• At the meeting, the first lady Akie Abe, wife of the Japan´s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, talked in her own language with the young participants and gave each of them a gift. “I hope you visit Japan soon. Let me know in advance so that you can visit my house,” she said.

 

On August 31st, students of the Linguistics Applied to Translation Program, major in English- Japanese given by the Faculty of Humanities of Universidad de Santiago, had the unprecedented opportunity of meeting with Mrs. Akie Abe -the wife of the Japan´s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe- who started her official visit to Chile with this activity.

During the ceremony headed by the Academic Vice President, Dr. Fernanda Kri, the dignitary conversed with the young participants in Japanese. Each of them explained to her why they decided to learn the Japanese language and she showed herself very interested in their stories, paying attention to the language level that they have reached, especially in those students who have been in Japan, thanks to the scholarships awarded by the Japanese government.

Together with valuing the work done by Universidad de Santiago at teaching the Japanese language in Chile, Mrs. Abe donated more than 50 books to the University.

Mrs. Abe expressed her “deep gratitude for being received with such a kind hospitality.” And she gave the students a message: “I am sure that, with the visit of mi husband to Chile, we are strengthening our bilateral relations and I would like to ask you to be like bridges between the two countries.”

“I hope that you visit Japan soon and let me know in advance so that you can visit my house,” she said.

 
Strong links with Japan

In 1995, the University created the Linguistics Applied to Translation Program, major in English- Japanese. Universidad de Santiago is the only university that gives this program in Latin America, and since its beggining, it has built and strengthened links with Japan.

Examples of the importance that Universidad de Santiago has had in spreading the culture of that oriental country are the visit of Her Imperial Highness of Japan, Akiko de Mikasa, in September 2013, and the appointment of Universidad de Santiago as the only Chilean institution in charge of the administration of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).

Also the students of this program organize every year the Japanese traditional culture festival, Nihon Matsuri, where they show the traditions of that oriental country.

The Chief of the Linguistics Applied to Translation Program, Marcela Contreras, said that “the Embassy of Japan has always supported the University in the different activities that we organize, since the program was created.”

“At this moment we have more than 200 students in the program and many of them apply for scholarships in Japan. And the Embassy of Japan receives our students for internships. So, we can see that both parties are interested in keep working together much longer, and this is confirmed by the visit of the wife of the Prime Minister to our University,” Contreras said.

 

Watch the video of the activity

 

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Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Engineers, architects and civil constructors of the Service of Housing and Urban Development of all the country will be trained by the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universidad de Santiago in order that they may incorporate the installation of thermal solar panels into all the houses that they supervise or deliver.

• The training program has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and the university, with the support of the Ministry of Energy. It started on October 13^th with a first group of 25 civil servants in charge of the construction works to meet the housing needs of the victims of the last disasters in the regions of Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo and Los Lagos (earthquakes, mudslides and the Calbuco volcano’s eruption). 

• According to Francisco Cubillos, Director of the Department of Chemical Engineering, “It is extremely useful that these catastrophic events are considered as opportunities to implement non-conventional renewable energies that will help all beneficiaries.”

• For his part, Christian Santana, Chief of the Renewable Energy Division of the Ministry of Energy and one of the directors of the Centre for Innovation and Promotion of Sustainable Energy, said that this agreement will allow contributing to energy efficiency in the context of the comprehensive public policies of the country. This will also strengthen the links between the Ministry and our university.

   

  The first training course jointly developed by the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and with the support of the Ministry of Energy was recently started to train professionals at the Service of Housing and Urban Development (Serviu, in Spanish) in order that they may incorporate solar energy into all the new houses built in the different zones affected by the last natural disasters in the country.

  Engineers, architects and civil constructors of that state agency will be able to provide houses in their corresponding regions with thermal solar panels, what will also contribute to the country’s energy efficiency.

  In this way, our corporation, in its commitment to the country, contributes to the fifth item of the Government’s energy agenda, which proposes to strengthen the use of non conventional renewable energy (NCRE) through this type of training course. 

  According to Francisco Cubillos, Director of the Department of Chemical Engineering, “It is extremely useful that these catastrophic events are considered as opportunities to implement non-conventional renewable energies (NCRE) that will help all beneficiaries. The houses to be built will include solar panels.”

   

  “The university is contributing to include this technology in the government policies, which are oriented to the poorest sectors of the population,” director Cubillos said.

   

  For his part, Christian Santana, Chief of the Renewable Energy Division of the Ministry of Energy and who is also one of the directors of the Centre for Innovation and Promotion of Sustainable Energy (CIFES, in Spanish), highlighted that this agreement will allow to contribute to energy efficiency in the context of the comprehensive public policies of the country. This will also strengthen the links between the Ministry and our university.

   

  Theory and practice

  Mario Céspedes Córdova, professor of energy efficiency at the Faculty of Engineering of Universidad de Santiago said that in this type of course, “We provide knowledge to civil servants in order that they may control the variables involved in a solar technological system, learn about the corresponding regulations and norms and learn how to inspect a system and its pattern of use. In this way, they may supervise the entire national reconstruction plan.”

  “Besides, we have a solar energy laboratory, where we can show how to install this type of system and how it works. Those who complete the course will be able to correctly certify the houses with this system,” he explained.

