• The Apollo II, the photovoltaic car developed by the Solar Car Team (Esus) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, showed an outstanding performance during the eco- rally across the desert, covering the route in a little more than 22 hours and being one of the four cars in its category that managed to reach the finish line.
• The Esus Team received recognition for its fourth place in the competence. The Japanese team of Tokai University won the first place; the team of Minera Los Pelambres mining company and Universidad de La Serena, won the second the place, and the team representing Universidad de Concepción, won the third place.
• The Esus Team students and collaborators valued the work done, and the knowledge applied, but above all, the experience they gained. Likewise, they expect to continue with this project, as “the performance and positioning of the team was clearly the best,” Gonzalo Pacheco, Executive Director of Esus, said.

 
The Universidad de Santiago’s Esus Solar Car Team members described the Apollo II’s performance during the Atacama Solar Challenge as absolutely positive. The prize awarding ceremony was held on November 18th, at Humberstone Saltpeter Works, in the Tarapacá Region.

The Challenge, one of the five solar car races held around the world, finished on November 17th, after the twenty teams coming from Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile, completed five days travelling a route across the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile. The teams were mainly made up of university students and professors.

The Apollo II managed to cover the 1,082 kilometer route planned for the race- just like other three cars did, out of the eight that competed in the Evolution category- in 22 hours and 9 minutes, according to the official records. The Esus Team received recognition for being one of the finalists and achieving the fourth position, after the team of Universidad de Concepción (third position), the team of Minera Los Pelambres mining company and Universidad de La Serena (second position), and the team of Tokai University, from Japan, that won the first position with only a nine-minute gap over the second place.

In this category, the teams of Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Pontificia Universidad Católica, and the cars Sköll and Eolian, could not finish the Challenge.

Experience and growth

For the Esus Team members, this fourth place means an important progress in their evolution as a group, because many of them took part in the previous race (2012), in which the Apolo I had to be towed to complete the route, what led to penalizations that affected the final result.

This time, the Apollo II completed the required kilometers and route and followed the control protocols. Although it had some problems, they were solved, showing and optimal performance of the car, that in some stretches reached 100 km/h, the maximum speed allowed by the Challenge organization

“The solar car team had a significant progress in experience and knowledge. Overcoming difficulties and reaching the finish line were our challenge and we made it,” Pablo Fernández, head of management of Esus Team, said. “We were able to prove that the level of the competition was higher, because four of the cars that run on this occasion in the Evolution category finished the route, so all of the teams have progressed a lot,” he added.

For this reason, Pablo Fernández said that in terms of disseminating the advantages of solar energy- one of the goals of the Atacama Solar Challenge- “Universidad de Santiago is very well positioned, because all the students taking part in this project learn about renewable energies and how to use solar energy, regardless of the discipline or the program they study.”

Keeping talent at the university

Although they were satisfied with the performance of the car, Pablo Fernández explained that, according to his evaluation, they “did not have enough time to test the car and check some issues,” because importing some parts and getting some resources took too long and this affected the work management and the assembly of the Apolo II. “It gave us a test period of about a week, and during the race, we realized that with more test time we would have been able to prevent some problems. However, we were prepared and had spare parts for everything. Thanks to this and to our planning and inventiveness, we adapted to the situation and kept on going.”

According to Gonzalo Pacheco, Executive Director of Esus, “the performance and positioning of the team was clearly the best.” This was recognized by other teams, like the Japanese team, for example, that valued the Esus Team’s high level of organization. Particularly because it was “the only solar car team totally made up of students and unpaid collaborators that completed the challenge.” 

Pablo Fernández explained that teams from other universities hire graduates and professionals for direct expert advice.

“As a team, we would like to preserve the knowledge of the people with experience in this field in our university. We cannot let experienced people go; we should have strategies to keep talent here and include more professors in the team,” Fernández said.

This is why they expect the University to get involved in the project and in the innovative ideas of the Solar Car Team. “This experience left us well positioned as University. We will be remembered as a neat, disciplined and organized team. But the Solar Car Team should not continue being considered only an extra-curricular activity,” he finally said.


