The students enthusiastically received recognition for their participation in this activity. 

Various vocational and artistic workshops, as well as technological and computational ones, ended in the first week of the Children's University, in its Summer 2015 version. For the academics of the state campus and their careers, welcome the U. de La Serena to the little ones, providing learning and new knowledge, has become an instance of growth and feedback year after year. 

For Karina Núñez, Training Area coordinatorof the Educational Computing Center (CIE), teaching the Video Games workshop for the first time at the U. de los Niños, was a pleasant surprise due to the interest and participation of the students. “It was a very successful experience, since the young people and children have learned independently how to create the video game. We have been pleasantly surprised that the students have been able to program and create very interesting video games (...) with this workshop, we seek to bring out the positive side of all the time they spend in front of the computer, the use of the Internet and that video games also enhance creativity and teamwork when they are online games,” Núñez pointed out.

For his part, José Aguayo, an academic in the ULS Design program, participating once again in this vocational activity, organized by the Extension Directorate of the university, “is a pleasure. I love coming, I like it because it is a good experience. I learn a lot from them, one can give knowledge, but they give a new vision and that enriches me," adding that every year, more boys and girls feel interested in creation and design, "that surprises me because commonly one It is expected that slightly older students will make the decision, but the little ones are clear about what they want, they have come and had fun (...) although the truth is, we needed more time, because really, the class went by very quickly ”, concluded the ULS academic.

Finally, Edwin Contreras, an academic in the ULS Kinesiology program, describes this second participation in the U. de los Ninos as “the alternative we have to open our course, equipment and operation to students (…) and that allows them to learn from Now, what do we do as kinesiologists, under what format we work, what tools we use and how the career develops as they go through the training process.” Andrea Becerra, a second-year student, who participated in this theoretical-practical workshop, indicated that the teachers were educational and entertaining, “the workshop was fun and very interesting because I was able to learn new things (…) like the names of the bones, that most of them I didn't know about, and discovering flat feet for example," clarified the Andrés Bello Centro School student.

It should be noted that the Children's University workshops, Summer 2015, continue to delight the little ones in the home in their second week of activities, from Monday, January 19 to Friday, January 23, a day in which a ceremony will be held. closing in the Aula Magna Ignacio Domeyko.

Source: Press Extension Direction

Both shows are part of the summer offering of the ULS Extension Directorate. 

Who killed eight? The title is the entertaining plot that brings this new work of educational theater that, since last summer, left all the minors who were able to witness a preview intrigued and expectant. The premiere of this work, plus an attractive concert of Latin American music, performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the University of La Serena, are part of the attractive summer activities organized by the Extension Directorate of this house of higher education. 

The educational play “Who Killed the Eight?” will be presented on Thursday, January 22 at 19:30 p.m., with a general admission of $2.000. “This play is a comedy, it is a police intrigue that has a lot of humor. Number eight is found dead, it is later concluded that he was murdered and in the play it is revealed who the murderer is. The truth is that with the extract that we presented last year, many children were so hooked on the plot that speculation about who the murderer could be began to become a topic of conversation and now comes the long-awaited outcome," said the director of the Étéuls theater cast and creator of the play, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic.

On this occasion, the third pedagogical theater production will address particular topics in mathematics. One of these is number theory, which includes natural numbers, prime numbers, decompositions, prime factors, among others. This is an initiative that has been maintained over time, since it has become a very good pedagogical tool also for teachers during the school period, and according to the director herself, it is also an interesting contribution for the parents who attend during the presentations.

Latin American music concert

On the other hand, a second and entertaining panorama is the concert “Latin America and its songs”, which will be performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the University of La Serena, under the direction of Celso Torres, which will also have the support of the tenor soloist Gonzalo Tomckowiack. It will take place on Tuesday, January 20 at 20:00 p.m. at the ULS Extension Center, with free entry. 

“In the program we are going to find typical songs from our continent such as ' Gracias a la Vida ', ' Alfonsina y el Mar ', ' Taquito militar ', some ' Diabladas del Norte ', as well as some songs from Venezuela, Brazilian works ( …). So we want to invite you to attend this concert, you are going to get a nice surprise,” said José Urquieta, coordinator of the Chamber Orchestra of the University of La Serena. 

