By Dr. Ing. Mauricio Godoy Seura, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering

The Faculty of Engineering of the University of La Serena (FIULS) once again shows its pleasure and joy for the new students who are joining the educational community. Welcome everyone to the University of La Serena.

Under this context, I call on the students of the FIULS to carry out and develop activities to welcome the new “papayas and papayas” with the most determined respect for the rights of all, and above all taking care of the physical integrity and psychological of the students who are welcomed into the university community. The so-called “Mechoneo” must be transformed into activities that value humanity above all and its entry into an institution that works to build a better society. Building a better world with better people involves respect and empathy for others.

It is also necessary to mention that in order to ensure the rights of all our students, the University has the mechanisms defined in the document called Rights and Duties of Students of the University of La Serena to ensure and protect rights and duties. , but also sanction behaviors that threaten them. It is neither tolerable nor acceptable that people enjoy denigrating their fellow human beings.

On the other hand, the FIULS congratulates all the students and careers that have already carried out activities called “Positive Mechoneo”, such as the Architecture career, who has carried out a Cleaning Day in the Wetland at the mouth of the Elqui River.

Finally, it is important to emphasize to the entire Faculty of Engineering community the importance of the beginning of this new academic year and, above all, the incorporation of camaraderie activities around respect for people and the territory, as well as promote self-care and care for the environment.

With the purpose of strengthening academic performance, FACSE developed the Seminar - Workshop: How to write articles to publish in high-impact academic journals?, taught by Dr. José Rojas-Méndez.

In a joint effort between the Vice-rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies and the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of the ULS, the course on writing high-impact scientific articles was carried out, the objective of which was to provide the participating academics with the necessary tools to develop research articles publishable in specialized journals, in order to enhance research and the respective publications within the institution.

The seminar led by Dr. José Rojas-Méndez, professor of International Business and Marketing at Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Canada, and editor of magazines in the business area, consisted of 16 hours of work, in which academics from all areas of the Faculty participated jointly. “The skills for writing articles are generally transversal, therefore we can bring together people from different disciplines in a workshop like this because each person advances in the seminar and works on their own article,” said Dr. Rojas-Méndez.

In this way, the seminar ended on Saturday, March 23 in person, since from now on the academics have two months to work on their articles, consult Dr. Rojas-Méndez with their doubts and, at the end of this time, two more months to prove that the article written by them was sent to a magazine with the aim of being published.

The effort to promote research is linked to the 2019 Performance Agreement held by the Faculty, to which the Dean, Dr. Luperfina Rojas, stated that “from now on all FACSE academics have to publish an article and this course, which has been a success, is the first step to continue bringing in other academics who stand out in the area of ​​publishing, to be able to continue motivating and developing a critical mass within the Faculty that allows us to enhance research, develop research programs postgraduate, master's and doctorates."

Likewise, the Director of Postgraduate and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Cristian Ibáñez, highlighted the importance of the initiative and the predominant role that this type of instances generate in enhancing the research and professional quality of the academics on the campus. “Everything that has to do with improving the level of impact of what the University does in the external environment is vital in institutional development. Today the idea of ​​having a doctoral program is no longer conceivable without students publishing the research they are doing, so our University requires that in order to obtain that degree the student must have one article published and another sent at the time of taking their exam. degree.”

Thus, after four months the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences will have new specialized publications in the various areas and disciplines of the academics that comprise it.

Written by Paula Godoy, ULS journalist

The “I Want to Be a Professional in Education” (QSPE) program was born as an initiative of the Plan for Institutional Improvement of Pedagogies, with the aim of increasing the entry of high school students into careers related to the teaching profession.   

Promoting the identity and vocation of a teacher is one of the main purposes sought by the QSPE Program, which executes the University of La Serena through Integrated Management Unit of Pedagogies (UGIP). Currently, there are two generations that are part of this experience, this being the first year in which students who graduated from the program enter pedagogical careers at the school.

In this context, the UGIP prepared the workshop “Challenges of the QSPE Program and the ULS pedagogical identity”, with the aim of answering the doubts and concerns raised by students in their first week in university life. "The activity's principle was to welcome those who participated in the 'I Want to Be a Professional in Education' and also those from the Universidad Católica del Norte (I follow my vocation) and the preparatory course taught by the University of Tarapacá," he said. the coordinator of the QSPE program, Dr. Karla Campaña.

In total, there are 30 students who entered through the special routes, of which 22 come from the ULS pedagogy access program. Within the careers of their choice, the highest percentage of them opted for the Pedagogy careers in History and Geography, and Pedagogy. in Spanish and Philosophy.

For student Francisca Solar, who is studying Mathematics and Computing Pedagogy, having belonged to the program has allowed her to better adapt to this new university stage. “This is a more familiar race, and it is very good to know that you have the support of more experienced colleagues, who were our instructors. In addition, we already knew formal aspects such as the mesh, transferable credits and the processes related to taking branches, so it has become easier for us to integrate. And most importantly, if it were not for the program, perhaps I would not have made the decision to study some pedagogy, because through its classes it helped me to clearly define what I really wanted to be," said the student, who obtained the Teacher Vocation Scholarship.

It should be noted that QSPE students will have the support and tutoring of the Learn ULS program, which will allow them to improve and level their academic results during 2019.

