A joint initiative between the Academic Vice-Rector's Office and the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension (DIVEULS).

Six projects obtained the desired resources to enhance the activities they have been developing in the area of ​​links with the environment and that fully responds to the objective of this call, which is to promote and strengthen activities of a disciplinary, technological, productive, professional or cultural nature. that generate a bidirectional relationship and/or a feedback effect towards teaching and research.

In this third call for competitive funds destined for “Environmental Linkage Projects” 2018, six initiatives led by the institution's academics were awarded: Marco Gutiérrez, from the Design major; Sandra Álvarez, Pedagogy in History and Geography; Alejandra Jana, from the Nursing career; Mauricio Godoy, Mechanical Engineering; Christian Castillo, from Dentistry; and Jorge Cepeda, from the Department of Biology.

One of the awarded projects is titled “Production and evaluation of teaching materials to support the development of mathematical thinking abilities in blind and low vision children at the Luis Braille School of La Serena”, and is led by academic Marco Gutiérrez, who He commented on the feelings of his entire work team. “We are very happy because this year we decided to work with a different technology than several of the projects, which is 3D printing with polymer materials and we are just getting to know that technology and it has inputs that have their costs (…), and this time the project "It allows us to do something else that is impossible in other years, which is to visit Santiago to share experiences in a school for the blind that has more resources, that has done projects with other universities," he explained.

Likewise, they awarded the projects titled: “Sowing champions Universidad de La Serena / Antakari and its solar car Intikallpa”, by Professor Mauricio Godoy; “Maxillofacial Rehabilitation with ocular prosthesis”, by Christian Castillo; “Promoting self-care in sexual and reproductive health, a tool to improve quality of life. Recipients: groups of adult women organized and recruited by SERNAMEG”, by Alejandra Jana; “Development of an application for mobile devices for the Network of History and Geography Teachers of the University of La Serena”, by Sandra Álvarez.

Regarding this last project, the academic commented that the objective is to strengthen a network of professors in the Ped career. in History and Geography. “For several years now, the program has had a network of professors, the vast majority of whom are graduates of our program, and we are constantly getting together, updating ourselves, both disciplinary and pedagogically, that is, in one way or another the program has contributed to that updating. through certain meetings and professional ties in general.”

Likewise, the academic explained why they worked on a digital proposal. “We need a strategy that allows us to first capture their attention because we know that they are people who are working in the system, that they are always very busy, that they do not always have the possibility of coming to our meetings and we think about an online application that allows us to link and be interconnected, and on the other hand, we also think about a mobile application, for mobile devices, because today we have to be aware and in tune with new technologies.”
 
Finally, the director of DIVEULS, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, highlighted the importance of encouraging, supporting and collaborating with these initiatives. “For this Directorate and for the Academic Vice-Rector's Office, it is very pleasing to support these projects because the connection with the environment that academics carry out in their departments has to be strengthened much more, to continue and continue advancing in our institutional accreditation process in this area. I can only congratulate all those who applied, and especially the winners, because their projects, apart from being very interesting, demonstrate that the academics who apply understand the bidirectional relationship that the connection with the environment must have."

This call is made jointly between the Academic Vice-Rector's Office and the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension (DIVEULS).

Source: DIVEULS press

The ULS Publishing House administratively depends on the Directorate of Liaison with the Environment and Extension of the state educational institution.

Since its creation, this initiative has aimed to edit, produce, distribute and sell its own books, with the publishing seal of the University of La Serena, which has been positively received by the institution's academics and the community in general. This has allowed both research and enriching classroom experiences to be shown in approximately 120 books with the ULS Editorial seal and 50 internal University publications (memories, manuals, among others).

It should be noted that this project, which began 11 years ago, currently has books in physical and digital format, as well as different presentation and distribution platforms. This is how Editorial ULS has been presented at different regional, national and international fairs, such as Lima (Peru), Guadalajara (Mexico), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Santiago (Chile).

