Through the Regional Government website www.gorecoquimbo.cl you can follow this scientific event, in which the University of La Serena will have a leading role.

This week we started the Future Congress in Santiago, which will also be held in 10 other regions of the country, including Coquimbo, which has prepared a series of scientific and cultural activities that will take place in Gabriela Mistral's Palm House and the Library. Regional.   

Due to the high attendance that the regional event has had, the transmission will be carried out via streaming through the Regional Government website. www.gorecoquimbo.cl

The Regional Mayor, Lucía Pinto, highlighted the opportunity that the region has to be part of the most important scientific event in Latin America to show the work that regional universities are doing, generate links with researchers and institutions from other countries and share with citizens the advances of science.

“This version of the Future Congress takes place in a very special country context since today we have a Ministry of Science and Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, which gives us a new institutional framework to promote this area. At the inauguration of the Future Congress at the national level, our President Sebastián Piñera and our Minister Andrés Couve pointed out that what is sought is to generate scientific activity that impacts the well-being and quality of life of people,” said the highest regional authority.

For the regional event, it was decided to address three themes: Quality of Life and Health, Astronomy, and Conservation and Sustainability of Natural Resources, since they are priority areas on which there is a knowledge capacity installed at the regional level in universities and research centers. investigation.

The CF Coquimbo will be held this Friday, January 18 at the Casa de Las Palmeras de Gabriela Mistral and the Regional Library, and in addition to the central event, a series of activities will take place such as a science fair, a rocketry exhibition and astrotourism within the framework of the 2019 total solar eclipse, guided tours of the Casa de Las Palmeras and exhibition of documentaries about Gabriela Mistral.

Regarding the international guests who will have parallel agendas to the Congress, the meeting that Dr. Danielle Wood, aerospace engineer, will hold with 6 high school students from the La Higuera commune, who will share with the researcher and regional astronomers, stands out.

The event is organized at the national level by the Future Challenges Commission of the Senate of the Republic, the Chamber of Deputies and the Government of Chile, and at the regional level by the Regional Government of Coquimbo, the University of La Serena, the Universidad Católica del Norte , CEAZA, AURA and the Regional Productive Development Corporation.

ULS researcher presentations

It is worth remembering that this year the event in the Coquimbo Region will have the presence of 4 international guests and 7 regional guests, among them, three representatives from the University of La Serena.

After the opening of the Congress, the Astronomy panel led by the ULS will begin. This will begin with the presentation of Dr. Danielle Wood, from the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who leads a research group called Space Enabled, whose mission is to progress justice and the development of complex systems on our planet through of the use of designs developed thanks to the study of space. The talks below will be given by two astronomers and ULS academics: Dr. José Luis Nilo, with “Take her to the stars for me”, and Dr. Guillermo Damke, with “Astroinformatics: Challenging the Data Deluge”.

Additionally, during the afternoon, the ULS academic, Dr. Pablo Álvarez, Director of the Laboratory for Prospecting, Monitoring and Modeling of Agricultural and Environmental Resources, PROMMRA, will have a leading participation in the Conservation and Sustainability of Natural Resources panel, through his talk “Water resources and quantitative hydrology of the Coquimbo Region.”

In total, there were 12 young people from 3 establishments in the Coquimbo Region who had the opportunity to carry out their professional practice at the University of La Serena, thanks to the agreement that the school maintains with MC Inversiones Limitadas, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation. .

After a month and a half of work and learning in the field, finally a group made up of 12 students from the Pablo Neruda schools (Coquimbo) and Raúl Silva Henríquez (Ovalle) and the Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez high school (La Serena) finished their professional internship as a Technician. in Mining Exploitation.

They had the opportunity to carry out this practice thanks to the collaborative project maintained by the University of La Serena and MC Inversiones Limitadas, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, which for the fifth time provides study scholarships to young people from professional technical schools in the Coquimbo Region.

To close this experience in their professional training, a ceremony was held at the “Escuela Mina Brillador” Experimental Center of the ULS, a place where they developed their professional practice, completing a total of 456 hours of training, thus acquiring the knowledge practical and theoretical in prospecting, mining operations, metallurgy and safety, in addition to training in leadership and communication skills.

The ceremony was attended by the Director of the Department of Mining Engineering, Dr. Alberto Cortes, the Deputy Manager of Human Resources of MC Inversiones Limitada, Mireya Núñez, the Director of the project and academic, Luis Eyquem, along with the families of the students who participated in this process.

During the activity, each student was given a certificate of completion of their professional practice. Likewise, the inauguration of the “Octavio Lazo” plaza was held, a space managed and created by the students themselves, where various disused mining pieces stand out that were renovated by them.

