The new facilities are located next to the Research and Development Directorate, next to the Central Laboratory.

In a ceremony headed by the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, accompanied by the Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Eduardo Notte, invited authorities and directors of different units, the inauguration of the offices of the Multidisciplinary Institute of Science and Technology and departments of the Research and Development Directorate.

In the activity, the Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Eduardo Notte, was emphatic in emphasizing the importance of developing research at the University, advancing the concept of “Complex University” and complying with institutional requirements, exercising a commitment to the same. This is how in the instance, he addressed the fact that there are 4 Doctorate programs accredited by the National Accreditation Commission, an important step for the university and official recognition for the professionals who carry out this work within the institution.

Likewise, the Director of Institutional Studies and Planning, Mg. César Espíndola, emphasized the efforts made to achieve the completion of the new facilities, and thanked the first university authority for the way in which it has addressed the new needs, as well as those who, in a joint effort, managed to make a reality. space for the Research and Development Directorate, which will house researchers and those who are part of the important progress in studies and publications.

The ceremony culminated with the unveiling of the plaque that bears the name of the Research and Development Department and the traditional ribbon cutting, in which, in addition to the Rector and the Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Amelia Ramírez, Director of the unit, together with the Director of the DEIP, Mg. César Espíndola.

The ''Official Merit'' Award was also awarded.

During the Official Inauguration Ceremony of the 2018 Academic Year and commemoration of the thirty-seventh anniversary of the University of La Serena, the state university recognized the dedication of the officials who served 30 and 20 years in the performance of their duties.

This is how the distinction of “Civil Seniority” was awarded to Juanita Acevedo Salinas (Kindergarten), César Aguilera Fernández (Directorate of Services), Danitza Altamirano Urrutia (Dept. of Mathematics), Francisco Araujo Caiafa (Dept. of Health), Pedro Carrera Barraza (Dept. of General Services), Mauricio Costa Pizarro (Dept. of Personnel Welfare), Nancy Díaz Díaz (Dept. of Mining Engineering), Cristian Galarce Césped (Dept. of Architecture), Rodrigo Gallardo Álvarez (Director of Teaching), María Isabel Galleguillos Rojas (Dept. of General Services), Rodrigo Gálvez Gálvez (Dean of the Faculty of Humanities), Carlos Lagos Moraga (Dept. of Mobilization and Transportation), Claudia Munizaga Álvarez (Kindergarten), José Pastén Valencia (Dept. . General Services), Carmen Rojas Aguirre (DGAE), Pedro Vergara Rodríguez (Dept. of Physical Education and Sports) and Marcela Zúñiga Griffith (Dept. of Health), who have provided 20 years of service to the University.

While Nelson Aguirre Casanga (Supplies Dept.), Luis Aguirre Hidalgo (Civil Works Engineering Dept.), Carlos Bravo Salas (General Services Dept.), Gerardo Cerda Pérez (University Casinos), Raúl Cofré Villalobos (Dept. General Services), Segundo Contreras Godoy (General Services Dept.), Jacqueline Erazo Zamorano (Physics Dept.), Luis Fredes González (Works and Maintenance Dept.), Román García Zárate (General Services Dept.), Soledad González San Juan (Dept. of Biology), Darío Hidalgo Barraza (Dean of the Faculty of Engineering), Frasier Parada Ortiz (Dept. General Services), René Retamal Martínez (Central Library), Álvaro Rojas Ramos (Dept. General Services) and Eugenio Valencia Briceño (Dept. . General Services), were the officials with 30 years of service in the ULS and who this year received distinctions.

It should be noted that the recognized officials who were present at the activity received distinctions from the Vice-Rector for Economic and Administrative Affairs, Mg. Waldo Valencia.

''Office Merit'' Award

In this ceremony, held in the Ignacio Domeyko Aula Magna, the “Office Merit” Award was also presented, an award established by the Rector's Office with the objective of providing adequate and timely recognition to ULS officials.