Translated by Marcela Contreras

•   The team developed a sustainable 120 square meter house called “Casa Temperie.” The proposal aims to produce interaction and balance between housing and environment. The house has an innovative greenhouse heating system and seismic protection.

   

  The “Casa Temperie” (Temperie House) prototype was created and built by the Solar Energy Team of Universidad de Santiago (ESUS, in Spanish), which is currently a finalist in the Construye Solar 2017 contest organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development of Chile and the NGO La Ruta Solar.

  The second version of the contest intended to encourage students and professionals of universities from all over the country to build sustainable high quality houses, with a focus on the quality of life of vulnerable families and making available to everyone the technology associated to sustainable building, with a budget not exceeding $20 million pesos. 

  “We accepted the challenge of creating a habitable environment in a greenhouse. Our house is called Temperie, that means “controlled atmosphere”. We included a piston with rails that works with a Full Space system, that allows to enlarge the house during summer and shorten it in winter to reduce energy costs,” María Ignacia Lucares, student at the Architecture program and coordinator of communications, explains.

  Cutting-edge, sustainable and economic technology

   

  According to the members of the team, the Temperie House is a new concept of social house and it aims to produce interaction and balance between housing and environment.

  Edith Díaz, coordinator and student at the Architecture program, explains that the house includes thermo panels and a system for strategic control of sun light. Besides, it has galvanized steel modules and opaque coatings, and it can be assembled in only three days.

  María Ignacia Lucares says that the project “totally reflects Universidad de Santiago, as it is focused on social awareness and technical aspects. The other projects are focused on design. We focus on social needs, and we are concerned about sustainability and environment,” she says.

  The team has already received offers from sponsors to build the house, so they are analyzing the proposals.

  Jorge Lobiano, the Head of the School of Architecture says that the project is an interdisciplinary work that involves all the university. Although he was very happy for being finalists in the contest, he was not surprised, for the school usually has excellent results in national contests.

  Evaluation and work team

  The Solar Energy Team started this project in March 2016 with a group made up of five students at the School of Architecture. Currently, the team is formed by 32 students at the Architecture and Engineering programs and professors at the university. 

  Manuel Mellado, architect and professor at Universidad de Santiago de Chile said that this work has involved much effort. “This has been a big challenge, but it has been an honor to be part of the project. I have great expectations and we all expect to match up to the results that the School has obtained in other contests,” he said.

   

  Translated by Marcela Contreras

• For the third consecutive year, Universidad de Santiago is the only Chilean institution participating at a new version of the National Model United Nations, a forum that gathers together more than five thousand students from different countries in a simulation of the UN main activities. Twenty undergraduate and graduate students at the International Studies Program travelled on March 18th to New York to participate in the activity that will be held between March 22nd- 26th.

Thirteen students at the Bachelor’s Program in International Studies and seven students at the Master’s Program in International Studies will attend the National Model United Nations forum organized at the UN headquarters. The purpose of the activity is to give new professionals a glimpse into the work done by this international organization.
 

The activity will be held in New York between March 22nd-26th and it will bring together more than five thousand students from different countries. They will be able to replicate the operating model of different UN bodies, like the Security Council, for example, by representing other States.
 

In the case of our University students, the will represent France in the Security Council, and Finland, in different UN programs and funds, like UNICEF, UNHCR or UNDP.


Mabel Cobos- who is currently completing her dissertation for her Master’s degree in International Studies- is coordinating this activity and this is the third time that she takes part in the project. The first time she participated as a delegate of the Master’s Program in International Studies, when an academic at Long Island University (USA) prompted students to join this activity. This time, in order to promote an outstanding performance among the participating students, she conducted a training workshop since June last year, in the context of a Teaching Innovation Project.
 

“It is very important for students to attend this type of activity, because more than five thousand people from Europe, USA and Asia are taking part in it; it is also a way of positioning Universidad de Santiago de Chile at a regional and international level. We were the first university of the Southern Cone to participate, and at a Latin American level, few countries participate, like Ecuador, Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico and Brazil, a country that joined the activity last year,” Ms Cobos says.
 

