• Camilo González Vargas, Chemistry PhD student at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, was awarded the Best Poster Prize at the 19th Topical Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) held a few days ago in Auckland, New Zealand.

Camilo González Vargas, Chemistry PhD student at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, was awarded the Best Poster Prize at the 19th Topical Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) held in Auckland, New Zealand, a few days ago.

This is the first time that a Chilean is honored at a meeting of this renowned society that gathers together electrochemical associations from all over the world. 

Camilo González expressed his gratitude for the scholarship that the Vice Presidency of Research, Development and Innovation awarded him to show his work about carbon electrodes in this important academic meeting.

Regarding his prize, the student emphasized that his work was chosen for being innovative.

The meeting

“During the meeting, I realized that there was not any other work related to modification of electrode surfaces through electropolymerization. Besides, the quality and applications of my proposal were key to being awarded the prize.

His study is called “Electropolymerization of L- and D- glutamic acids on glassy carbon electrodes. Determination of Hydrochlorothiazide” and it is being conducted at the Laboratory of Environmental Electrochemistry.

He explains that the study is based on the modification of glassy carbon electrodes through an electrochemical technique called electropolymerization. In simple words, it consists in plunging the glassy carbon electrode in a solution that contains glutamic acid monomer.”

“Then, consecutive potential sweeps are applied, forming the polymer over the electrode’s surface. After obtaining the modified electrode, I studied the electrochemical response of the antihypertensive drug on the electrode, being able to develop a new electroanalytical method for its determination and quantification, which is much simpler, faster and cheaper than conventional techniques currently in use,” he says.

With regard to his plans, he says that he intends to participate in the yearly meeting of ISE in The Hague (the Netherlands) this year and do a doctoral internship during the second semester in Barcelona (Spain).

“Regarding my doctoral dissertation, I am still working on it, optimizing new methodologies to modify glassy carbon electrodes with other glutamic acid derivatives and studying the determination and quantification of other drugs in aqueous solution by using my modified electrodes,” he says.

Camilo González says that the possibility of participating in such an activity was very important, as he was able to collect the opinions of “important researchers in this field that will allow me to have new ideas to continue with my doctoral dissertation.”

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The Optics and Photonics Group of Universidad de Santiago, led by graduate student Pablo Fredes, organized an educational astrophotography camp aiming to promote knowledge on how to handle different state-of-the-art technologies to observe the stellar panorama, capturing unprecedented photographs.

About 15 students of the Engineering Physics program participated at the First Southern Night Skies Astrophotography Camp organized by the Optics and Photonics Group of our University, which is one of the Student Chapters of the Optical Society of America (OSA).

During two nights, the young group made up of undergraduate and graduate students of the Engineering Physics program participated in the activity that was sponsored by Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna. They were taken to Observatorio Turístico y Educativo Roan Jasé, at Cajón del Maipo to become familiar with observational field work using different telescopes and high-resolution CCD cameras that operate together with a computer to capture images of the night sky.

About 15 students, together with five members of Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna, had the possibility of observing the surface of the sun and its spots during the day and enjoyed interesting talks about the life cycle of stars, constellations, exoplanets, the Mapuche world view and astrobiology, among others.

“We learned so much: setting the telescopes in ‘station’, understanding the use of mirrors and lenses, distinguishing different types of telescopes and finding celestial bodies in the sky. Watching planets directly is amazing,” the student Daniel Barrientos said. He considered the experience to be rewarding, even from a spiritual point of view.

For these young students, this approach to astronomy also represents a view to the wide variety of employment opportunities related to their program and it allows them to start exploring the possibility of working in any of the important astronomical observatories in our country.

Astronomy at Universidad de Santiago

Pablo Fredes, president of the Optics and Photonics Group of our University, one of the OSA’s Student Chapters, is also a professor at the Department of Physics and is writing his dissertation to complete his Philosophy of Science graduate program. From his experience as a teacher, he thinks that astronomy is a field that could be strengthened by our University, especially because of the relations fostered by the Planetarium and the enthusiasm shown by the students of his Department.