This year, the recognition went to Claudia Espejo Bugueño, administrative secretary of the Department. of Cs. Economics and Business, who received the distinction from the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés Pizarro.

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During the ceremony, the highest authority of the state campus highlighted the main achievements in Teaching, Management, Research, Postgraduate, Links with the Environment and Student Affairs, and the challenges that the institution will have to face.

In the Aula Magna Ignacio Domeyko and before a large audience, the Official Inauguration Ceremony of the 2018 Academic Year of the University of La Serena and the 2017 public account of the Rector of the house of higher studies, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés Pizarro, were held , act framed in the thirty-seventh anniversary of the state campus.

Regional and community authorities, the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement and Security, as well as members of the university community, participated in this ceremony in which the highest authority of the ULS highlighted the main achievements in Teaching, Management, Research, Postgraduate, Links with the Environment and Student Affairs.

On the occasion, Dr. Avilés reviewed the policies implemented and the progress made in the last decade, where "we have witnessed sustained growth and institutional development, which has required a strong commitment to quality from the entire university community. This is how the University of La Serena has become a house of higher studies of a complex type within the National University System”.

The adequate implementation and sustainability of the Educational Model, the process of curricular renewal, the organization and systematization of the activities of Linkage with the Environment, the management of projects, and the strengthening of the development of Research, were some of the aspects highlighted in its speech.

Precisely, regarding the Research area, he specified that a decade ago the institution reached 32 scientific publications, while currently a record number of 174 WOS publications was achieved, reflecting that "the policy implemented in terms of research gave results". . Dr. Nibaldo Avilés recalled that "in the last institutional accreditation process, we have incorporated the Research area, and our next goal is the Postgraduate area."

In this area, he also highlighted the creation of the so-called "Accreditable" Doctorates, pointing out that 4 of them already have accreditation before the CNA and a fifth has just been created (Doctorate in Energy, Water and Environment), which also complies with the accreditation conditions.

In addition, he emphasized the policy of improvement, maintenance and construction of physical spaces for teaching, research and general use. In addition to this, there are currently projects to incorporate universal accessibility conditions for people with disabilities.

Some of the works mentioned were the construction of Study Workshops and a Reading Room with a capacity of 140 study places on the Andrés Bello Campus, the construction of two classrooms with a capacity of 80 students each on the Enrique Molina Garmendia Campus, the repair of facilities and workshops for the Design degree located on the Isabel Bongard Campus, and the fitting out of the panoramic elevator on the Ignacio Domeyko Campus, among other initiatives, which have meant, in global terms, an investment of close to 900 million pesos.

In turn, he stated that as part of the gradual implementation, the construction of ramps in the Hall sector of the Ignacio Domeyko Campus is contemplated, as well as accessibility works to the CETECFI building and the Biology sector on the Andrés Bello Campus, to name just a few. some initiatives, which means an approximate investment of 57 million pesos. And, through the Institutional Improvement Plan on initial teacher training, the improvement of 9 classrooms of the pedagogy careers is considered, for 38 million pesos, together with the remodeling of the Laboratory of the Center for Language Studies, for more than 15 million pesos.

The highest university authority also stated that "we are about to build our building that will house the Psychology and Nursing careers, in La Serena, a management that has been extensive in terms of financing, administrative and technical aspects, which they have been surpassed. Now we only hope to comply with the rigorous processes that the Comptroller's Office and the Public Procurement Law require of us”.

Similarly, the Chancellor highlighted that the ULS Computing and Information Center "today is the most modern in the northern macro-zone, in terms of capacity, speed, and academic and administrative platforms." An example of this, he indicated, is the modernization of the institutional Data Center, which is the core of all network and telecommunications services, platforms and Information Technology projects of the University.

