The well-attended event was attended by regional authorities and academics from the University of La Serena, as well as teachers and students from the different educational establishments that make up the project.

In order to close a successful year of work, the members of the Conecta ULS 2195 project - an initiative led by the Academic Vice-Rector of the University of La Serena (ULS) and the Directorate of Links with the Environment and Extension (Diveuls), which is carried out with funds from the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) -, held its second annual seminar: “Connecting Territories through Creative Thinking”.

The activity - which took place on November 28 at the Amphitheater of the Isabel Bongard Campus of the ULS - was attended by various academics from the ULS, as well as teachers and students from the Canela Alta School, the Huatulame School in the commune of Monte Patria, the El Guindo Basic School in Ovalle and the Irma Salas School in Punitaqui. The director of the La Colorada Basic School, Luis Tapia, also attended, who is also coordinator of the Microcenter of Subsidized Private Schools of Combarbalá.

In addition to this, the day included the participation of the Seremi de Medio Ambiente de Coquimbo, Leonardo Gros; the Seremi of Cultures, Arts and Heritage of Coquimbo, Cedric Steilen and the person in charge of CECREA Coquimbo, Rodrigo Villalón; the Chief of Staff of the Seremi of Education of Coquimbo, Eduardo Marín, and the secretary of the Association of Rural Municipalities, Sergio Ríos.

The seminar began with a collaborative mural under the direction of the specialist in Science Education and Project-Based Learning (PBL) of the Conecta ULS Project, Paulina Valdivia, followed by the participation of the ULS academic, Dr. Sebastián Rossel with his presentation: “Creativity for educational innovation: A global vision for local action.”

After this, the artistic presentation of the String Quartet of the Jorge Peña Hen Experimental School of Music took place, led by director Christopher Toledo; followed by the talk “Light Explorations-Immersive Spaces”, by the members of the “The Speed ​​of Light” Collective, Pablo Godoy; and Luis González and Francisca Villagrán, who reflected on the relationship between creative thinking and their work.

After this, the interactive session was held: “Forming Creative Thinking”, under the direction of Paulina Valdivia, an occasion in which the attending students used recyclable materials to create their own version of the new Conecta ULS mascot, “Conectín”.

To conclude the event, a video was presented, through which you could see some of the activities carried out by the Conecta ULS team during the year 2023, both in the vicinity of the ULS and in the different educational establishments that make up this project. which could also be achieved with the help of different state institutions that have become part of the Advisory Committee of the Conecta ULS 2195 project.

After the activity, the director of the Canela Alta School, Helene Vega - who attended the eighth grade students together - said that “the fact that the University opens the door to the students for a first approach is a positive experience. and enriching, just as Conecta ULS has been for our institution, a true success, which is why we are very happy and looking forward to continuing working with the University of La Serena."

The director of the La Colorada Basic School, Luis Tapia, also referred to this instance, pointing out that “I really liked the video they showed, since it shows the participation of the schools, it also highlighted the participation of the students in the design of the mascot and the different presentations.”

For his part, the Seremi of the Environment of the Coquimbo Region, Leonardo Gros, stated that “the ULS - the only state university in the Coquimbo Region - is developing interesting work linking with the environment through its Conecta project. ULS, of which we are part as members of its Advisory Committee.”

Finally, the Conecta ULS academic, Sebastián Rossel, indicated that “this event was very special, since we had the participation of Government and ULS authorities, directors, academics and students from the different schools with which we work.” .

Written by Romina Onel, Conecta ULS