Dr. Luperfina Rojas will hold the position for two years, during which time she will lead the destiny of this organization that brings together more than 30 public and private universities.

Within the framework of the XXIV National Meeting of Schools and Faculties of Administration, held in Valparaíso this November 7, 8 and 9 at the Catholic University of Valparaíso, the election of the president of the Association of Senior Directors of the Faculties of Administration was held, Business or Entrepreneurial Studies (ASFAE), the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences of the ULS, Dr. Luperfina Rojas Escobar, was elected.

The Dean of the FACSE will occupy this position during 2018-2020, during which time it will be her responsibility to direct the destiny of this organization that brings together more than 30 public and private universities.

"In this period it will be my responsibility to lead the work that the universities carry out jointly in matters of business and administration at the national level, and for me it is an honor to have been elected and among the objectives we have is to expand the coverage of the partner Universities As well as internationalizing our Association and its ENEFA congress, we want to promote the joint research of the member universities and enhance our magazine MBR (Multidisciplinary Business Review), it is a challenge that I assume with great commitment since with the joint work of all, we will be able to continue contributing to improve skills in the training of professionals in these disciplines and business management in our country, said Dr. Luperfina Rojas.

ASFAE is made up of the Deans and Senior Managers of Chilean universities that offer careers in the areas of administration, business or business. This is a permanent organization, established to coordinate, cooperate and complement each other in activities related to the work of the disciplines of business sciences.

Collaboration agreements were established with the communes of Combarbalá, Ovalle, Paihuano, Monte Patria and La Serena.

In the search to achieve an improvement in the Initial Training of Teachers at the University of La Serena, and within the framework of the Plan for Institutional Improvement of Pedagogies (PMI FIP ULS1501), the institution established the commitment to consolidate collaborative alliances with municipalities, municipal corporations and local Education services of the Coquimbo Region.

In this context, five new collaboration agreements were signed in a symbolic ceremony held on November 12 of this year, in the premises of the university. The highest authority of the institution, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, participated in the activity; the General Secretary of the Municipal Corporation Gabriel González Videla, Patricio Bacho; the mayor of the Paihuano commune, Hernán Ahumada; the mayor of the commune of Combarbalá, Pedro Castillo; Robinson Lafferte attended, representing the Monte Patria commune; and representing the commune of Ovalle, Sigfrido Villar.

“For the University of La Serena it is a great responsibility to assume this work together with the communities, and we are certain that this action will gradually bear fruit. Our commitment is reflected in the work we do with students who come from different communities, by giving them the best conditions to become quality professionals who will contribute to the development of the country,” said the Rector of the University of La Serena. , Dr. Nibaldo Avilés.

In this way, the main purpose of this initiative is to design strategies and activities in conjunction with the respective communes, which generate real opportunities to share pedagogical knowledge and experiences obtained in the practices sustained by teachers in the educational system.

“The vocation of a regional university is stamped on actions like these that allow us to reach municipalities with collaboration and training activities that often have a deficit in access and in the training of skills of our teachers who today are providing service to our communities. . This initiative will allow undergraduate students to have tools that visualize what it means to leave from university theory, and thus install a regional vision outside the walls to improve the quality of life of the entire region," emphasized the Mayor of Combarbalá. Pedro Castillo.

The same was pointed out by his counterpart from Paihuano, Hernán Ahumada, who highlighted that these actions will improve education and bring the communes closer to the only state university in the region.

For his part, the representative of the Ovalle commune, Sigfrido Villar, stated that “from a professional and practical point of view, the alliance is of tremendous importance since it is strengthening the capabilities of future teachers who carry out their work in the different communities, and in this way we have the possibility of exchanging experiences so that our teachers come out better prepared.”

Finally, the General Secretary of the Gabriel González Videla Corporation, Patricio Bacho, confirmed that “this possibility allows us to provide more tools to our teachers, students in practice, high school students and at the same time strengthen the link with the ULS, which is the main pedagogical reference in the Region and which has a long tradition in the training of teachers who work in our corporation. Therefore, as this link is strengthened, it will generate greater actions for the benefit of our own students.”

In general, among the actions considered in the agreement, the holding of training workshops, seminars, internships, use of infrastructure, educational innovation activities through ICT, disciplinary updating programs, generation of alliances to evaluate curricular redesign, internships and monitoring of ULS graduates in rural areas. “What we are doing today is reaffirming the commitment of the ULS with its region, educational communities and municipalities and above all with the training of our students both from the institution and also from the educational establishments,” highlighted the Alternate Executive Director of the PMI, Dr. Fabián Araya.

It should be noted that these agreements are in addition to those concluded last year with the communes of Coquimbo, La Higuera, Salamanca, Vicuña and Río Hurtado, and it is expected in the short term to specify the alliances with the remaining communes of the Coquimbo Region.

Source: Unit for the Integrated Management of Pedagogies (UGIP) | PMI FIP ULS1501 – CM ULS 1755

Researchers in the area of ​​education and biology obtained 2 of the 4 funds from the FONDECYT Initiation contest that the Coquimbo Region was awarded in 2018

Scientific research is a priority area of ​​development within the University of La Serena, since through it it seeks to be a contribution to the resolution of regional and global problems, in addition to improving our quality of life. Future professionals trained at the ULS thus obtain a direct contribution to their comprehensive training in order to respond to the needs of the region through their work.