Also, Mabel Cobos highlights the possibility that students are given to make use of their theoretical knowledge and abilities. “This forum is a simulation of what the UN and diplomats do at studying foreign policy guidelines and history of the country to be represented, as well as English language, to take part then in the debate. This allows them (students) not only to speak about cooperation and multilateralism but to also to act making resolutions, working in teams and developing partnerships. In this way, students develop soft skills that are difficult to develop in the classroom setting,” she says.
 

“We have been pioneers in this sense and the University has gained prestige because of this,” she added. Ms Cobos also explains that the best teams receive awards and our university teams have already received them in previous versions of the forum.
  

Prepared for good results

This year, the number of participants has increased to 20 students. Thirteen of them are students at the Bachelor’s Program in International Studies given by the Faculty of Humanities. Catalina Rodríguez, one of the students at this program who will participate in the forum, recognizes that she has high expectations of her performance, “because we have prepared ourselves to stand out and to bring recognition to our program and our university.” She expects her group to receive acknowledgement for their work, just like it happened last year, when students of our university received “position papers” awards. Catalina values the possibility of participating in this activity and capitalizing on experience in the field of international relations.
 

Jaime Rojas is a student at the same program. He expects to have a good performance thanks to the training they received in an eight-month workshop, in which they were able to study in depth the work done by the different UN bodies and funds, with professors of the Department of History and the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, in Spanish). “We have made simulations and we are ready to bring recognition to our university and our country, because we are the only Chilean higher-education institution participating. It is also an opportunity to grow and position ourselves both at a national and international level,” he says.
 

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• After the success of Nutrisato- an innovative natural fertilizer that increases by 50% the size of fruits, vegetables and plants- in the international market, its creators opened an agricultural additives company.

In his search for environmentally friendly biotechnological solutions, Alejandro Muñoz, biochemist and student at the Biotechnology doctoral program of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago, developed an interesting plant biostimulant based on organic molecules which is able to increase fruits, vegetables and flowers twice their size in the same period of time.

Later, Carla Céspedes, an agronomist from Universidad de Chile, and Rodrigo Ferreira, student at the Commercial Engineering program of the Faculty of Administration and Economics of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, joined the project team and took the responsibility of placing the product in the agricultural market.

After the positive outcomes of testing Nutrisato in peppers and tomatoes, the students participated in the Brain Chile program contest and won the first place. They used the funds that they were awarded to continue developing the product to a level that they never expected: today, they have their own company called Ingeniería y Biotecnología Limitada, Atama Biotech Ltda.

Nutrisato in the market

After the Brain Chile Contest, they continued testing Nutrisato. They found that it was harmless to people and the environment and it also “doubled the size of the products, increased the production of fruits by 50% and the production of biomass in vegetables by 30%,” Alejandro Muñoz explained.

Carla Céspedes, who is responsible for the agronomic development of Nutrisato, explained: “The first products in which we tested the biostimulant were harvested in April, but after the contest, they were left abandoned in an area with Andean climate. In that context, we realized that the fertilizer reduced the cold stress in plants and enhanced their hygroscopic properties.”

Supported by recent tests, the researchers confirmed that the fertilizer worked in every product in which they used it, like spinach, celery, parsley, coriander, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes and ornamental plants like tulips, roses and daisies.

Now they are testing the product in hydroponic lettuces and tomatoes, and in berries and citrus fruits, in Valdivia.

With regard to the marketing of the product, Rodrigo Ferreira, who is in charge of the company’s management and sales, says that they created Nutrisato Hogar, a product which is targeted at people who grow their own vegetables in home gardens. The product will be in the market soon.

The researchers say that they have enjoyed their work with Nustrisato, because they are doing what they like to do. For this reason, they have continued developing innovative products, like Raizato. “Raizato is a super soil enhancer that adds organic matter to the soil and enhances the growth of roots and leaves,” Alejandro Muñoz said.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Once again, Universidad de Santiago responds to “the appeal for help from the Chileans affected (by floods and mudslides in the north of the country). And the primary reason for responding is that we are a state and public university that is committed to society and common wealth,” President Juan Manuel Zolezzi said.

• “Our university cannot ignore an emergency situation like this, so we invite everyone to participate in this solidarity campaign,” he stressed during a coordination meeting with Manuel Arrieta, the Vice President of Student Support; Marta Matamala, the President of Feusach, and Diego Flores, a Student Senior Adviser.