In addition, among its advances, it has the current distribution of its texts in 8 physical bookstores nationwide and on around 10 international platforms, which means that books with the U. de La Serena seal can be purchased from anywhere in the world. .

In this regard, the person in charge of the Editorial, Alejandro Abufom, highlighted that the Editorial has grown exponentially year after year and that it is recognized both inside and outside the country, "which means that in the near future we will expand the physical space and we will add two professionals to the team to help us strengthen distribution and presence at international fairs.”

Currently, the Editorial is working together with the publishers of state universities, to generate an exchange of publications so that the texts of all these universities have a presence in each of them. The Director of DIVEULS, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, highlighted that “this joint work will allow us in the future to enhance the objectives set by DIVEULS with emphasis on cooperation with other universities in the state, for example, the publication of the book 'Extension, Art and Culture' produced by the ULS Editorial.

Likewise, the distribution and sale of books abroad, in physical format, through www.buscalibre.com stands out. “This is very interesting because it has allowed us, as a provincial publisher, to have a global showcase. Right now they buy books from Colombia, Spain, the United States, among other countries,” both in paper and ebooks, explained Alejandro Abufom.

The Publisher also manages the ULS Bookstore, open to the general public since 2008, located at the ULS Extension Center, Los Carrera 207, La Serena. In this space, texts from our own and from other publishers are sold, with special discounts for students of any establishment and level of education and for the ULS university community.

University Editorials Workshop - AUR

The Group of Regional Universities (AUR) recently organized a workshop with the people responsible for the publishing houses of the CRUCh's regional universities. In this matter, universities face great difficulties, partly because the production of books and publications they produce is not for profit.

In this regard, José A. Ábalos, executive director of the AUR, commented that “in the workshop convened by AUR there were several presentations and, for those who do not know this field, the presentation by Alejandro Abufon, from Editorial ULS, caught my attention. , since being an institution from a region very different from the metropolitan ones, where there are institutions that have many resources, he reported on the management and effort of the ULS of great efficiency, creativity and commitment.

Furthermore, Ábalos added: "I think this is no coincidence, the 2017 Statistical Report of the Chilean ISBN Agency puts that university among the 10 Chilean universities with the highest production of degrees, surpassing several others that have much greater resources."

For the second semester, the Pedagogical Theater Meeting is expected to take place at the University of La Serena and the National Choir Meeting at the University of O'Higgins, among others.

An intense work agenda for the second half of 2018 is committed to the Art, Culture and Heritage Network that makes up the 18 universities that are part of the state higher education system. Agenda that is framed in the Multiannual Plan 2018-2020 approved by the Board of Directors of the Consortium of State Universities (CUECH).

This was announced by Mónica Quiroz, director of the CUECH Network Objective Framework Agreement, during the ordinary meeting held by the Network at the University of Los Lagos. Quiroz highlighted the definition of art, culture and heritage as a strategic area of ​​development until 2020 by the Consortium.

“The Art, Culture and Heritage Network's fundamental objective is to contribute to the reflection and development of arts and culture at a national and regional level from universities and today we find ourselves at a crucial moment for the network in order to give a qualitative leap in terms of what university cultural management means, understood as a management model that embodies this declaration of being a significant contribution to regional and national development,” he said.

In this sense - Quiroz added - a multi-year plan has been determined that contains programs, projects and activities that will begin to be developed systematically from the second half of 2018 and that will make visible a way of creating culture from the integrated system that constitutes the network. .

Choirs and Pedagogical Theater

As a result of the meeting, five activities were defined and planned that are included in the 2018 work plan. Among them, the main milestone that will mark the semester will be the National Meeting of State University Choirs on November 20 and 21 in the Libertador Region Bernardo O'Higgins and which will be hosted by the recently created University of O'Higgins.