He also emphasized the implementation "of a policy in keeping with the times in which we live, and which is to promote and count on a greater participation of union associations and students in the most important decisions of the University, as well as decisively addressing highly relevant topics such as gender equality, human rights, inclusion, indigenous peoples, interculturality, harassment and discrimination. The latter requires a regulation that is already under study”.

upcoming challenges

According to what was indicated by the Rector of the ULS, one of the challenges that the institution will have to face is “the consolidation of Research, an accredited area, but one that requires further strengthening; and on the other hand, the accreditation of the Postgraduate Area. This means planning and implementing an operational plan that represents the objectives contained in the Strategic Development Plan. We have the organization and the academic, administrative and financial conditions for that achievement”.

In addition, he indicated that this year it is expected to respond to a long-awaited project by academic associations and teachers who have been contracted for a long period: the reclassification project that allows them to own the position. "The pre-design stage is complete and it is expected to start raising awareness, dissemination and presentation of the project to the collegiate bodies after updating the academic information", he assured.

Lastly, he stressed that it is expected to continue reinforcing matters such as participation, gender equality, inclusion, interculturality, human rights, non-discrimination and the prevention of harassment, "social and cultural challenges, which will allow us to have a university that society imposes on us today. And of course, our new Statute”.

Keynote talk and recognition of officials

During this act, Dr. Juan José Almagro, Doctor of Labor Sciences, Vice President of UNICEF Spain and President of the Council of the Chair of Corporate Social Responsibility of the University of Alcalá de Henares, gave those present the keynote talk "Leading is also educate".

In his presentation, the academic and researcher referred to the challenges that universities face in training ethical people with principles based on integration. Furthermore, he stated that
The houses of studies have the difficult mission of training people, "because they are the ones who, through good practices, should be the ones who command the organizations and that it is not fame and money that do it."

Finally, he indicated that "if you act professionally and behave ethically, go home with the satisfaction of having fulfilled your duty, because ethics is the new revolution."

In this solemn ceremony, recognitions were also given to officials who complete 20 and 30 years of service at the University, in addition to the "Official Merit" award.

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The institutional Data Center is the core of all network and telecommunications services, platforms and Information Technology (IT) projects of the U. of La Serena.

In the premises of the Information Technology and Computing Center (CICULS) and with the presence of university authorities, directors, officials and representatives of REUNA and AURA, the inauguration of the modernization of the Data infrastructure took place at the University of La Serena. ULS Center, where all institutional digital data is received, managed, stored, distributed and made available.

The institutional Data Center, which is managed by CICULS, is the core of all network and telecommunications services, platforms and IT projects of the University of La Serena and has become a tool available to the university community, where will be able to develop and host Technological Innovation projects such as Big Data, Internet of Things, scientific computing, data clouds, business intelligence, data mining, astro computing, neural networks, particle simulation, Data-driven planning and Robot Education, among many other relevant and contingent technologies.

“The digital transformation of the University of La Serena is not a speech, it is a commitment to a paradigm shift, in university management, action and decision-making, where our institution continues to commit human, economic and time resources. This modernization is aimed at reaching the TIER 3 level of our Data Center, one of the highest standards in Data Center worldwide, which today only some universities in Chile and the world have access to,” stated the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés. , during this activity that was part of the commemoration of the thirty-seventh institutional anniversary.

The Director of CICULS, Luis Andrés Moya, meanwhile, pointed out that “this modernization of the Data Center infrastructure is vital and strategic, it is the opportunity for the University to take a fantastic qualitative step (…). Furthermore, today it allows us to consolidate our leadership in the northern macrozone,” since, according to the professional, there are no other university Data Centers at this level in the aforementioned macrozone.

This strategic location of the institution has a 10 Gbps link to the world between the Data Center and the REUNA Data Center, allowing navigation on the Academic Internet and Internet 2, navigation of content providers such as Google and Microsoft and the commercial internet browsing. In addition, it has electrical security services that allow working 24/7, and data security through a state-of-the-art Firewall.

