The initiative has allowed ULS students to develop their reports, theses and practices in strategic areas of knowledge.

The original idea, which gave life to the Multidisciplinary Research Group in Energy and Environmental Management, GIMEGA, bore its first fruits. The student Sofía Saldívar, with a degree in Laboratory Chemist, became the first student to qualify for 100% Ineergias, an initiative that aimed to bring together various forms of work to condense knowledge and develop studies for the students and the University of La Serena. .

The commitment of the professionals in charge of this group has been to carry out studies in multidisciplinary areas, where chemistry and physics are mixed, associated with energy efficiency and sustainability, and where students were able to develop their knowledge in reports, theses and practices.

In this context and after several months of continuous and systematic work, Sofía Zaldívar carried out different actions aimed at studying how the properties of zinc sulfide (ZnS) change by modifying certain parameters in the process of obtaining the material. What she achieved with this study was the optimization of the process of obtaining and standardizing the parameters. Thus, it was shown that the material under certain manufacturing conditions is an excellent candidate to be used in solar cells (devices that transform sunlight into electric current).

For the Director of Institutional Studies and Planning of the University of La Serena, Mg. César Espíndola, “it is a relevant milestone, a commitment that the Rector entrusted three years ago, to position an area of ​​energy efficiency and sustainability as an area of ​​development for the University. Today we have research teams, assigned researchers, online Master's programs, Doctorate programs and today we can see how a student graduates after having gone through the systematic work plan of this Institutional Improvement Program.

Likewise, Espíndola highlighted the preparation of two students who will represent the institution in an international Congress. These are the students of Environmental Civil Engineering, Nicole Muñoz and Luis Felipe Galleguillos, who will present at the ''3rd Colombian Congress of Advanced Oxidation Processes''. 

“This accounts for the creation of a school, a group where researchers and more than 30 students come to participate and work on topics related to the work of Ineergias. Although they are indicators of the performance agreement, the most relevant thing is that today they give life to an area of ​​development. There are students who are doing their professional practices, their degree reports and that allows us to predict that at least from this group, there will be several scientists who are going to contribute in this or another part of the country in these areas of development," he indicated.

The Multidisciplinary Research Group in Energy and Environmental Management, GIMEGA, belongs to the Multidisciplinary Research Institute in Science and Technology of the University of La Serena and Ineergias (PMI 1401), and develops research activities focused, mainly, on studying materials that can capture solar radiation for two reasons: (i) to generate electricity and (ii) decontaminate water.

“They have managed to form a school of students from different careers, they have managed, from their fields, to do research on the topics developed by the Ineergias project, which is very good for us as an institution. The issues of energy and environment are very important for the country and the University, here we are promoting it and we believe that it is an excellent way for students to have continuity within their areas of work," said the Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies. , Eduardo Notte

Managers, researchers Dr. Adriana Mera and Dr. Carlos Rodríguez, students and guests participated in the presentation of the memory work.