The second activity to be developed will be the Pedagogical Theater Meeting, which aims to share theatrical experiences from an academic perspective. It is expected that attendees will be able to visualize that theater can be a powerful tool for teaching in all areas of knowledge. This event will be held at the University of La Serena on November 15 and will bring together university academics from the country's state universities of any discipline, school teachers, Pedagogy students, theater directors and actors.

The Director of Liaison with the Environment and Extension of the ULS, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, who participated in the creation of this proposal, stated that “educational theater is a very interesting line to explore and implement in any discipline, both in universities as in school education. The particular case of mathematical theater, an area of ​​interest of mine for several years, is something new, at least in our country. Our pride is that the University of La Serena has led this line of work, since we have been working on this issue for several years with our Company ÉTÉULS.”

For the morning session, the meeting considers presenting a play representative of pedagogical theater, having three speakers (university academics) who share their experience, a space for questions and experiences of the attendees, and a closing table about the conclusions. of the meeting. While a workshop, closing and conclusions are planned for the afternoon.

The third planned activity is the Arts Forum, which was previously organized by the University of Chile and will now be organized by the 18 universities of the Network.

Source: DIVEULS press

A new sound by the conductor David Händel and the French horn soloist, Alejandro Meléndez, will open the National Holidays celebrations in the region.

September, month of the Homeland and large-scale concerts. As is traditional every month and responding to its musical work, the ensemble belonging to the Network of Professional Regional Orchestras of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage is preparing to offer a new and magnificent seasonal concert, inspired by 'Chile & Latin America'.

On this occasion, the repertoire stands out for its sublime selection without borders, a captivating journey towards the senses that promises to delight attendees with four magnificent works, among them, the piece 'Paisaje Urbano', by the composer and Altazor and National Music Award winner. , Guillermo Rifo; 'Concert for horn and strings', written by the Chilean, Carlos Zamora, and which will be performed by the guest soloist, Alejandro Meléndez Pino; and then gave rise to 'Fuga y Misterio', by the Argentine bandoneonist and composer Astor Piazzolla, considered one of the most important musicians of the 1th century. The presentation will culminate with the work 'Sinfonietta N°XNUMX', by Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos.

As for the piece for horn and orchestra, Zamora referred to it in an interview with Álvaro Gallegos for Radio Beethoven, in which he maintained that he composed this work for “orchestral format, whether large or small (…), I decided to use only strings as accompaniment, so that the work has the opportunity to be performed anywhere, and there are many string orchestras.” Regarding its structure, it is arranged “in the old way in three movements: fast-slow-fast, with a cadenza in the third. Musically, it follows the line that I have been working on, that is, it involves melotypes and rhythms of indigenous Andean music, although with the novelty that now I also allude to the Mapuche people, through an imitation of the trutruka by the horn. . This is mixed with the melody of the pullay, which is what is sung for Ash Wednesday at the San Pedro de Atacama carnival. It is a pattern that I have been following for years, which is to use those elements of indigenous music,” explained the composer from Calama.

The VII Concert of 'The Symphony of Cultures' will once again be conducted by the American maestro, David Händel, widely known for his passionate musical leadership and abilities to energize both orchestras and audiences, becoming one of the most significant emerging conductors in the world , and the person in charge of massifying his imprint on each work in the program.

Before his last presentation in the city of La Serena, Händel indicated that the concert in tribute to the South American territory will stand out for its character: “we will perform contemporary works that I think the audience will love, it will be a concert with a very diverse program and, Of course, we will have a Chilean composer. On many occasions I have had the opportunity to conduct contemporary works here in La Serena and the public has become very receptive to the new music, they have opened their minds and that is fantastic,” said the maestro. He also extended an affectionate invitation to the local community for next September 14, indicating that “it is always good to celebrate and we always have to do it with music and celebrate Chilean artists, so everyone is welcome to the presentation that we are preparing with great effort.” love to Chile, to its composers and performers.”