• The purpose of the campaign is that all members of our university community contribute with five-liter bottles of water, that are essential good for the affected people in the Antofagasta and Atacama regions.

• Besides, the university continues collecting basic medicines, non-perishable foods, infant formula and baby food, batteries, diapers (both for adults and children) and basic cleaning supplies, in Room #511 (at the EAO facilities), at the Vice Presidency of Student Support’s Office and at the campus main entrance. The goal is to send soon a truck with a shipment of 10 tonnes of goods to help people in the north.

   

  Historically, our University has contributed to society in national emergency situations. This time will not be the exception.

  Facing the tragedy occurred in the north of Chile for the heavy and unusual rains, our University has started a solidarity campaign to help people affected by this tragedy. 

  The challenge is to fill a ten-tonne-capacity truck with basic goods, like non-perishable foods, blankets, mattresses, diapers (for adults and children), cleaning supplies, pet food and, mainly, bottled water. The truck is expected to leave Santiago on April 02^nd for Atacama and Antofagasta.

  With this idea in mind, Dr. Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago; Manuel Arrieta, Vice President of Student Support; Marta Matamala, President of the Feusach (the University Students Federation), and Diego Flores, a Student Senior Adviser, met on April 31^st. They invited the University community to contribute to the campaign. Donations are being collected at three different points: Room #511 (at the EAO facilities), at the Vice Presidency of Student Support’s Office (Paseo Los Naranjos) and at the campus main entrance (Av Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins 3363, Estación Central). 

  Social commitment

  During the meeting, President Zolezzi highlighted once again that Universidad de Santiago responds to “the appeal for help from the Chileans affected (by floods and mudslides in the north of the country). And the primary reason for responding is that we are a state and public university that is committed to society and common wealth.”

  “Our university cannot ignore an emergency like this, so we invite everyone to participate in this solidarity campaign,” he said, referring to students, administrative staff and academics.

  “I invite each member of this community to collaborate with this first step: the most urgent supporting help. We want to focus on the motto “one community member, on bottle of water”, in addition to all the other contributions the community may want to make,” Dr Zolezzi added.

  For her part, Marta Matamala, President of the Feusach, said that solidarity is a “basic pillar” for building a fairer society.

  “Our University is unique in its social role. We are future professionals, with a commitment to society. Being touched by people in precarious situations is an essential part of the imprint of this University,” she said.

  Volunteers

  Besides sending basic goods, the University Presidenct, the Feusach and the different faculties are evaluating the possibility of doing volunteer works in the affected areas.

  President Zolezzi said that he is in contact with Universidad de Atacama, a former campus of Universidad Técnica del Estado, “because we feel morally committed to it,”  to define the areas of greatest needs.

  The School of Medicine, the School of Obstetrics and Child Care, and the School of Psychology are among the schools and departments that could initially contribute by sending student volunteers.

   

  Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Five innovative projects led by students at Universidad de Santiago provide answers to different problems in the areas of health, earthquake engineering, environment protection and food. Now these projects will be developed at the Stanford Research Institute, USA, where the students will travel for an internship period.

​

The Despega Usach contest is an initiative led by the Vice Presidency of Research, Development and Innovation of Universidad de Santiago de Chile with the purpose of promoting a science-and-technology-basedentrepreneurial culture among graduate and undergraduate students at Universidad de Santiago.

Dr Claudio Martínez Fernández, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation said, “Our students are very talented and many times, all what they learned while they studied, remains on paper only; however, through this initiative, we have invited them to have an active role in the search of solutions to problems that affect people and the productive sector.”

According to Dr Martínez, the University’s responsibility is not only to guarantee the good academic quality of curricula, but also to give the students the tools they require at an international context. “We think that, in this way, we can bring research closer to society, as this allows them to understand science from daily life,” he said.

For her part, Dr Karina Arias Yurisch, Vice President of Outreach and Engagement, highlighted that by means of this initiative and other institutional programs, “we contribute a little to the Government’s Productivity, Innovation and Development Agenda, making a series of commitments to the development of our country and society.”