“All physics students are interested in astronomy,” he said, considering the advantages offered by the skies of our country for this activity and for research. “Maybe this camp can contribute to develop this field at the University,” Fredes added.

He explained that the camp idea was born last year, when the members of the group were thinking thought about the activity that they wanted hold in 2014 with funds provided by the OSA.

The OSA, through its student chapters, funds activities aiming to spread, promote and encourage studying some physics branches, like optics and photonics (the study of photons’ properties and flux).

“The OSA’s grant allowed us to buy a CCD camera- that we attached to a telescope- and to cover transportation, food and entry-fee expenses,” Fredes said.

The activity was organized together with Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna, which members are astronomy amateurs willing to share their knowledge and equipment.

“We are very happy with the results, because the activity included young people who knew much about optics but who had not had the chance of watching through a telescope or taking photographs with this type of instruments. Besides, the images we were able to capture are a valuable material, so we are doubly satisfied,” Manuel Tobar, a member of Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna, said.

In October, the members of the group are planning to hold the Second National Congress of Optics and Photonics, where they expect to exhibit the photographs taken during the camp that took place on April 4-6.

“We would like to have more activities, establish more links and have the possibility of applying for other grants, maybe at a university or at a national level,” Fredes concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Rodrigo Vargas Vergara, a sixth year student at the School of Architecture of Universidad de Santiago de Chile designed a concert hall for the South Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, in the context of an international architectural competition, in which he was awarded the first prize.

Rodrigo Alexis Vargas Vergara, a sixth year student at the School of Architecture of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, won the first place in the ModulArch 2016 competition. The challenge was to design a concert hall with a capacity of up to 1,000 seats for the South Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in the city of České Budějovice, 120 kms south from the Prague, the capital city.

The Orchestra was founded in 1981, and together with performing music by classical composers and pieces suitable for small places, it also devotes time to contemporary music of different genres. 

In the competition, Rodrigo’s design was the best out of 30 proposals presented by young architects from countries all over the world, like France, Czech Republic and Japan. The design is part of Rodrigo’s degree project, so he will have to continue improving it until the end of this year, when he completes his program.

“Although I was confident in my proposal, winning was actually surprising. This cheers me up, because receiving an award like this is very flattering,” the 25-year-old student said. 

The first prize offered by the competition was 2,500 euros, but Rodrigo said that he decided to participate for his taste for good music.

“It was the music that called my attention. It is an element that is part of our daily lives and that can be addressed from an architectural point of view,” he said.

The jury was made up of international architects and musicians, headed by the Italian architect Joseph di Pasquale. They said Rodrigo’s design was a very good proposal and appreciated that he considered České Budějovice’s historical layout. The city’s surrounding walls in the medieval period were Rodrigo’s inspiration.

“Using modular structures and containers, I proposed a sort of wall alongside the concert hall, where notice boards with information about all complementary activities can be displayed. At the same time, this wall protects the hall,” he said. 

The competition was organized by Koma Modular, a Czech company specialized in containers and modular structures for architectural uses.

The awarding ceremony will be held at the end of July. To make Rodrigo’s proposal a reality, Koma will have to raise funds to construct the building.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Paula Núñez, a professor at the School of Obstetrics and Child Care of Universidad de Santiago has effectively contributed to midwifery students training: she learned to make vinyl-based reborn babies which are so real that it is difficult to distinguish them from real newborn babies and which help students to develop professional and soft skills.

Paula Núñez, professor at the School of Obstetrics and Child Care, has pioneered the “reborning” technique to make vinyl dolls with realistic features in our country. These dolls are used by the Faculty of Medical Sciences’ students to facilitate their practice and their approach to neonatology and pediatrics.

“Having these baby simulators will allow our students to become more reliable and empathic professionals in the future,” she says. She thinks that the experience allows the students to approach the reality that they will face every day when delivering babies.