Added to this is a wireless network that provides services to more than 3 academics, students and administrators daily, with more than 80 high-end Wi-Fi devices distributed across all University campuses; a wired network that serves more than 1.500 academics, students and administrators daily, with more than 50 km of structured cabling and more than 10 km of Fiber Optic; a network that supports the registration process with more than 2 thousand online students; one Ccomputing capacity with the highest performance in 2D and 3D, with more than 30 servers for research and innovation; storage capacity close to Petabyte; among other features.

For the Executive Director of REUNA (National University Network), Paola Arellano, indicated that as a Consortium, “we know that the University of La Serena has an important role and commitment to the development of its region and also of the northern macrozone; To achieve this, it has a body of top-level professionals and academics, and it is precisely for this reason that the development of digital infrastructures, and especially the modernization of its Data Center, plays a vital role so that its community has the conditions to support the most efficient development of academic work, networking, internationalization, and of course, the strategic management of the University.”

He also highlighted the REUNA project in which the ULS and AURA participate, and which considers a new high-speed Optical Network (Santiago - La Serena), which will have an important role as an enabling platform for Research, Education and Innovation in the country.

This technological advance of the institution positions it and allows it to face and undertake new technological challenges of the future for our region and the country.

The ULS student presented the work titled “The conjugal partnership in light of current International Human Rights Law.”

Between March 13 and 15 of this year, the V Student Congress of Civil Law was held, organized by Law students of the University of Chile. The event, which brought together students and graduates of Law courses from all over the country, took place at the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile and featured the presence and participation as a speaker of the Law student of the University of Chile. U. de La Serena, Jaime García López, belonging to the first generation of graduates of the degree.

To participate in this Congress, students must submit their work on topics related to Civil Law, where only the 10 best works have the honor of being exhibited.

The work sent by the ULS student was titled “The conjugal partnership in light of current International Human Rights Law,” which was developed as part of his undergraduate thesis. In the work, the student had the collaboration of the academics' professors, Christian Merino Álvarez and Carlos Magna Rodríguez, who assisted him in the methodological and disciplinary aspects.

As noted, this work was selected from more than 30 works nominated by law students and graduates from all over the country, of which only 10 works had the opportunity to be presented to academics, students and the general public. Additionally, only 2 of these works belong to students from regional universities. One of them from the University of Concepción and the other from the U. de La Serena.

“A great honor and our most sincere congratulations to Jaime García, who raised the name of the young law program at the University of La Serena very highly,” expressed the direction of the program.

The Congress was sponsored by several of the most important legal firms in Chile, sponsored by the University of Chile itself, among others, and the participation of prestigious exponents of national doctrine.

In the Aula Magna, before the attentive gaze of the new students, the Dean(s) of the macrounit dedicated words to his new students.

With the presence of the Academic Vice-Rector, Dr. Jorge Catalán - representing the first authority of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés - the Dean (s) of the Faculty of Sciences, Dr. Héctor Reyes, School Directors and invited authorities, the massive welcoming ceremony was held for the new students who joined the different careers of the Faculty of Sciences this year.

At the meeting, where the authorities of the University and the host Faculty were presented, the new students were able to enjoy musical performances by the Arcis String Quartet, made up of former students and current students of Music Pedagogy.

Likewise, the Dean(s), Dr. Héctor Reyes, addressed those present with emotional words, where he emphasized the new challenges that ULS students will have to face and also thanked them for choosing regional public education, also highlighting the double commitment that the institution has in training new professionals with the distinctive seal that characterizes it as committed to the region and the critical vision of the students. “Now you are university students and I invite you to live this process with enthusiasm and responsibility (…), spaces for critical thinking will open up for you and you will have the privilege of being able to exchange ideas. Come closer and feel welcomed,” he said.

The ceremony culminated with the delivery of a significant gift to the more than 400 students who entered this year's courses at the Faculty of Sciences, and with a recreation space in the hall of the Ignacio Domeyko Campus.