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to the ULS Extension Center, located at Prat 446, La Serena, call 2204171 or write to the email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Source: Press Extension Direction

Boys, girls and young people are happy with their time at the University. 

The programming of the “Children's University, Summer 2015” includes two full weeks of activities aimed at children in the home, with the aim of opening the University and bringing its academics and its departments closer to the community. Artistic, recreational and, above all, vocational workshops make up this varied offer of the current version organized by the Extension Directorate of the University of La Serena. 

Entertainment and fun hand in hand with interesting knowledge is what the students of the “Children's University” can receive in this new version. This week's activities have already begun, which will continue until January 23. During the closing day, there will be an emotional closing ceremony where students will have the opportunity to show what they have learned.

There are several workshops that are being developed this week, including Children's Theater, Kinesiology, Video Games, Photography and Improvised Singing, the latter taught by the renowned regional folklorist Raúl “Talo” Pinto, who was very satisfied with the results of your activity. “This workshop met expectations because the idea was to encourage the little ones to work with rhyme, playing games with different songs, looking for similar words that sound good, we didn't even talk about the concept of rhyme, we simply looked for words that sounded similar. So (…) the important thing is to play, the important thing is to do, the important thing is that they have achieved an interaction with their classmates by doing creativity, in this case through the word, and the word has rhythm and has melody, so we play with melodies and we play with different rhythms, based on the words in this case,” he commented.

The singing workshop was the first of the program to complete its activities with great success and students were quite happy with what they learned. “It was very nice, they taught us the rhymes, they taught us some songs (…), my mother always enrolls me (in the workshops) because she likes me to learn and because she says that I get bored at home,” said the student Antonia Wall. 

It should be noted that there are thirteen workshops that in total make up this program of the “Universidad de Los Ninos, Summer 2015”, to which is also added a special workshop taught for all lovers of Astronomy.

Source: Press Extension Direction

Both presentations had a high turnout and met the expectations of the participants.

Hundreds of people, lovers of Japanese culture, participated in the closing activities of the VIII Chile-Japan Friendship Week, held in the Aula Magna of the Ignacio Domeyko Campus of the University of La Serena. Audiences of all ages were delighted with the stage art in the presentation of the Sakura Dance and were able to applaud the characterizations of Japanese animations in the III Cosplay Contest.

The presentation of the Sakura Dance, performed by María Belén Espinoza and Constanza Muñoz, generated various sensations in the audience. In this regard, Andrea Fuentes, who did not know this type of dance, expressed her surprise with the interpretation and the message delivered by the dancers. “I really liked it as an artistic manifestation (…). It is a very intense and interpretive dance. Clearly the forces of nature are represented and human feelings too. The music is very well combined, the lights, the image is very powerful, very beautiful and the actresses are spectacular”, clarified the spectator.

Meanwhile, Pablo Campos, who knew the origins of the Butoh theater as an artistic manifestation in reflection of the atomic tragedy that occurred in Japan in the 50's, found this new activity very interesting. “They are those things where one does not look for beauty, but for impact, because it communicates a message that has to do with horror (…) and I knew that the Butoh theater is a representation of the atomic bombs that struck Japan (…). In this way, I know that it is a theater that seeks to impact with the dark, with the terrible, with those things that are even out of the ordinary”, he pointed out.

From animation to reality

The third version of the Cosplay Contest in the Coquimbo Region, generated the expectation of the public and also of the candidates for the scepter of the best characterization of Japanese animation. Nine young people, all women, fought for first place and stood up for gender.

The winner was determined by a demanding jury, headed by Mauricio Catalán, professor at the Chilean-Japanese Cultural Institute, José Aguayo, academic from the ULS Design major, and Carlos Ruíz, journalist from "El Observatodo", who tried to test each one of the participants, through questions about the choice of the characterized character and the realization of a small interpretation of it. Of course, the preparation of the costumes and the active participation of the public through applause for their favorite characters were also taken into account.