In this way, the ULS provides the necessary conditions to promote and incentivize the creation of new research projects. This is reflected in the recent award obtained by Dr. Haylen Perines, academic researcher at the Integrated Management of Pedagogies Unit (UGIP) and Dr. Cristián Salgado, biologist and researcher at the Department of Biology, who obtained resources from of the Scientific and Technological Development Fund (FONDECYT) of Initiation 2018.

On the one hand, Dr. Perines, who has developed her line of research around the “distance between educational research and teaching practice”, will begin research work in 2019, with a duration of 2 years, with her project called “Presence and importance of educational research in pedagogical training and its assessment by students and teachers”, which has among its main objectives to determine the presence that research has in training programs in the graduation profile of the careers of Pedagogy. For this reason, the Doctor highlighted that “educational research is important in teacher training to build a more qualified teacher.”

On the other hand, Dr. Salgado, whose line of research is framed in plant ecology, more specifically “functional and evolutionary ecology of plants”, will begin his 3-year project on evolutionary ecology of invasions that occur in the Desert of Atacama, with emphasis on the flowering desert, and which seeks to study the impact that invasive species and eco-evolutionary processes may have on the area to be investigated. The researcher emphasizes the collaboration with master's students who will support the project, taking into account that the work will be carried out in the field, reaffirming that "ecological science requires a lot of effort in the field and always requires collaborative work."

The main projection of these investigations is to be a contribution to the knowledge and appreciation of each area, as well as to the development of advanced human capital.

Source: VIPULS and Digital Campus

Students from Germany, Belgium, Colombia, Spain and Mexico participated in the activity, who through various stands shared part of their cultures and traditions with the university community.

In the premises of the Ignacio Domeyko Campus and with great attendance, the tenth version of the traditional International Exchange Student Fair was held, organized by the International Relations Office of the U. of La Serena.

In the activity, students from Germany, Belgium, Colombia, Spain and Mexico shared part of their culture and traditions with university authorities, directors, teachers, officials and students of the state campus, who were able to talk with foreign students and taste typical foods.
 
The Rector(s) of the ULS, Dr. Jorge Catalán, highlighted that this unsaturated instance by the Office of International Relations “serves to publicly show a little of what the culture and expressions of the daily life of each of the countries of the students who visit us and honor us by having chosen our University to carry out an academic semester.” In his speech, the authority added that it is “an excellent opportunity for exchange between you and also between students of the University.”

The opening of the fair also included the words of the Auditing student, Francisca Coloma, who did an internship in Malaga (Spain). The student shared her enriching experience with those present and urged ULS students to take advantage of these opportunities and apply for scholarships for further training abroad. “Wanting is power,” said the student.

For her part, the student from the Technical University of Dresden (Germany), Thorid Wagenblast, valued the experiences in this university and in the city of La Serena, stating that the group of exchange students has had the opportunity to get to know another culture and education, learn a new language and make many good friends.

At this tenth fair, information was also provided on the various scholarship options that ULS students have to apply for and details of the Tutoring Program were provided.

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The Integrated Mining Technologies Piloting Center is promoted by five Chilean universities, including the University of La Serena, through its Mining Engineering Department.

With the symbolic signature between CIPTEMIN and four mining service and supplier companies, the official launch of the Integrated Mining Technologies Piloting Center was carried out. On the occasion, more than one hundred attendees had the opportunity to learn about the main objectives and scope of the Center.

This Integrated Center is promoted by five Chilean universities: Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Universidad de La Serena and the Technological University of Chile, Inacap; two centers of international excellence: Fundación Inria Chile and Fundación Leitat Chile, together with the company specializing in Mining Piloting, Asmin Industrial Ltda. and the advisor and administrator of national and international investment funds, Genesis Partners SA

The launching ceremony was led by the Rector of the Universidad Católica del Norte and president of the Board of Directors of CIPTEMIN, Jorge Tabilo Álvarez, as well as government authorities, academia, mining companies, suppliers and related companies.

The event included the symbolic signing of the agreement between CIPTEMIN, Molyb, Grupo Minero Las Cenizas, Enaex and Enami, which will allow CIPTEMIN to enable and have test spaces to carry out the pilot projects demanded by the sector. The firm considers the commitment of test spaces and financial contributions for the optimal development of piloting on a pilot, semi-pilot and industrial scale.

For CIPTEMIN, this milestone “has been a great opportunity to show ourselves to the mining world, since many companies were interested and the first conversations are already underway to generate new agreements and ties in favor of optimal development for the Center,” stated the Director of the Center, the academic from the Universidad Católica del Norte, Cynthia Torres.

The problem of the lack of testing spaces, identified in the Mining roadmap of the Alta Ley Program, as one of the difficulties for the development of mining suppliers and entrepreneurs, promoted by Corfo, is solved through the launch of CIPTEMIN, as an Integrated Piloting Center in demand of validations and certifications by the mining ecosystem.