The Municipal Theater of La Serena will also have another outstanding national musician on stage, Alejandro Meléndez, professor of the French horn department of the Music Department of the University of La Serena, an artist with extensive work directing Youth Orchestras, leading the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Coquimbo Region. As a concert pianist, he has stood out as first horn of the Carnegie Mellon Philahmonic, Concepción Symphony and La Serena Symphony orchestras, in addition to performing countless recitals for horn and piano in the United States, Spain, Italy, France, Colombia, Argentina and Chile, including the Rapa Nui territory. He is currently premiering with the 'Ensamble 20-21 Chile' the work 'Mistralian Concerts', by the composer and horn player from Serena Joan Capetillo, inspired by the figure of the regional poet and Nobel Prize winner.

In the words of concert pianist Alejandro Meléndez, this presentation entails a triple privilege for him: “first, it is a huge pleasure to perform a Chilean work for horn and orchestra, composed by Carlos Zamora and that rescues traditional themes from Chile, especially from the North of the country; second, sharing with the orchestra as a soloist and generating this new musical bond is special; and, finally, being under the direction of David Händel. I have known the maestro for a long time, we have shared a lot and whenever he comes to conduct the orchestra we go out and talk about music and his experience, so I also have deep admiration for him as a conductor, since my other area is also conducting.” , explained the corn player.

The VII Season Concert 'Chile & Latin America' will take place next Friday, September 14, at the Municipal Theater of La Serena, starting at 20:00 p.m. To attend this event, more than 150 free withdrawal invitations have been arranged: the general public and older adults can go to the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage Coquimbo Region (Colón #848), La Serena Public Library (Colón #495, corner Balmaceda), Gabriela Mistral Regional Library (Juan José Latorre #782) and/or La Serena Municipal Theater (Benavente #580). While school students and students from the University of La Serena can pick up their invitation at the Extension Office of the ULS Music Department (Larraín Alcalde s/n, between Los Jardines and Seminario). Those who are unable to withdraw their invitation will be able to purchase tickets at the municipal venue box office on the same day of the event, with prices ranging from $3.000 for the general public and $2.000 for seniors; while school and ULS students, presenting their credentials.

It should be noted that this presentation has the support and financing of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, through Glosa de Presupuesto Nacional since 2016, added to the important sponsorship of the United States Embassy in Chile, and the collaboration provided by the University of La Serena and the Illustrious Municipality of La Serena, through its Department of Culture and the Municipal Theater.

Source: Press Symphony Orchestra University of La Serena

The book will be presented by Dr. Sylvia Contreras Salinas, an academic from the University of Santiago de Chile.

The Directorate of Links with the Environment and Extension, together with the Publishing House of the University of La Serena, invite the student and general community to the presentation of the book "Education in Human Rights", by the academic of the state campus, Edgardo Carabantes Olivares . The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, September 12, at 18:00 p.m., at the Irma Salas Silva Central Library of the ULS, located at Anfión Muñoz 875, La Serena.

This book comes from a doctoral thesis of Dr. Carabantes, which rescues the experience of those students of Pedagogy careers at the University of La Serena, who for a semester were trained around Human Rights issues, in a space of conversations and reflection.  

In this regard, Alejandro Abufom, in charge of the Universidad de La Serena Editorial, commented: “there is a methodological issue in Human Rights contained in the book that is very important. This book offers a perspective on how to approach the work of Human Rights with students. It is a very useful and much-needed book.”

Abufom also indicated that “this book shows that it is possible to take the investigative work that is done in academia, combine it with work in the classroom with undergraduate students, and place it at the service of readers. That is to say, that knowledge is not locked up in the university, but rather goes abroad and what better way than a book”.

For more information on this and other books or the University of La Serena Bookstore, contact 512204368 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Source: DIVEULS press

The workshop was in its fourth version and aimed to reinforce knowledge and implement new musical techniques in the participants.

For five days, the city of La Serena brought together more than thirty students and musicians from different destinations in the country and Latin America, who participated in the IV version of the orchestral conducting course with the American maestro, David Händel. The successful training workshop, free of charge, was organized by the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation together with the La Serena University Symphony Orchestra and sponsored by the United States Embassy in Chile.