The winner of this contest was Romina Aguilera, who expressed her gratitude that the state campus, through its Extension Department, organizes these recreational spaces for young people who enjoy Japanese culture. "It is very good that the University of La Serena cares about these issues, as little known as Cosplay, and that it gives the opportunity to participate so that people show their skills," said the participant, who also highlighted the quality and the professionalism with which the contest was approached. "The jury was dedicated to studying the costumes of each person well, seeing the details, asking questions and that is super good," said the first place winner.

María Fernanda Díaz, who attended this III version of the Cosplay Contest, in support of her friends who participated, highlighted the importance of making these cultural alliances in La Serena. "I am very grateful that the University is interested in being part of these activities and has taken the initiative (...), it was good that they did it in the summer because more tourists have come and it helps to open up the field more," she concluded.

These activities put an end to a successful program closely related to Japanese culture, where various workshops, an exhibition and a tea ceremony were held, thus ending the VIII version of the Chile-Japan Friendship Week.

Source: Press Extension Direction

The “chanoyu” was part of the various activities that have been carried out within the framework of the VIII Friendship Week between Chile and Japan, and there are still some left to finish this meeting. 

As is customary in the Japanese Park of La Serena or “Jardín del Corazón”, peace and tranquility reigned during the new version of the already traditional Tea Ceremony, organized as part of the activities of the Week of Friendship between Chile and Japan, which is developed by the Extension Directorate of the University of La Serena. 

On the occasion, the ladies of the Sado Club (ladies' club of the Japanese Tea Ceremony), were recounting step by step the protocol of receiving a guest and carrying out the corresponding demonstration. Explaining every detail and importance of the benefits of practicing the ceremony to regain a calm spirit, teacher Tomo Takasaki participated; in the execution, the tea master hostess, Kyoko Nishimura; and as guests, ladies Ikikuko Ishikawa and Mayumi Okamura. 

As expected, this “chanoyu” or tea path was witnessed with respect by around 300 people. One of them, María Solar, was very happy with the activity. “I thought it was beautiful, because it taught us that we live a very hectic life, that in the tea ceremony they spend at least 3 or 4 hours, it is relaxing, it is about empathy with other people, about solidarity,” said Solar. , who participated for the first time in this activity. 

In turn, the councilor of La Serena, Robinson Hernández, who participated for the fourth time in this activity, highlighted that "without a doubt, this is reaffirming the ties that have united Japan with Chile for years (...), this ceremony, as well As the speaker said, it leads us to stop in daily traffic and reflect on what the essence of relationships is around a table, around tea, brotherhood, respect, manners, and delivering these types of messages. Now in the summer season and with a wonderful public setting it makes sense that the University once again fulfills that function of connecting with the community,” he commented. 

It should be noted that on this occasion, the Director of Extension of the University of La Serena, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, thanked all those who make this activity possible for their support, starting with the Embassy of Japan in Chile and CAP Minería, Compañía Minera del Pacífico , for the beautiful location where the ceremony takes place. In addition, she invited for the remaining activities for this week, the artistic presentation “Sakura Dance”, today at 19:00 p.m. in the Ignacio Domeyko Room, and the Cosplay contest, this Friday, January 9 at the same time and at the university campus located at Benavente 980, La Serena. 

Source: Press Extension Direction 

With the exhibition of colorful calendars, where all Japanese culture is reflected, and the holding of interesting Japanese language and manners workshops, this attractive summer cultural panorama began.

The summer season has already begun and with it the cultural panoramas for this summer 2015 in the city of the bell towers, where the person in charge of opening the January activities was the Extension Directorate of the University of La Serena, a unit that began the 8th meeting of Chile and Japan Friendship. The inauguration of this intense week of Asian culture was marked by the interest shown by the audience in the exhibition of “Japanese Calendars”, the language workshop “Japanese for everyone” and the conference on “Japanese Manners”.