In her opinion, the five winning projects deserve to be at this stage of the contest. Now, the Stanford Research Institute “will provide them with a series of additional tools to turn them into real entrepreneurs with the ability of placing their initiatives in the market.”

Winning projects

One of the winning projects is an answer to the natural features of our country as a highly seismic territory. The application is a seismic alert and it has the purpose of warning people in case of an earthquake, so that they can protect themselves. The project was developed by Ariel Césped and Javier Césped, both students at the Faculty of Engineering.

Two of the winning projects are related to health care. One of them, Homexam, is an application for smartphones that allows keeping records of the cardiac status of the mother and the baby in order to improve the follow up of gestational diseases in real time. It was developed by José Ignacio Cárdenas Lattus, Jean Pierre Lattus Sanhueza, Patricio Rodríguez Videla and Roberto Brito Álvarez.

The other is a vaccine based on nanoparticles of a natural polymer that can contribute to cancer treatment in domestic animals. This proposal was developed by Claudio Acuña-Castillo, Claudia Robles Planells and Giselle Sánchez Guerrero.

In the area of food, Bárbara León and Paulina Esponda propose a vegetal sausage with a high nutritional value based on native seeds and legumes as an alternative to animal-based products.

Finally, the Company Ecoliner, led by Daphne Moreno, Camila Pereira and Antonio Quilaqueo, presented a sustainable water repellent spray based on recycled silicone from liner rolls.

During the award ceremony, the Assistant Manager of Early Funding of the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO, in Spanish), Tadashi Takaoka, gave a presentation in which he explained the key factors to get funds for startups.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• They shared with 400 youngsters from 71 countries, met 15 Nobel laureates in the fields of science and received recognition for their enthusiasm and creativity in the picture that they took and sent to the organizing committee before their trip.
• Felipe Recabal Rivas and Eduardo Cancino Jaque, students at the Faculty of Science, and Renato Leiva Tubino, student at the Technological Faculty, represented Universidad de Santiago at the first version of this important science meeting for youngsters worldwide.
• The three students, together with Maricarmen Castro Amaro, student at Universidad de Chile, represented Chile in the activity that, according to the surveys, exceeded expectations.
• The group was accompanied by Dr Dora Altbir Drullinsky, director of the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. She said that after the trip, “They came back highly motivated for what they are studying, aware of the impact that science may have on a country’s welfare and of the importance of personal efforts to have good results. This experience will mark them for many years, both personally and at their work in their disciplines.”

Felipe Recabal Rivas and Eduardo Cancino Jaque, students at the Faculty of Science; Renato Leiva Tubino, student at the Technological Faculty, and Maricarmen Castro Amaro, student at Universidad de Chile, were the only Chilean representatives at the first version of the World Science Conference- Israel (WSCI). They were accompanied by Dr Dora Altbir Drullinsky, director of the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

More than 400 students from 71 countries attended the conference, and the four Chilean students fulfilled the requested tasks with enthusiasm and creativity, the abilities that this conference sought to foster.

The Chilean students received recognition for the creative picture that they took of themselves together with a moai a few days before leaving the country, showing their eagerness to participate. With this picture, they won the second place in the contest of most original photographs.

Besides, each student participated in groups made up of students from different countries and science disciplines, to promote collaborative work among scientists. Eduardo Cancino participated in a team that was recognized for its work in making one of the best posters of the conference.

Inspiration

For the students, the conference was a great experience, as “It reflected the great interest that Israel has for scientific activity, as a key part of development,” Felipe Recabal said after the trip.

He highlighted that working with international multidisciplinary teams showed him that “There is always more than one way of interpreting and analyzing a phenomenon, what makes science much more complete.”

Eduardo Cancino stressed how interesting the presentations were, particularly the ones given by researchers whose scientific-technological developments seemed “impressive to him.” “A significant factor was that they had received funding for their studies, what is very encouraging in research matters,” he said.

He added that, from his personal point of view, the experience shared by the speakers made him understand the importance of persistence and hard work. “Once, they were like us, so we have a long way of efforts and dedication to go.”

Renato Leiva highlighted the level of the organization of the conference and its goals. The conference sought “To inspire young scientists, and I feel that, at least in my case, I am now more eager to continue working in science and doing my best to contribute to my country and the world.”

