For professionals at the University of La Serena, this experience was fundamental since it constitutes the first step in establishing a formal alliance between both laboratories.

Academics from the Laboratory of Research and Technological Innovation for Science Education (LIITEC-ULS), carried out a two-day research stay at the Chemistry Didactics Laboratory of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV). Professors Francisco López, belonging to the Department of Biology, and Carlos Urrutia, from the Department of Education, participated in a technical meeting with the Director of said laboratory, Dr. Cristián Merino, an opportunity in which they exchanged experiences in the area of ​​didactics of natural sciences and implementation of innovative technologies in educational processes.

The activities took place during the first days of January at the Curauma Campus of the PUCV and, within the framework of the meeting, the academics had the opportunity to share with the research team and professors from the Institute of Biology of said institution. For the academics of the University of La Serena, this experience was fundamental since it constitutes the first step in establishing a formal alliance between both laboratories.

In this sense, Professor Francisco López pointed out that “this is a visit focused on exploring areas of collaboration between both institutions, establishing alliances in terms of linking in undergraduate training in science, as well as validation of content and research in educational technological resources. ”.

Professor Carlos Urrutia, LIITEC-ULS research coordinator, valued the possibility of carrying out said stay, as it implied a relevant step in the generation of strategic alliances that enable, in the short term, the formalization of joint research projects. , thus contributing to the actions to strengthen research included in the Strategic Development Plan of the University of La Serena (2016-2020).

In this regard, Dr. Merino indicated that the objective of the visit focused on learning about the laboratory's lines of research, especially those related to instructional design and the use of technology for science learning. On this occasion, theoretical and methodological frameworks were shared for the development and promotion of visualization as an essential capacity so that students can navigate the different models used by scientific disciplines, in order to be able to explain the different phenomena that are related to them. of your interest; all of this mediated by the use of new technologies.

Additionally, ULS academics presented two projects that LIITEC is developing, these are: “3D Cell Division”, which is a mobile application with Augmented Reality visualization, and “Cellfie-ULS”, which is an integrated system for capturing , labeling, managing and publishing photographs taken through an optical microscope using a mobile device.
The head of Biochemistry, Dr. Alexis González, and the director of the Institute of Chemistry, Nelson Osses, while appreciating the project, raised the importance of establishing potential cooperation strategies between both institutions, especially in the generation of histological images. of different fabrics.

The project was also presented to Dr. Verónica Rojas, Head of Teaching at the Institute of Biology, who provided preparations for optical microscopy that will favor the capture of images of said process, with the purpose of contributing to “3D Meiosis”, which is a Mobile app that is being developed by LIITEC-ULS.

Finally, the commitment was established to present projects and publications in line with the topics discussed and to study the possibility of generating internships for undergraduate students, and stays for researchers from both institutions.

Source: DEIP Press