The inauguration of this meeting of friendship between Chile and Japan was sealed, symbolically, with the cutting of the ribbon by the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, the academic vice-rector, Dr. Jorge Catalán, the director of Extension, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic and the exhibitor of the Chilean Japanese Cultural Institute, Shinkichi Kanamori, who together with the attendees were able to enjoy the attractive display of Japanese Calendars that is presented at the Extension Center of the state campus until Friday, January 9 .

For the Rector of the ULS, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, this meeting is “one of the many activities to link with the environment that our University has and that in this case, corresponds to what we call Japan Week. Its objective is to show this ancient country to the regional community and at the opening ceremony, we have a display of calendars that is something unique in Chile, where different calendars with Japanese motifs are represented and I think that reflects, to a certain point, the diversity that this country has.” Furthermore, he maintained that these cultural activities strengthen the ties between the state institution and Japan. “As a University, it makes us feel very good to be able to deliver this type of exhibition to the regional community, because the University of La Serena is part of the community and wants to continue fulfilling its social, educational and cultural role, which characterizes us” clarified Rector Avilés.

Likewise, the Director of Extension, Dr. Catalina Cvitanic, highlighted this week's realization of friendship between both nations, since La Serena has become the pioneer city in bringing this type of meetings to the country. “It is a very important milestone to know that we have, for 8 continuous years, the support of the Embassy of Japan, since they recognize this initiative as a unique activity within the country, because there is no other week anywhere in Chile. On the other hand, realizing that indeed, in the community, it produces an impact and there are people who are waiting for this week, whether it be workshops or ceremonies, it is very welcome, and also on the youth side, with the Cosplay contest, which is its third version, we realize that we have reached the hearts of young people with this activity,” he said. 

Language and manners

Audiences of all ages participated in the Japanese language and manners classes, with the speaker Shinkichi Kanamori, who expressed surprise at the successful call generated by the inauguration of this cultural week between both countries and the satisfaction of teaching these two classes. his country. “There are many people who are interested in Japanese culture, they even want to learn the language and this is really surprising because it is a good sign. The Chilean wants to learn new things and applies them. I think this experience is very good and I am very grateful,” he expressed. 

Meanwhile, calendars full of colors and where the entire Japanese culture is reflected through different ecological themes, landscaping, architecture and Japanese clothing, captured the attention and admiration of those attending the exhibition. Zanjiro Tabe, who is the grandson of a samurai, was amazed by this exhibition of Japanese calendars. “This is very good and important for people to have knowledge of Japanese art (…), I worked in Japan and every year we received calendars in large quantities to deliver to different institutions and I see that these are very beautiful, although they are different from those of Japanese companies,” Tabe clarified.

Luiset Vinett, who attended these Japanese activities with her husband and children, has become a faithful follower of the Chile-Japan friendship week and this year she once again admires the rich traditions of the Japanese country. “I think this week in Japan is very good, on another occasion we came to other activities. It is very interesting and positive, anything that allows us to learn helps us and is welcome,” she said, adding that she felt admired by Japanese customs. “I was very struck by the order in which they carry out all types of activities, they have a reverent attitude towards their neighbors, of respect so that they also value the activities that others do and that transcends because they take it and project it towards their home and then towards respect with others,” he expressed. 

For her part, Javiera Cortés, who is only 16 years old, considers herself a lover of Japanese culture and from a very young age she was drawn to tastes from the Asian country. “It is a good opportunity to learn about new cultures (…), it is a way to add important things to our lives, as was taught here, the type of reverence that one has to have towards older people depending on social status. I am interested in this and I would also like several things about this culture to be applied in our daily lives, because it helps us grow as people (...), the order, cleanliness and treatment that they have was what caught my attention the most. ", held.

It should be noted that the holding of this VIII Friendship Meeting between Chile and Japan is organized by the University of La Serena, through its Extension Directorate, in conjunction with the Embassy of Japan in Chile, and will continue to surprise the community. of the Coquimbo Region and tourists with more artistic, scenic and cultural activities, until Friday, January 9.

For more information, just visit the Extension Center, located at 446 Prat Street in La Serena, or call 2204171 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Source: Press Extension Direction