He was surprised by the scientific environment in which Israel lives. “I was able to notice that young Israelis who I talked to are very eager to contribute to their country. I believe this enthusiasm should be replicated in Chile. What all Nobel laureates stressed the most (both in presentations and in conversations) was ‘Do not give up.’ I will use this message in my academic development,” he said.

For Maricarmen Castro, student at Universidad de Chile, the experience was “Out of this world!” “It put into perspective all I had thought about science since I was a girl. Listening to Nobel laureates and see how they got where they are now was very exciting and gave me a lot to learn. Effort, motivation and persistence are the key words to say ‘Eureka’ some day.”

Motivation for the future

For her part, Dr Altbir described the activity as “fantastic.” “The possibility of interacting with such renowned scientists as the 15 Nobel laureates and other scientist from different universities of Israel, plus the huge cultural diversity given by the students of 70 countries, and an environment that fostered creativity and imagination, made this conference a “once in a lifetime experience,” she said.

She added that she has been able to see that the students came back “Highly motivated for what they are studying, aware of the impact that science may have on a country’s welfare and of the importance of personal efforts to have good results. This experience will mark them for many years, both personally and at their work in their disciplines.”

The conference was held in Jerusalem and it was conceived to contribute to the cooperation and the sense of responsibility, for a better future for the new generations of scientists.

The activity was organized by the Hebrew University, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.

The Chilean delegation was supported by the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Cedenna) and the Israeli Embassy in Chile.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The team formed by Hugo Tello, Rodrigo Aliaga, Pablo Becerra and Javier Rojas, all of them 5^th year students at the Architecture program of Universidad de Santiago, won the Alacero international competition. More than 700 students from different countries in Latin America participated in the 2016 version of the Contest that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

By the unanimous decision of the jury, a group of students at the Architecture program of Universidad de Santiago de Chile was awarded the first place and 5,000 dollars at the 9^th version of the Alacero international competition that was held between October 22^nd and 24^th,in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Chilean team shared the first place with the Brazilian team.

704 students from different schools of architecture in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic participated in the competition. All of them participated first at a national level competition in their corresponding countries and presented their proposals for an inclusive cultural center using steel in a project to improve the quality of life of people in areas without this type of facilities.

The first prize

The Chilean and the Brazilian projects were awarded the first prize by the unanimous decision of the jury made up of the architects Sebastián Colle (Argentina), Carolina Fonseca (Brazil), Álvaro Donoso (Chile), Maritza Andrade (Ecuador), Luis Enrique López Cardiel (Mexico) and Juan Mubarak (Dominican Republic). Although the two proposals have different social, environmental, economic and geographical contexts, they are both high quality works and they are both a contribution to their communities.

For the final presentation, the team showed the proposal “Zócalo Cultural Bajos de Mena,” which was designed for the area of Puente Alto, at the Metropolitan region. The facilities designed join together the street culture and the traditional culture in order to reduce the overcrowding in that area, because the small blocks of departments provided as housing solutions there have led people to express their culture in the streets or other places.

Before presenting their model at the international contest, the students changed its base from cardboard to acrylic, as the Chilean jury had suggested in the 30^th version of the CAP contest held in Chile. While they were in Brazil, they shared with other students and learned about their projects.

The competition was organized in the context of the Latin American Steel Conference organized by Alacero, the Latin American Steel Association, a non-profit civil organization that groups 49 companies in 12 Latin American countries, which production is about 70 million tons a year.

The yearly competition seeks to promote the use of steel as a construction element with different properties.

Óscar Luengo, professor at the Architecture program and tutor of the project, says that winning the first place at an international competition “shows what we are doing at the school and reinforces the way how we are working. In this way, the 5^th year students strengthen their skills both at a national and international level,” he says.

Translated by Marcela Contreras  

• In a ceremony held on December 21st, at the Aula Magna, young students from 14 low-income schools of the Metropolitan Region were awarded diplomas after successfully completing the Propedéutico-Unesco Program “New Hope, Better Future”. This educational inclusion initiative is offered since 2007 by our University, what makes it a pioneer in this field. A total of 66 students were granted scholarships to enter the Bachelor’s Program in Science and Humanities. The Academic Vice President, Fernanda Kri, pointed out the University’s commitment when facing the challenges posed by equity, funding and quality. María Galaz, one of the program graduate students, expressed her thanks to Universidad de Santiago for the opportunity given to youngsters.