For Diego Pizarro, supervisor of the Mitsubishi course students, the experience given to these young people is invaluable, considering that they are given all the necessary practices to work in the mining area, in a real space such as the Mine School. “It has been a rewarding experience, training young people is very important for Chilean mining and I think the University of La Serena is quite clear about it. Thanks to this experience, the students have not only acquired technical knowledge, but have also become aware of their responsibilities in the future world of work,” he said.

On the other hand, Mireya Núñez highlighted how important it is for MC Inversiones Limitadas to be able to collaborate together with the ULS in the training of these students from the region. “For MCI it is very important to be able to carry out these activities, because they are part of the essence of the company as is supporting the growth of communities, and we believe that financially supporting education is delivering not only for today, but also for the future. ”, he pointed out.

After the ceremony, the students presented the work carried out during their professional practice period, where they showed those present the different tasks carried out both on the surface and inside the mine, demonstrating the great knowledge acquired during this experience.

For Hercilia García, guardian of one of the students who benefited from this scholarship, this was a great opportunity for her son, who always showed interest in being part of this opportunity provided by the University and MC Inversiones. “It is a pride that he has remained in this project, his goal was always to be here and that he has achieved it is the greatest, seeing him finishing his internship today is a great happiness and I am very grateful that the University can give us the opportunity to us, a family with limited resources, that our son could complete his studies,” he said.  

The students who benefited from this scholarship were: Javiera Bravo, Diego Vergara, Cristian Aguilera, Daniel Vega, John Rodríguez, Raquel Ávila, Ricardo Jaime, Diego Pérez, Hambar Pizarro, José Galleguillos, Sebastián Collao and Yuyunith Rojas, from the cities from La Serena, Coquimbo and Ovalle.

For Hambar Pizarro, a student at the Pablo Neruda school, this was a great experience, beyond something purely academic, but it helped them grow and mature as people. “For us it was very important to receive this opportunity to learn, and we also want to thank all the people who welcomed us, taught us and took care of us, and helped us improve as people. More than classmates and teachers, we became a family and that remains forever,” said the young woman.

This collaborative work, which is being carried out for the fifth time between the University of La Serena and MC Inversiones Limitadas, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, not only provides scholarships to high school students, as 2 scholarships are also awarded to students from the Mining Engineering Department of the ULS.

The activity organized by the Faculty of Engineering sought to make available to the community a space for analysis, updating and exchange of experiences and good practices around technological innovation in the regional industry and, in addition, to present the FIULS 2030 project.

With a high attendance and outstanding exhibitors, the Seminar “Technological Innovation for Regional Development” was held, organized by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of La Serena, within the framework of the FIULS 2030 project of the New Engineering for 2030 program in Regions of CORFO.

The activity aimed to make available to the community a space for analysis, updating and exchange of experiences and good practices around technological innovation in the regional industry and, in addition, to present to the community the FIULS 2030 project of the house of higher education.

The Dean of the ULS Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Mario Durán, highlighted the completion of this activity and indicated that in recent years the macrounit has worked to “promote innovation and entrepreneurship based on knowledge as the starting point to build an educational ecosystem that uses technology as a vehicle to produce an impact on the regional and national industry. In this sense, important cooperation efforts have been made with the public and private sectors to achieve these objectives.”

Among these actions, Dr. Durán highlighted the implementation of the strategic plan of the FIULS 2030 project, which “will fundamentally affect the work of the Faculty at least in the next 6 years. This aims to strengthen the internal structure of the Faculty in the areas of training, research, entrepreneurship and innovation and links with the environment. A key element will be the creation of the Technological Entrepreneurship Center.”

Furthermore, he stated that “the Faculty's commitment to its environment is to continue working on the process of change that will allow us to continue training upright professionals, seeking to generate development strategies in the fields of mining, energy and sustainability, offering continuing education to our graduates through undergraduate and graduate programs, with the main objective of forming world-class human capital with emphasis on research, development, innovation and entrepreneurship, for the development of the region and the country.”

One of the speakers invited to the event was the deputy manager of Technological Transfer of the Technological Capabilities Management of CORFO, Marcia Varela, who provided details of the New Engineering 2030 program, which she indicated seeks to “increase the country's competitiveness through the transformation of faculties and engineering schools of universities. The idea is that engineering faculties become engines of innovation and high-impact entrepreneurship for Chile by incorporating world-class standards. We trust that the teams of students, academics and researchers from the engineering faculties have great potential and extraordinary knowledge, but that must be taken out of the university and taken to society and the markets so that the country's competitiveness can increase. ”.