“These dolls have all the features to resemble a real newborn baby: nerve endings, the color of veins, and even their weight is similar to the one of a baby, what makes the students to be as careful as if they were handling a real baby and develop more skills,” she explains.

Students at the Obstetrics and Child Care program have benefited the most from these baby simulators; however, Núñez makes dolls for other institutions too.

She has been making these reborn dolls for four years. She learned about the technique on the Internet, when almost nobody knew about it, but then someone who had learned it in Spain taught her how to make them.

Núñez felt that learning the reborning method involved much more than only learning this German artcraft: she could create more real simulators that would be useful to train professionals whose work required getting familiar with babies and little children.

Making simulators more human

Together with a business partner, Núñez created the company Pequeñas Maravillas (Little Wonders), where they make customized dolls for different purposes. “People believe that dolls are only for girls, but they can also be used for academic purposes. For me, learning this technique gave me the possibility of making simulators more human and, at the same time, contributing to students training,” she says.

In the future, Núñez intends to continue improving her technique to make these dolls. Now she is working to create with dolls with different conditions like cleft palate and other inherited disorders. “These simulators will allow our students to acquire specific skills to work with babies with congenital conditions and to get used to the specific care that they need,” she concludes.

Translated by Marcela Contreras
 

•  Judoka Thomas Briceño, a student at the Mechanical Civil Engineering program of Universidad de Santiago, is ready to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

When Thomas Briceño Gonzáles was seven, he was 150 cm tall and weighed 80 kg. Being overweight was the reason why he started practicing judo. His first club was the Escuela de Carabineros Club, until 2009. “At first, I could not understand the rules or the Japanese terms used during the combats, so I lost several times. This is why the first medal I got was a gift from my father and it was for my effort,” Briceño says.

In 2005, when he was 11, he participated in his first South American championship for children, where he won a silver medal. His family had to cover all his expenses. Since then, he was constantly part of the judo national team.

In 2013, he faced a new challenge: he had to prepare himself for the PSU, the university selection test. It was then when he was offered the possibility of entering the university by means of an athletic scholarship. “I discussed this with my family and I chose Universidad de Santiago de Chile, not only for the full scholarship but also for its academic quality,” he says. He decided to enter the Mechanical Civil Engineering program.

“My professors and classmates have really supported me, so I have been able to focus on judo. I am proud of having represented the university in national and Latin American competitions,” he says.

First Chilean judoka to win a medal in Europe

22-year-old Thomas remembers that he has participated in championships almost in every country of the Americas and also in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. He has been South American and Pan American champion and runner-up. “I was the first Chilean (judoka) to win a medal in a world-class European championship. It was in Bulgaria, where I got the third place out of 56 competitors,” he says.

Besides being part of the Chilean team, he is a member of DAR Chile, the Chilean association of top-class athletes.

His training and preparation in Chile has already finished and today he is in Brazil, ready to be an Olympian in Rio 2016, on August 10^th. “My goal in Rio is to be placed among the first seven competitors in my category and I am planning to win a medal in Tokyo 2020,” Thomas says.

He also says that he will come back to the university to continue his studies in March 2017. “Maybe completing my program will take me longer, but judo will not last forever,” he concludes.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• “With this vehicle, we expect to win the 2016 Atacama Solar Challenge,” said Martín Catalán, general director of the Solar Car Team (ESUS) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, after the presentation of the Apolo III. Claudio Murúa, mechanical director of the team said that the new car can achieve 140 kilometers per hour using as little energy as a hair dryer.

“With this vehicle we expect to win the 2016 Atacama Solar Challenge. Not the second or the third, but the first place. The cars competing are very similar so the possibility of winning is very high,” said Martín Catalán, general director of the Solar Car Team (ESUS) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, after the presentation of the Apolo III.