On December 21st, with the presence of their families, friends, teachers and commune authorities, 91 high-school students were awarded their diplomas for graduating from the Propedéutico-Unesco Program “New Hope, Better Future”, the University’s Preparatory Program.

Among the attendees to the ceremony were the Academic Vice President, Fernanda Kri, on behalf of the University’s President; the Director of the Unesco Chair Program, Francisco Javier Gil; the Program Coordinator of the Unesco Regional Bureau for Education, Paz Portales; the Mayor of San Francisco de Mostazal, Sergio Medel; the Mayor of Graneros, Claudio Segovia; the Director of the Preparatory Program at Universidad de Santiago, Máximo González, the Executive Director of the Preparatory Program, Lorna Figueroa and the Director of the Bachelor’s Program in Science and Humanities, Marcela Orellana.

During its seventh version, the Preparatory Program brought together 146 prominent students from low-income schools. Providing the students with tools and academic contents to face in a better way the challenge posed by higher education is one of the goals of the program. Although some students were not able to complete the program, 91 of them did.

More inclusion

The young students showed themselves happy and grateful for the opportunity that they were offered. María Galaz Molina, a student at Liceo Profesor Misael Lobos, in Graneros, referred to the support that students received from the program’s authorities at all times and to the comprehensive learning program that should facilitate them accessing higher education.

Nayareth Bascuñán agreed with María. Nayareth is a student at Cardenal Oviedo School, in Maipú, who was distinguished by her academic performance during the program. “It has been an unforgettable experience, not only academically: I have also developed myself as a person,” she said.

One innovation in this version of the program was the number of schools. In relation to the previous year, it increased by three schools, by virtue of the work done directly with the municipalities of San Francisco de Mostazal and Graneros. “Due to this initiative, we were able to extend the Propedéutico Program experience to other schools that usually do not have students accessing higher education,” Máximo González, Director of the Program said.

Regarding the above, the Mayor of San Francisco de Mostazal, Sergio Medel, said to U. de Santiago al Día: “This project has been very beneficial to our youngsters, both the ones who participated and the ones who will. It is a measure of justice.”

For his part, the Mayor of Graneros, Claudio Segovia, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity Universidad de Santiago gave to nine families of that locality, where 50 per cent of the people work as seasonal workers. These families now have new hopes that are changing their lives.

Vice President Kri said that thanks to the inclusion of good students in this kind of program, the results obtained and the student follow up during the seven years of the program have supported the decision to continue with this integration line. Regarding our University’s commitment to improve equity, funding, and teaching quality, “They deserve this opportunity and they earned it,” she said.

Vice President Kri added that this kind of policies, together with mechanisms like the School Grades Ranking (Ranking de Notas, in Spanish), “are going to make changes in the country, because good students coming from any school of Chile will have a real possibility of entering the university. Two years ago, this was unthinkable.”

She referred to the project’s renewal, with the clear intention of reaching earlier stages in high- school education.

Scholarships and opportunities

On Saturday 21st, the names of the students who were benefited with entering Universidad de Santiago’s Bachelor’s Program in Science and Humanities via Propedéutico, without the required University Selection Test (PSU, its acronym in Chile) were known.

52 students were awarded full tuition fee scholarships, while 14 will have their tuition fees covered by their municipalities, at least for a year. However, for the rest of the students, the journey does not end here: Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez and Universidad Alberto Hurtado invited them to become their students.

Francisco Javier Gil, Director of the Unesco Chair Program, agreed that the good results obtained by students, together with mechanisms like the School Grades Ranking, have highlighted the need of reconsidering the higher-education access systems. And although he showed himself very pleased by the seven years of program and by the expansion of the network of universities that are offering these Preparatory Programs (16, from Antofagasta, in the North, to Punta Arenas, in the South), he thinks that there are still challenges to face, like modifying the awarding of PSU- related scholarships. “We only have one thousand admission vacancies in the country, and there are youngsters that make their best efforts and study hard; they want to access higher education, but they cannot. So, there still a long way to say that in Chile, if you want it, you get it.”