According to Sylvana Cárdenas, Corfo executive, having this launch milestone “opens up a tremendous opportunity for CIPTEMIN so that its reach is even greater and just as agreements have been signed with some companies, there may be opportunities for others to join the Center. , as potential clients.”

The official launch allowed the Center to present how it fits into the mining world, specifically with the national strategic mining program, Technological Roadmap 2015-2035, whose objective is to strengthen productivity and innovation in the national mining industry and its suppliers. In addition, the relationship that has been determined with the Antofagasta Mining Cluster was announced, where the creation of a Piloting Center fits in with its roadmap in the strategic axis number of four "Distributed platform of spaces of piloting test and prototyping of innovations”, pointing to the future vision of the Northern zone, as a technological pole that leads innovation and entrepreneurship from the mining business for Chile and the world.

Among the goals considered are consolidating a sustainable institutional framework with the Mining Cluster, increasing the regional participation of SMEs in B&S purchases in the mining industry, increasing the regional and zonal export supply of specialized mining services and, finally, the relationship with the Regional Government as another factor to consider, for the eventual support for FNDR and FIC-R projects.

For CIPTEMIN, the call to the event was a resounding success, considering the achievement of having the support of more than one hundred attendees and representatives of recognized companies in the sector and even more, with the symbolic signing of the agreements with four supplier and mining companies that sealed the launch as another milestone in the path that CIPTEMIN has been developing.

The Integrated Center for the Piloting of Mining Technologies was born under CORFO's Program for Strengthening and Creation of Enabling Technological Capacities for Innovation. For this purpose, it has transversal financing equivalent to approximately $10 billion, and an integrated network of testing spaces in the unit operations declared as priorities.
 
Source: https://fch.cl/

The agreement between the state school and the subsidiary company of Mitsubishi will allow twelve students from technical high schools in the mining area to be part of an internship program, and two students from the Department of Mining Engineering to obtain scholarships to cover the final year's tuition. of their careers.

At the Central House of the University of La Serena, the donation agreement was signed between MC Inversiones Limitada, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, and the house of higher education, through the Department of Mining Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering, the which will allow the training of twelve students from professional technical high schools in the Coquimbo Region and also the delivery of two university scholarships to talented students of Mining careers from the state campus.

The activity was headed by the Rector of the ULS, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MC Inversiones Ltda., Nobuyuki Ariga; the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Mario Durán; the Seremi of Mining, Roberto Vega; the academic director of the project and teacher, Mg. Luis Eyquem; representatives of the company, academics, directors of educational establishments, scholarship holders and relatives of the beneficiary students.

Regarding the training program that benefits talented students from the Pablo Neruda (Coquimbo) and Raúl Silva Henríquez (Ovalle) schools and the Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez High School (La Serena), the academic director of the project, Luis Eyquem, explained that the initiative has The objective is to give the opportunity to students who graduate from these establishments “so that they can choose to obtain the number of hours of practice they require to be able to receive their technical license as miners.”

The initiative takes on special relevance if one considers that, currently, a significant number of graduates from technical high schools do not have the opportunity to carry out their internship, a key factor in obtaining their degree and functioning in the world of work.

This internship program is developed at the Mina Escuela Brillador ULS Experimentation and Training Center in Mining Metallurgical Processes, where students will acquire theoretical and practical knowledge.

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Mario Durán, highlighted that this agreement is “a tremendous opportunity to link with the environment, it is a virtuous alliance between the University of La Serena and the company, in this case MC Inversiones Ltda., to support the community, especially for technical high school students to carry out internships. “We are very proud of this program and the company’s contribution.”

Meanwhile, the CEO of MC Inversiones Ltda., Nobuyuki Ariga, stated that “for us, as a sustainable company, continuous growth together with you and the community of the regions is a main objective and is part of our focus as a company. For this reason, we continue to support the educational system in the region with the University of La Serena, an initiative that we began in 2013 since we know that these types of programs can achieve great impacts not only for the person as an individual, but also for the mining industry. and the community in the short, medium and long term.”

During the ceremony, the internship commitment letters were delivered to the students: Daniel Vega, John Rodríguez, Ricardo Jaime, Cristian Aguilera, Raquel Avilés, Sebastián Collao, Hambar Pizarro, Jujunith Rojas, José galleguillos, Diego Pérez, Javiera Bravo and Diego Vergara .

In addition, the scholarships were awarded to ULS students, Edgard Herrera, of Civil Mining Engineering, and Pía Allende, of Mining Execution Engineering. The latter highlighted the investment made by MC Inversiones Ltda. for students in the mining sector, “I consider that education is the most important thing, all problems can be solved with education, so I am very happy because they contribute to this so important like our university careers” and the practices of technical high school students.

In this sense, the Seremi of Mining, Roberto Vega, along with evaluating the signing of this agreement, emphasized that “education is an element of social mobility, just like mining. Here we have twelve young people who, through this agreement with MC Inversiones Limitada, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, are achieving their dreams of entering large-scale mining.” And he added that "here we see that mining has a strong commitment (...), it is the engine of development and mobility of Chileans, especially the inhabitants of the Coquimbo Region, a region with mining history and tradition."

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