During the Seminar, the Superintendent of Mine Planning and Maintenance of Minera Los Pelambres, Sergio Cubillos, also presented with “Operational model to promote innovation and operational excellence in changing belts of the coarse mineral transportation system in MLP”; the general manager of Teck Carmen de Andacollo, Manuel Novoa, with “Sustainable technologies at Teck Carmen de Andacollo”, and the Strategic Development engineer at the Cooperativa Agrícola Pisquera Elqui Ltda. Capel, Francisco Hernández, with “Capel's experience in the regional development”.

While for the ULS Faculty of Engineering, engineer Paulina González referred to the scope of the FIULS 2030 project, an initiative that seeks to transform this macro-unit into a national and international benchmark in R&D&i&e, with emphasis on mining, energy and sustainability, involving different actors and sectors of society.

In the Technological Innovation Seminar held at the Technology Center of the Faculty of Engineering, nearly 70 people participated, including authorities, managers, academics and students from the University of La Serena and representatives of Corfo, MLP, Teck, Capel , College of Engineers AG, ProChile, Municipality of Coquimbo, among other institutions.

The first stage will take place until Thursday, January 17 in the Ignacio Domeyko Campus.

A high turnout of young people and the expeditiousness of the process marked the beginning of the 2019 registration process for the new students who are joining the courses offered by the University of La Serena this year.

The digitalization and incorporation of new technologies in the process stands out, which has facilitated the attention of a large number of young people and family members who are approaching to enter the state campus in a shorter time.

The registration process has consisted of students developing a route that has been previously informed to the students, and the digitization of a series of documents that has allowed applicants to carry out the procedure through the institutional website.

To define this new process, we relied on the work and commitment of each of the units that actively participate in enrollment, who have been working in coordination to make the work more efficient. This year four main elements of a system stand out: adaptability, efficiency, stability and synergy.

The Director of Teaching at ULS, Dr. Yanola González, highlighted that “students and their families have responded to all the efforts made as an institution, aimed at modernizing and digitizing the stages of the process, through the use of the platform, video , WhatsApp and social networks (…). This process has been well planned, there have been no major inconveniences and as Management we are very satisfied with what has been experienced at the beginning.”

For his part, the Head of Admission and Enrollment, Eduardo

Rojo, indicated that this year various technologies have been applied that have made the process more expeditious, such as, "sending an email to the students with all the enrollment information, so they could start enrolling at night and learn about the documents they had to present, and that has made things much easier. All of this has been very beneficial for the students, we are very happy with the process.”

Regarding the application results, Rojo stated that this year there were 4 effective applications and 900 students selected to enroll, which represents an increase compared to the previous year.

Regarding free of charge, the Coordinator of the Student Welfare Department, Patricia Astroza, stated that, preliminarily, there are 922 selected students who have been preselected with this benefit, which is equivalent to 48% of young people. A figure that, according to the professional, should increase in the coming months.

The Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, together with the Seremi of Education, Claudio Oyarzún, and authorities of the state campus learned on the ground how the process works and highlighted its development.

“It is important to know how a university in the State of Chile develops its enrollment process in an automated manner, using new technologies. This has allowed new students and their families to complete each of the procedures more expeditiously. As an institution we work every day to improve our processes in the context of quality assurance, and this 2019 enrollment process is proof of this,” stated the highest university authority.

Seremi Claudio Orayún, meanwhile, valued the work carried out by the institution and the incorporation of new technologies into the process, “because it helps families have very fluid access to enrollment (…). I am glad that such an important university in the region has a high percentage of students already enrolled, in a familiar, comfortable and accessible process.” In addition, he highlighted the entry of students from the Accompaniment and Effective Access to Education Program, PACE, “which is a tremendous opportunity for young people to access university.”

The enrollment process has the participation of units such as the Teaching Directorate, Financial Standardization Unit, General Directorate of Student Affairs, Information Technology and Computing Center, Support Program and Effective Access to Higher Education (PACE ULS), Directorate of Institutional Studies and Planning, Department of Corporate Communications and Digital Campus, whose officials and professionals, with the support of university monitors, work to provide good care to the selected students and their families.

The first stage of the registration process will take place until Thursday, January 17 at the Ignacio Domeyko Campus (La Serena), from 09:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m.

New ULS students

One of the students who enrolled during the first day was Francisca Barcaza, who traveled from Arica. “I wanted to come to ULS and study Architecture, there are good professors (…). “I am very happy to enter.”

Meanwhile, Isaac Araya, who graduated from Colegio San José, will be a new student studying Law. “I chose this University because I know how it works and I know it is good, plus I have friends and family who study here,” the young man clarified.

