have participated.

With the purpose of improving academic and institutional processes, the ULS Pedagogy in History and Geography degree is preparing the various actions contemplated to face a new stage of self-assessment, with a view to its accreditation in January 2020.

“The concrete actions go back three years ago when we presented a plan for the upcoming self-evaluation process, which considered the weaknesses manifested in the previous process. The degree self-assessment team was formed, coordinated by the Management of the HistoGeo School, academics from each area of ​​the degree and of course with the support of the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, who directs this process." , explained the School Director, Dr. Sandra Álvarez.

In this way, during March, the key actors were surveyed, which includes students, academics and graduates, who provided feedback on relevant aspects of the career. For the rest, the team is preparing the self-evaluation report, which must be delivered in June.

It is worth remembering that since the entry into force of Law 20.903, which creates the Teaching Professional Development System, the accreditation of Pedagogy courses is a mandatory requirement that every university institution must meet. The process involves supervision regarding the criteria and guidelines established by the National Accreditation Commission (CNA) regarding training aspects, links with the environment, academic body and infrastructure and the improvement of results based on the diagnostic evaluations applied in the first and penultimate year of the degree.

“Today we find ourselves facing a more rigorous and demanding framework, we are protected by a Law that regulates the professional practice of teaching, therefore, this accreditation is more significant to us. In addition, it has a different symbolism than the previous ones, because it also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the degree, which has been characterized by having a pedagogical tradition that has impacted the educational environment of the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo during all these years. , emphasized the Director.

In that sense, the great challenge that the career has is precisely to adapt to public policy regarding the initial training of teachers and with respect to the needs demanded by the educational system.

Among the next actions to be carried out, it is expected to sensitize the university and external community about the importance of the process, as they are active agents of it, and wait for the visit of peer evaluators during the second semester of 2019.

Written by Daniela Ledezma, UGIP

During his visit, the diplomat met with the Rector of the state campus, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, in addition to visiting the Japan School and the Japanese Park in the city of La Serena.

A protocol visit to the University of La Serena was made by the Ambassador of Japan in Chile, Yoshinobu Hiraishi, during which he held a meeting with the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, and where he highlighted the strong link between the university and its university. country, also expressing the intention to continue strengthening relations with the ULS and the regional capital.

Rector Nibaldo Avilés pointed out that the Ambassador's visit “marks a milestone in the work carried out by the University of La Serena in regards to links with the environment. And through this visit, we seek to strengthen the ties between the University and continue working for the brotherhood between both nations.”

For his part, the Ambassador of Japan in Chile expressed: “it has been a pleasant visit, I hope to be able to return to La Serena again and I appreciate the work carried out by the University of La Serena, which has been the bridge that allows us to strengthen relations between both communities.”

After the meeting held at the university and in which the diplomat's wife, Hiromi Hiraishi, the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Dr. Luperfina Rojas, and the first secretary of the Embassy of Japan, Daiki, also participated Matsunaga, the Ambassador and the highest university authority went to the Japan School, where they were received by the authorities of the educational establishment to participate in a ceremony in which they were given a distinction for their visit.

Finally, Ambassador Hiraishi toured the Japanese Park “Kokoro No Niwa”, an opportunity in which he was able to learn about the history of the space linked to Japanese culture, located in the center of La Serena.

The activity included important guests from the area, such as Dr. Charles Meneveau, from Johns Hopkins University (USA).

With the presence of university authorities and special guests, the Energy, Water and Environment Doctorate program of the University of La Serena developed the Renewable Energy Seminar, with the conviction that these types of issues need to be addressed, establishing a conversation and discussion about their strengths and weaknesses.

On the occasion, various talks were held regarding the problems and topics related to renewable wind energy, as well as the amount of clean energy generated in the Coquimbo Region. In this area, the professional from the region's Energy Ministry, Claudio Zambra, was in charge of speaking about the decarbonization program of Chile's energy matrix and about the regional panorama, emphasizing that 77% of energy is wind. in the sector.

There was also the participation of Dr. Charles Meneveau, from Johns Hopkins University (USA), who developed his presentation aimed at the production of energy generation in large-scale wind farms, along with referring to the current and future challenges in the area.

When referring to the responsibilities regarding renewable energies and adapting to a sustainable environment, Dr. Meneveau pointed out that “it is mainly hand in hand with university students, since they are the ones who know the needs of the future.” , also taking into consideration that the cost of this type of energy, wind energy in the first place, is cheaper and, therefore, more attractive to be applied.”

The activity concluded with the questions that the attendees asked, mainly students of the Mechanical Engineering degree, and the participants of the Energy, Water and Environment Doctorate.

The organizers of the event thanked everyone involved for their participation and left the invitation open to clarify doubts and learn about the different doctoral and master's programs at the ULS.

Written by Patricia Castro, DirCom

Researchers Francisco Squeo (ULS-CEAZA), Ricardo Oyarzún (ULS-CEAZA) and Antonio Maldonado (CEAZA) will present at the activity.

If the Coquimbo Region is today an ideal sanctuary for astronomical research, a true open-air laboratory, it owes it to the uniqueness of its natural context, the result of a delicate balance that has evolved over time and is our duty to respect and care.

On the occasion of heritage days, we invite you to discover our natural heritage in this new event with the “AstroINnova” series of talks, at the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library starting at 18.30:24 p.m. this Friday, May XNUMX.

In the activity, academics and researchers from the University of La Serena and the Center for Advanced Studies in Arid Zones (CEAZA), Francisco Squeo and Ricardo Oyarzún, will present “The conservation of our regional natural heritage” and “Singularities of the Region of Coquimbo: a vision from the physical world” respectively, and the CEAZA researcher, Antonio Maldonado, with “The Coquimbo region: fossil record and its geo-heritage potential.”

The talk is free of charge and for more information visit http://astroserena.weebly.com.

The “AstroInnova” cycle is organized by the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of La Serena and Gemini Observatory, with the support of the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library.