Written by Daniela Ledezma, Integrated Pedagogy Management Unit (UGIP) – PMI FIP ULS1501 | CM ULS1755

40 teachers from 7 locations in the Coquimbo Region received certification from the Scientific Inquiry Program for Science Education, which the ULS developed in 2018.

Learning new methods of inquiry, preparing innovative activities, sharing academic experiences, and above all, contributing to the improvement of the quality of science education in rural areas of the region, are the common points highlighted by the teachers benefited and certified by the Scientific Inquiry Program for Science Education (ICEC), executed by the University of La Serena.

One of the participants in this program was Vicky Hidalgo, a teacher at the Mario Aquiles Rodríguez School in the town of Horcón, who was grateful to be part of this program that allows her to improve the work she does with her early childhood education students. “You learn different ways of teaching science to children today, with greater technology, with more accessible elements, and I hope that this work is reflected in your activities to reinforce your scientific side from an early age,” said the teacher, who He received his certification along with 39 other teachers from 7 locations in the Coquimbo Region.

On this occasion, the program focused on teaching teachers from rural establishments in the region, with the aim of bringing scientific inquiry to areas neglected by the academic integration of science, and thus contributing to the improvement of the quality of education. education.

For Sebastián Fernández, a teacher at the Puerto Aldea School, programs like ICEC make it possible to provide true quality education to children from small towns who seek the same opportunities as others, through learning new methods of inquiry. “For us it is very important because we are in an area very far from the urban area; In addition, it allows the learning of our students to be significant with this new methodology, hoping that it will improve the pedagogical results that the children of each establishment have,” he pointed out.

The coordinator of the program at the ULS, Dr. Rodomiro Osorio, indicated that the objective sought to be met by taking this initiative to rural establishments “was to bring the method of scientific inquiry, which is applicable to any reality, to areas and establishments that have been postponed due to connectivity, and the idea is to be able to expand and reach more establishments in remote areas.

ICEC is a program of the Ministry of Education that aims to contribute to the improvement of the quality of science education for students at the preschool, basic and secondary education levels, and that, in the Coquimbo Region, is carried out jointly with the University of La Serena, as the implementing establishment of this program.

Written by Tomás Rodríguez, Communications Department

This activity is considered the largest voluntary action against climate change globally.

Students of Civil Environmental Engineering of the University of La Serena, grouped in the Confederation of Higher Education Environmental Sciences Students (CECADES), actively participated in the celebration of Earth Hour in the regional capital, an instance to which the ULS joined and which invites people to turn off non-essential lights and electrical devices to raise awareness and promote responsible practices regarding energy consumption and use of natural resources.

This activity, considered the largest voluntary action against climate change globally, was carried out in the Plaza de Armas of La Serena, a place that brought together a large number of people for the traditional candlelight vigil that took place. takes place during the 60 minutes of Earth Hour (from 20:30 p.m. to 21:30 p.m.).

The president of the Student Center of the program, Enrique González, explained that the ULS students had an important participation in this day, where they were in charge of a stand referring to the circular economy and a comprehensive waste management model. “As students we like that the career is known within the community and that it is known that we do positive things,” he said.

Some of the institutions participating in the activity were Seremi del Medio Ambiente, Seremi de Energía, CECADES of the University of La Serena and Universidad Católica del Norte, CEAZA, CONAF, Tololo, the municipalities of La Serena and Coquimbo, the Regional Library Gabriela Mistral, among others.

Written by Gonzalo Lozano, Communications Department

More than 100 students benefited from this process.

Grateful for the reception and the organized activities, the students of the Accompaniment Program and Effective Access to Higher Education (PACE) of the ULS who participated in the 2019 Early Leveling Process, which aims to develop and enhance basic knowledge in the fundamental areas of the careers that young people who entered the institution via the PACE or PSU PACE quota will pursue.

“It has been a very good experience, I have met many people. I think the initiative is very positive, with each passing day I was much more motivated to come to the University and start putting together my new routine. I am very grateful to the PACE ULS program for this process, I think it is great to be able to familiarize yourself with the University and get to know the facilities, it gives you greater security from before,” said Krishna Robles, a Psychology major and one of the more than 100 people who benefited from this process.

Another student who participated in the leveling was Yamil Martínez, from Civil Engineering in Mines, who stated that he loved “meeting all my classmates, the very good dynamics and the talks have helped me a lot. I think this instance will help me enter my first year of university in a better way, since it allowed me to create ties with my other classmates in my degree.”

Regarding this instance, which was divided into the stages of Initial Online Leveling and Early Face-to-Face Leveling, the Coordinator of the Higher Education Support Area (AES) of PACE, Claudia Toledo, pointed out that “it arose from the need to generate a device for detecting specific competencies by faculty and major that our students will face in the most critical subjects of the first year of university; as well as providing initial and transversal tools to support the process of insertion into university life. This is the second year that we have carried out this event within the house of higher education, which has once again had an excellent framework of assistance from the students and a very good evaluation by them.”

Toledo added that "the goal is for students to be able to live the university experience from the beginning, work with their mentors, become familiar with the equipment and, above all, become familiar with the university facilities."

The activities that were part of this process were: academic work in the areas of Biology, Language, Music, Mathematics, English and Chemistry, as well as workshops in the specialties of Design and Architecture. In addition, different complementary activities were carried out: psychoeducational workshop on frustration management and tolerance, induction workshop to the transferable credit system, academic coach, introductory talk to university life and meeting of tutors.

Written by Daniel Aguayo, PACE ULS Program