The exhibition on parasites of human beings and their pets linked students, teachers and researchers with the school and general community of the Coquimbo Region.

A large number of people participated for three days in the “Educational Exhibition in Sciences: Parasites of human beings and their pets”, an activity organized and carried out jointly by the Pedagogy in Biology and Natural Sciences, Nursing and Journalism careers of the University of La Serena. On the occasion, around 30 students, professors and researchers collaborated, who attended the public in the tent set up for the exhibition and were in charge of the different talks that were held around the same topic.

For its main manager, academic Jorge Cepeda, this instance sought to “educate people a little, school children and adults on the subject of the human-pet relationship, especially since there are many poorly cared for dogs, and the possibility of "The fact that there are parasites in these dogs is quite big." Likewise, the teacher added that "the idea is, on the one hand, to help promote the accreditation process of these three careers, and on the other, to educate people, starting from small children to the elderly, in relation to good treatment and good care, mainly of dogs and cats, due to the possibility that if they are neglected they transmit some diseases and parasites, and there are some of those parasites that are quite dangerous for human beings.”

The fair included three components: a tent presentation with collection material, specimens kept in formalin; a second part in the laboratory, on the risks of eating raw fish and shellfish; and the third, a series of talks given by professors from the University, nurses, professionals from the Department of Biology and the Ministry of Health who are working, for example, on the topics of Hydatidosis.

For the Seremi de Salud, Alejandro García, this activity “is very important because it is bringing research and knowledge to the community in general and specifically schools (…). It is important that education leaves universities and works together with the community, and especially on these types of issues that are very important, such as parasites, how they are transmitted, how they are prevented, what the control mechanisms are. that can be done, because there is a lack of knowledge.”

Seniors, students, and the general community came to the Andrés Bello Campus to be part of this educational exhibition, among them, the differentiated Science elective of the third year of Saint Mary El Milagro School. “We found it interesting to come, since in any science investigation we try to give them the perspective of the three sciences, so although we did an activity for them, they then have another complementary activity where they can direct it to Chemistry, Physics or Science. Biology. The idea is to make an articulation of the three sciences,” said one of the teachers in charge of the group.

Finally, the organizers and the attendees were very satisfied and amazed by the knowledge delivered and acquired in these three days of continuous exhibition, which also had the positive integration of these three university courses.

This activity corresponds to one of the awarded Environmental Linkage projects promoted by the Academic Vice-Rector's Office and DIVEULS.

Source: DIVEULS press

See photo gallery