Among the most remarkable features of the new model that will compete in the Evolution category (high-range cars that are only fed with solar energy), the car stands out for its low weight, 190 kilos, what makes it very competitive not only in Chile, but also at an international level.

Martín Catalán will be the team captain during the race and their goal is to have a better performance in comparison to the past challenge, where they reached the fourth place in general and the third place nationwide. This left them in the 17^th place of the International Solar Car Federation global championship table.

The ceremony

The Apolo III presentation ceremony was attended by Universidad de Santiago’s authorities, students and external guests. Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, and the ESUS team members unveiled the new car. 

Dr Zolezzi said that he appreciates the links with the private sector to develop these projects. “We expect the business world to really trust universities and contribute with resources to achieve what they want: To produce more cheaply and with better quality. In turn, this will allow us to develop science and technology.”

The car

The car is 4 and a half meters long, 1.8 meters wide and one meter high; its advanced control system allows to adapt speed to the weather conditions in route; and its flexible solar panels weigh 80% less than conventional ones to make it more competitive.

Claudio Murúa, mechanical director of the team said that the new car can achieve 140 kilometers per hour using as little energy as a hair dryer.

He highlighted that the Apolo III body shell is completely made up of carbon fiber. It took them three months to assemble it and they worked together with several companies.

“It is a very strong and reliable car that should not have any problem in completing the 2,550 kilometers of the race. This time, we have focused on the use of energy,” he added.

The group that developed the project is formed by 50 people from different programs at the university, mainly from the Faculty of Engineering.

An example in energy matters

The general director of ESUS said that his team does not only work on the car, but it also seeks to disseminate knowledge and show new technologies.

“In a few years, we would like our work to be an example in the university and position ourselves at a national level in the context of renewable energies,” he said.

During the presentation, Leandro Valencia, general director of the NGO Ruta Solar, highlighted the work done by the team of Universidad de Santiago by saying: “The ESUS team is very active in outreach activities. We are very proud of this, because the team contributes to our mission of making Chile the world capital of solar energy.”

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The National Institute of Industrial Property recognized Universidad de Santiago as the third Chilean university with the highest number of invention patent requests that seek to contribute to the country development in fields like chemistry and biology, engineering and technology. Maximiliano Santa Cruz, Inapi’s National Director and Óscar Bustos, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation of Universidad de Santiago,   encouraged the University community to continue constantly producing industrial innovations to contribute to society.

On April 25th, in the context of the World Intellectual Property Day, our University was recognized as the third best national institution in requesting invention patents during 2013.

The National Institute of Industrial Property (Inapi, in Spanish)- an agency responsible to the Ministry of Economy in charge of registering, managing and promoting industrial property rights in Chile- granted our University an award in a ceremony led by Maximiliano Santa Cruz, Inapi´s National Director.

During the activity that took place at Inapi’s building, Santa Cruz highlighted the important role played by our University in producing creative innovations that contribute to our country’s development.

“Universidad de Santiago de Chile is absolutely essential to our patenting system. It has always been in the highest positions at the patent request ranking and this is not a coincidence: it is the result of serious intellectual property policies,” Inapi’s director said.

For Maximiliano Santa Cruz, our University’s interest in industrial property “is a powerful signal to its researchers, professors and innovators, in general.”

“I ask Universidad de Santiago’s innovators to continue creating new things and using the patenting system for it is a powerful tool to protect intellectual property,” he added.

Dr. Óscar Bustos, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation (Vridei, in Spanish) of our University, who received Inapi´s award, showed himself very pleased with the position in the ranking at a national level.

“We are very satisfied with our exceptional position among the institutions that request for invention patents (…) We would have been happy to keep the second place like we did last year, but being among the main institutions that file patents requests in Chile is excellent news indeed,” Dr. Bustos said.

Pontifica Universidad Católica was at the first place in the patent request ranking while Universidad de Concepción was at the second place.

Finally, Vice President Bustos said that the high position of our University in the ranking reflects that “our researchers have become aware that not only scientific publications are important for our country: developing specific technological projects in key areas for Chile is important too.”