While Maximiliano Salgado enrolled in Musical Education Pedagogy, “because it is the career he wanted and they teach it here, so there were all the ideal conditions to study here. “I want classes to start later.”

Learn the process step by step in the following video:

Next stages of the process

The second registration period (Waiting List) will take place on Friday the 18th and Monday the 21st at the same time and location. The third period or Reapplication process (if carried out) is scheduled for Tuesday, January 22, in the Admission Office, from 09:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

The University of La Serena will call the first and waiting list applicants through www.userena.cl on Thursday, January 17, starting at 22:00 p.m. Failure of the applicant to appear on the dates and times indicated will be considered irrevocable waiver of the right to enroll. Vacancies for the third period of enrollment or Re-application (if carried out) will be published on the University website and internally in the Admission and Enrollment Secretariat on Monday, January 21, starting at 20:00 p.m.

For more information on the process, contact the Admission and Registration Secretariat at telephone numbers 2204081 and 2204082, by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go to Benavente 980.

The initiative was born from a group of students with disabilities linked to the ULS1799 Universal Accessibility and Inclusion Project.

Within the framework of the “No+Depre” campaign, organized by students with disabilities included in the ULS1799 project, together with the Department of Student Health and the student volunteer group of the University of La Serena, the workshop was held “Art Therapy, preventing depression” directed by the social worker of the Department of Health, Lorena Bolados, and developed in the facilities of the Irma Salas Central Library.  

The main objective of the workshop was to generate a therapeutic space through art, to facilitate self-knowledge and enhance personal resources in favor of self-confidence.  

The attendees reflected through the creative action of the tree of life, on their experiences, strengths, achievements, social support network, dreams, expectations and the possible changes to generate in their lives at the current moment as protective factors to prevent depression.

Likewise, they raised awareness and mobilized from the artwork of the other participants, identifying risk factors, favoring group feedback among attendees.

The “No+Depre” campaign will continue with the development of other preventive activities in relation to stress management, the promotion of physical activity and information on tips to prevent depression during the first semester of the current year, which will be made known, mainly, through social networks such as Instagram, where the campaign has been widely received by the university community and the community in general.

In the final the alumni defeated “La Banda” by the minimum score.

“Espartanos FC” was established as the new champion of the “UPS Titulados Cup”, after beating “La Banda” 1-0 in the final of the competition organized by the Graduate Monitoring Office of the state campus.

This match was played on Saturday, January 12 on the grass fields of the Andrés Bello Campus, as was the match for third and fourth place and where the “Los Amigos del Loco” team defeated “Los Revueltos”.

Once the matches were played, the players received decorations and prizes, which were donated by the sponsors of the championship, who supported sport and healthy coexistence, in this case, YPF, BELTEC, Agua Life and Mutual de Seguridad.

The captain of the winning team, Cristian Leyton, a commercial engineer, explained that the team they formed was made up of different professionals and that they only met a few times before the championship to bond as a group, highlighting the good disposition of all and that in the end what prevailed It was the desire to play and have fun.

“I found the championship super entertaining, we had participated before and some of the guys in the group knew each other, but half of the team didn't, so we played a couple of games before the championship to prepare and it turned out well. It is a super good opportunity to create bonds and meet former teammates, know what they are up to and take advantage of having a good time doing what we like, which is playing ball,” Leyton said happily after receiving the champions trophy.

During the awards ceremony, the goalscorer and the least beaten goalkeeper of the competition were awarded. In the category of top scorer, Samuel Henríquez, from “La Banda”, stood out for the second consecutive year, while Dariam Rojas, from “Los Amigos del Loco”, was the best goalkeeper of the sporting event and who received the decoration, as well than Jean Fowler, from “Espartanos FC”.

“This is the second time we have played and put together a group of players aged 35 and up, we all once played in the university team and we also got together because of a friend who is Rodrigo Méndez, who passed away, all of us his teammates and of the selection. The idea was to become champion, but it was not possible, we lost on penalties in the semifinal, on the court we came out undefeated and I think the least beaten hurdle. We were left with a bit of a bitter feeling of not having achieved our goal, but also very happy to participate and get together with friends I hadn't seen in years," the goalkeeper said excitedly.

The main objective of the championship was to link students, graduates and/or graduates of the U. de La Serena with their Alma Mater through recreational and sports activities; develop and encourage the sport and the interpersonal relationships of the participants; generate contact networks in favor of the early labor insertion of students and graduates; and disseminate activities of the ULS Graduate Monitoring Office and its collaborators.

It should be noted that sporting events, not just football, will be a constant in the work of the Graduate Monitoring Office, which is why all graduates are called to pay attention to the calls and register for this type of activities.