The training was open to both professionals and beginners in orchestral conducting, who were divided into active audiences and listeners, enriching themselves with new learning and musical techniques, to finally culminate a full week of classes leading the regional professional orchestra with a work to your choice.

Directly from the city of La Paz, Bolivia, came Israel Torres, who has extensive musical training in piano, flute and orchestral direction. After his visit to the regional capital, the musician said that “I really liked that the course was intended for conductors of different levels and to be able to work on a repertoire together with the University's own Symphony Orchestra (...). Furthermore, it was an open workshop, free of charge, because courses at this level and with this training abroad, with two pianos, conductor, correction and video recording, cost between 1.500 and 2.000 dollars, so I took advantage of the opportunity to come.”

Torres also referred to the experience lived with his peers and the learning acquired by one of the most acclaimed conductors around the world. It should be remembered that Maestro Händel is extremely well known in the highland country, since from an early age and for 15 years, he was resident conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of said country, standing out for unprecedented growth and significant audience attraction. managing to establish a model of orchestra organization in Latin America.

“Master David Händel is highly recognized worldwide, especially for the work done here in Latin America. In my country he made an impressive change, he managed to attract new audiences, he made many arrangements with the Theater that houses the National Orchestra of Bolivia, and he raised the musical level. He left a great legacy, that is why I came to Chile to study with him, specifically in this course, because I know the level he represents. Händel is an ideal of a director that I would like to reach one day when he reaches professionalism,” said the participant.

For Alfonsina Torrealba, a flutist from Santiago and with a strong conviction to dedicate her life to orchestral conducting, this workshop was key to her professional training: “I am very grateful for the opportunity and that a teacher from another place can correct you. I recently left the conservatory where I studied Music Theory and now I am specializing in orchestral conducting.” And he added that this workshop “contributes a lot to my training because an orchestra conductor here in Chile does not have a career, he does not have an institutionalized place where he can learn permanently, so we, through our work, begin to learn on our own.” ”.

Currently, the young promise conducts in different groups in the Metropolitan Region, so participating in the workshop was essential: “I am grateful for having found out about this course through social networks and with time, that allowed me to ask for permission, since I conduct an orchestra youth and a church music choir in Santiago Centro (…), and now I was able to conduct the professional orchestra of La Serena and it was tremendous, in fact, I asked one of my colleagues to record me because this for me is very valuable and would allow me to apply for a master's degree in Europe, for example.”

Alejandro Nuñez, a trumpet player who graduated in Pedagogy in Musical Education from the University of La Serena, stated that this week of learning was “an instance of personal growth, both musically and academically, there are many aspects that have been worked, that have been corrected and that we dealt with things that we did not realize and that we had learned, and we were able to correct them in this course. It was an instance of growth for all colleagues, one also learns techniques that other participants bring; Therefore, learning with the teacher David Händel has been quite pleasant and light.” Personally, the Serenense musician highlighted having learned about “the impulse of the will that consists of projecting, through gestures, the energy that one wants to share with the orchestra, and the other thing is the preparation, the learning method of the scores and how to act in front of the musicians.”

Finally, the American director expressed that in this IV version “we had more people than ever, more than thirty participants and it is expected to continue growing over the years. There was a very good vibe among everyone, friendship, and we managed the course in a Socratic way, that is, the students themselves criticized their colleagues in a positive and constructive way, and that allowed a very collegial and positive human aspect to exist," adding that in this version "I was delighted with the boys and girls who were part of the workshop, there are several who have come several times and it is gratifying to see their progress, and also to be able to monitor it because habits appear again."

The orchestral conducting course was held in the facilities of the ULS Department of Music, thanks to the management of the La Serena Regional Symphony Orchestra Foundation and the La Serena University Symphony Orchestra, and the important sponsorship of the United States Embassy .

Source: La Serena University Symphony Orchestra