According to data provided by the Department of Technology Transfer of our University, during 2013, this state and public institution filed 11 invention patent requests in Chile, and at the same time, it filed other 42 requests with foreign agencies in charge of registering industrial inventions.

Translated by Marcela Contreras
 

• Universidad de Santiago’s representatives won one gold medal, one silver medal and four bronze medals in the US Open in Las Vegas, USA. They are part of the karate national team and have participated in different international competitions.

The members of the karate branch of Universidad de Santiago won one gold medal, one silver medal and four bronze medals in the US Open in Las Vegas, USA. They are part of the Chilean national team of karate and have participated in different competitions worldwide.

Javiera González, Paola Arias and Alejandro Mellado, the three of them students at the School of Health, Sports and Physical Activity Sciences, and Jorge Acevedo, a student at the Faculty of Administration and Economics, participated in the US Open in Las Vegas, an international competition held in USA between March 23^rd and 27^th this year. 

Javiera González won one gold two bronze medals; Jorge Acevedo won a silver medal; and Paola Arias and Alejandro Mellado won a bronze medal each.

This international competition brought together delegations from different countries in the world, like India, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Ukraine and USA, among others

“It was a fulfilling experience as we met competitors from all over the world,” said Alejandro Mellado. He added that six former world champions participated on this occasion.

“This experience will help us to achieve our ultimate goal: the Pan American Championships (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). It is part of our preparation to evaluate what we need to improve and to have a competitive pace,” he said

According to Javiera González, the results they obtained are the fruit of the rigorous and serious attitude that they have when facing competitions and representing Universidad de Santiago and the country.

The Karate branch of Universidad de Santiago

 “We are more than a team: we are a family. Sports performance is important, but the members of the team are important too. That is the key to the success of the Karate branch of Universidad de Santiago,” Paola Arias said, adding that the branch is made up of fifty students who train four hours every day in search of sports excellence.

The team members said that Universidad de Santiago has encouraged both their academic and sports performance and has given them support so that they can combine both areas.

For them, the support of Manuel Arrieta, Vice President for Student Support, and Professor Mario González, leader of the Karate branch, has been essential.

Future competitions

Although they acknowledge that the results they obtained in the US Open are good, they feel that the most important challenge is to come: The Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (May 26^th-28^th, 2016). 

“We expect to win medals there, because our previous results were good,” Javiera González said, adding that 2016 will be a year full of competitions.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The Optics and Photonics Group of Universidad de Santiago, led by graduate student Pablo Fredes, organized an educational astrophotography camp aiming to promote knowledge on how to handle different state-of-the-art technologies to observe the stellar panorama, capturing unprecedented photographs.

About 15 students of the Engineering Physics program participated at the First Southern Night Skies Astrophotography Camp organized by the Optics and Photonics Group of our University, which is one of the Student Chapters of the Optical Society of America (OSA).

During two nights, the young group made up of undergraduate and graduate students of the Engineering Physics program participated in the activity that was sponsored by Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna. They were taken to Observatorio Turístico y Educativo Roan Jasé, at Cajón del Maipo to become familiar with observational field work using different telescopes and high-resolution CCD cameras that operate together with a computer to capture images of the night sky.

About 15 students, together with five members of Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna, had the possibility of observing the surface of the sun and its spots during the day and enjoyed interesting talks about the life cycle of stars, constellations, exoplanets, the Mapuche world view and astrobiology, among others.

“We learned so much: setting the telescopes in ‘station’, understanding the use of mirrors and lenses, distinguishing different types of telescopes and finding celestial bodies in the sky. Watching planets directly is amazing,” the student Daniel Barrientos said. He considered the experience to be rewarding, even from a spiritual point of view.

For these young students, this approach to astronomy also represents a view to the wide variety of employment opportunities related to their program and it allows them to start exploring the possibility of working in any of the important astronomical observatories in our country.

