The educational day was aimed at teachers from basic and secondary schools and kindergartens in La Serena and other communities in the region.

In seeking to contribute to the training of teachers, providing key content that allows a deep understanding of the total solar eclipse on July 2, the University of La Serena, through the Scientific Dissemination Team of the Vice-Rector's Office for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Together with the Research and Development Directorate, it held the “Educators for the Eclipse” workshop, aimed at teachers from different educational establishments of the Gabriel González Videla Municipal Corporation of La Serena and other communes in the Coquimbo Region.

There were more than 60 teachers, from different specialties, belonging to educational establishments in La Serena, Coquimbo, Vicuña and our own Institution, who participated in different talks and educational didactic activities, with which they sought to provide knowledge regarding the eclipse and astronomy, and how to transmit it to the students of their schools.

Alejandra Leyton, Coordinator of the ULS Scientific Dissemination Team, referred to the importance for the University, within its social role, of generating instances like these. “It is important to convene teachers and be able to carry out this type of training workshops, so that they can later transfer this knowledge to their students, because it is the children who are most interested in the topic of the eclipse and who should have this knowledge,” stated the professional about this activity, in which glasses were also provided to observe the eclipse.

For Cristián Salinas, professor of Mathematics and Physics at the American School of La Serena, it is important that the University organizes activities of this type, where knowledge is transmitted to the community. “I think it's great that the University of La Serena is committed to providing knowledge to the community, especially with phenomena such as the solar eclipse, which arouses a lot of interest in people and especially in children and young people, which demonstrates the commitment it has. the house of studies with the region,” he said.

The presentations and activities were led by astronomers Marcelo Jaque, Guillermo Damke and Pablo Muñoz, and the Master of Education Sciences, Sue Ugalde.

This workshop is part of the various initiatives that the University of La Serena develops jointly with the Municipality of La Serena and the Gabriel González Videla Municipal Corporation, focused on bringing knowledge about this topic to the community. 

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Written by Tomás Rodríguez, DirCom