The schools participating in 2013 were: Centro Educacional Dr. Armando Neghme, Liceo Polivalente Guillermo Feliú, Complejo Educacional Pedro Prado, Centro Educacional Pudahuel, Liceo Polivalente A-19, in Talagante, Liceo Industrial Pedro Aguirre Cerda, Liceo Poeta Federico García Lorca, Cardenal Carlos Oviedo School, Instituto Femenino Superior de Comercio Eliodoro Domínguez, Centro Educacional Técnico Profesional, Liceo Santiago Bueras, Liceo Profesional Misael Lobos, Liceo Alberto Hurtado and Liceo Elvira Sánchez

Finally, the Director of the Program at Universidad de Santiago, Máximo González, recognized that he hopes that, in the future, Preparatory Programs will not be needed for talented and skilled youngsters to access higher education.

• The classes given every Friday by IDEA to students who wish to participate in the Model United Nations Conference next year, in New York, will continue until January. The training workshop is addressed to future professionals of the programs of the Faculty of Administration and Economics and the Faculty of Humanities and its purpose is to equal or exceed the performance level reached in the 2015 conference, in which our university’s delegation had an outstanding performance.

Students who will participate in the Model United Nations Conference debates at the UN headquarters (New York), in 2016, are being trained in different workshops held at the facilities of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, in Spanish) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

The cost-free workshop that is being held every Friday at the IDEA facilities will continue until January 2016, and they train the students in different topics, like international policy, leadership skills, negotiating, and English language. All this has the purpose of maintaining the outstanding performance that our university’s delegations have had in this international activity in which the operating model of different UN bodies, like the Security Council or Unicef, is simulated. Every year, this conference gathers more than 5,000 students from all over the world. 

During the third session of the workshop, students were visited by the Director of the Department of History, Dr Igor Goicovic; the Deputy Director of the Department of Administration, Héctor Toledo, and the Head of the International Studies program, Dr Nelson Paulus. They committed themselves to back the efforts to institutionalize the support to this activity in which our university has had an outstanding performance for three consecutive years.

In this regard, Dr Goicovic said that, in the meetings with future and former participants and with the professors in charge of the activity, he has been able to appreciate “The willingness, motivation and academic level to continue participating in this international conference.”

“The students who have already participated in this Model UN debates have gained considerable experience, which was reflected in their achievements during the conference. When they came back to Chile, they officially reported the very positive results of their participation. What they learned, in turn, has had a deep impact on their professional training, and this impact has clearly replicated as experience in their programs,” professor Goicovic said.

“It is essential that the University gradually but systematically takes responsibility for the funding process of this activity, so this Department commits to help in creating these conditions,” he added.

Total commitment

Sofía Schuster, professor at the Bachelor’s Program in International Studies and coordinator of the Model UN workshop, highlighted the high commitment shown by the students of the Public Administration, Translation and International Studies programs who are interested in participating in this activity in 2016.

“During the first session, we asked the students to write a commitment letter. There, we were able to see their willingness to participate in this activity and we learned about their interests and motivation,” she explained.

Professor Schuster also said that they have already submitted a Teaching Innovation Project proposal for 2016 that seeks to have more students of Universidad de Santiago participating in other models’ debates, similar to de Model UN, for example, in the Organization of American States (OAS).

Interested students

Johann Golsworthy, a fourth-year student of the Public Administration program, showed himself very interested in completing his preparation and then participating in the Model UN Conference.

“I read the invitation on the Internet and I got immediately interested in attending the workshops to improve my knowledge on how international policy works in the UN and how international conflicts develop. Now I have to complete my program, but I am really willing to go (to New York),” the student said.

Likewise, Javiera Díaz, a fifth-year student of the English-Portuguese Translation program, said that she has been interested in participating in such an activity for a long time.

“I have always wanted to know more about the international relations field and, in the future, I would like to pursue a Master’s degree related to it. For this reason, I believe this is a great opportunity that should have all the possible support,” she finally said.

Translated by Marcela Contreras