Astronomy at Universidad de Santiago

Pablo Fredes, president of the Optics and Photonics Group of our University, one of the OSA’s Student Chapters, is also a professor at the Department of Physics and is writing his dissertation to complete his Philosophy of Science graduate program. From his experience as a teacher, he thinks that astronomy is a field that could be strengthened by our University, especially because of the relations fostered by the Planetarium and the enthusiasm shown by the students of his Department.

“All physics students are interested in astronomy,” he said, considering the advantages offered by the skies of our country for this activity and for research. “Maybe this camp can contribute to develop this field at the University,” Fredes added.

He explained that the camp idea was born last year, when the members of the group were thinking thought about the activity that they wanted hold in 2014 with funds provided by the OSA.

The OSA, through its student chapters, funds activities aiming to spread, promote and encourage studying some physics branches, like optics and photonics (the study of photons’ properties and flux).

“The OSA’s grant allowed us to buy a CCD camera- that we attached to a telescope- and to cover transportation, food and entry-fee expenses,” Fredes said.

The activity was organized together with Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna, which members are astronomy amateurs willing to share their knowledge and equipment.

“We are very happy with the results, because the activity included young people who knew much about optics but who had not had the chance of watching through a telescope or taking photographs with this type of instruments. Besides, the images we were able to capture are a valuable material, so we are doubly satisfied,” Manuel Tobar, a member of Centro Cultural de Astronomía La Cisterna, said.

In October, the members of the group are planning to hold the Second National Congress of Optics and Photonics, where they expect to exhibit the photographs taken during the camp that took place on April 4-6.

“We would like to have more activities, establish more links and have the possibility of applying for other grants, maybe at a university or at a national level,” Fredes concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Camilo González Vargas, Chemistry PhD student at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, was awarded the Best Poster Prize at the 19th Topical Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) held a few days ago in Auckland, New Zealand.

Camilo González Vargas, Chemistry PhD student at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, was awarded the Best Poster Prize at the 19th Topical Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) held in Auckland, New Zealand, a few days ago.

This is the first time that a Chilean is honored at a meeting of this renowned society that gathers together electrochemical associations from all over the world. 

Camilo González expressed his gratitude for the scholarship that the Vice Presidency of Research, Development and Innovation awarded him to show his work about carbon electrodes in this important academic meeting.

Regarding his prize, the student emphasized that his work was chosen for being innovative.

The meeting

“During the meeting, I realized that there was not any other work related to modification of electrode surfaces through electropolymerization. Besides, the quality and applications of my proposal were key to being awarded the prize.

His study is called “Electropolymerization of L- and D- glutamic acids on glassy carbon electrodes. Determination of Hydrochlorothiazide” and it is being conducted at the Laboratory of Environmental Electrochemistry.

He explains that the study is based on the modification of glassy carbon electrodes through an electrochemical technique called electropolymerization. In simple words, it consists in plunging the glassy carbon electrode in a solution that contains glutamic acid monomer.”

“Then, consecutive potential sweeps are applied, forming the polymer over the electrode’s surface. After obtaining the modified electrode, I studied the electrochemical response of the antihypertensive drug on the electrode, being able to develop a new electroanalytical method for its determination and quantification, which is much simpler, faster and cheaper than conventional techniques currently in use,” he says.

With regard to his plans, he says that he intends to participate in the yearly meeting of ISE in The Hague (the Netherlands) this year and do a doctoral internship during the second semester in Barcelona (Spain).

“Regarding my doctoral dissertation, I am still working on it, optimizing new methodologies to modify glassy carbon electrodes with other glutamic acid derivatives and studying the determination and quantification of other drugs in aqueous solution by using my modified electrodes,” he says.

Camilo González says that the possibility of participating in such an activity was very important, as he was able to collect the opinions of “important researchers in this field that will allow me to have new ideas to continue with my doctoral dissertation.”

Translated by Marcela Contreras