  The program started on October 13^th with a first group of 25 participants. It includes theoretical and practical sessions, with a total of 10 hours, for two days. The objective is to train these civil servants so that they can help to improve the houses built after the last disasters in the country (earthquakes, mudslides and the Calbuco volcano’s eruption) and to face future disasters in a better way.

   

  Translated by Marcela Contreras

• At a seminar organized by the Faculty of Engineering, representatives of the state mining company talked about the implications of the new underground mining project for Chuquicamata, that will bring new challenges and will require operators and professionals to develop new competences.
• Juan Carlos Espinoza, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said that just as the mining company is undergoing a transformation process, the Faculty is checking and updating the profile of the new engineers who will be trained at Universidad de Santiago according to world-class parameters and who will have to manage both soft and technical skills.
• “Universities should include abilities like positive leadership and development skills in their training programs from the very beginning and not at the last year, because in real world, problems are not only technical,” Marcelo Vásquez, the director of the Codelco-Chuquicamata’s People Service and Logistics unit, pointed out.

In the context of the seminar “Large-scale mining at Codelco-Chuquicamata and its relation with Universidad de Santiago de Chile” (La Gran Minería de Codelco-Chuquicamata y su relación con la Universidad de Santiago de Chile), two conferences were given at the University’s Salón de Honor by representatives of the state mining company. Their presentations referred to the challenges being faced by that company and by the mining industry in general that could require future engineers to develop new competences.

Edison Pizarro, the Director of Innovation and Technology at the Underground Mining Development Division of Codelco-Chuquicamata, gave the presentation “Chuquicamata underground mining project, a mine of the 21^st Century”, where he explained how the current open pit would be mined in an unprecedented way for the north of Chile, as of 2019.

Edison Pizarro explained that in the past few years, the primary open pit for copper mining at Antofagasta Region (that will be 100 years-old next year and that, due its dimensions, might be the largest open pit of the world) has had a decrease in the quality of the ore mined from a grade once higher than 1% to only 0.7% nowadays, and it seems that it will continue decreasing.

Also, the costs of moving the mining operations inside the pit, the resulting energy consumption and pollution of the area have shown that, if the mine does not change its production process, it will become unsustainable.

A 40-year solution

Therefore the company, using the knowledge that it has developed in other underground divisions, decided to change to this type of production, what will give Chuquicamata 40 years more, with an ore production that will average 0.71% copper and molybdenum and that will reach an extraction rate of 140 thousand tonnes per day.

The representative of the state mining company gave the details of how the mine will operate at this new stage, stressing the need for experts in the fields of telecommunications, electricity, informatics, robotics, and of course, mining operations.

However, this megaproject brings mega challenges, not only for the way of developing the process, but for the technology that will be necessary to implement and manage and the human resources that will be required.

The challenges posed by the project are related to sustainability, which is planned to be reached through the following actions: reducing the amount of particulate matter (PM10) by 97%; opening a Training Center, in partnership with social entities, to train workers and develop the work profiles required by the new underground pit work; highlighting the importance of maintenance systems, as all the production of new Chuquicamata will come out through a conveyor belt that covers several kilometers and cannot be stopped; and, particularly, managing the culture of change at the company, to promote the adaptation to changes, something that has been very resisted up to now due to the mining workers’ and unions’ way of thinking.

An adaptation challenge

Marcelo Velázquez, Director of the Codelco Chuquicamata’s People Service and Logistics unit, in his presentation “Maintenance Engineering in Mining Industry… A technical challenge?” referred to how equipment maintenance management and its processes are set aside due to the productive pressure. This aspect lies beneath the organizational culture and disregards the useful life of equipments and systems at not considering a long-term approach.

The expert explained that, in Chile, maintenance represents up to 40% of the mining industry costs. And despite this is an area where cutbacks are expected, there is not a strategic vision to incorporate a maintenance culture; there are only reactive actions that are usually fairly planned.

Marcelo Velázquez urged future engineers to watch the world trends in maintenance, based on the reliability of systems that intelligently organize the processes considering maintenance times to prevent emergencies and their associated costs.

“The new engineer’s role requires the expertise given by the University, particularly, in technical knowledge. And also, the new engineer has to understand that challenges are faced by people. In some cases, there is a lack of leadership to face adaptation challenges.”

For this reason, he added that “Universities should include abilities like positive leadership and development skills in their training programs from the very beginning and not at the last year, because in real world, problems are not only technical. They may be easily solved; but problems have to be solved by people, and that is difficult.”

Juan Carlos Espinoza, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, compared the transition process of Chuquicamata with the one that the Faculty is currently undergoing with the purpose of updating the profile of the new engineers for the 21^st Century.

Regarding this, he referred to the need of strengthening the relation with employers to have a permanent contact, receive feedback, and collect new information from the job market, like the aspects mentioned at the seminar. Also he said that similar activities will be organized more frequently to strengthen this work line.

Many students of the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Mining Engineering, together with authorities and academics of those units and other units of the Faculty of Engineering, attended the activity.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• In a presentation given at Universidad de Santiago a few days ago, Iván Núñez Prieto, recipient of the National Award of Education 2015, emphasized that he still shares “the utopia” that education contributes to “build a fairer and more caring society, regardless of the fact that it may be a difficult task that requires many years, and maybe, there have been some mistakes in viewing the difficulties at its implementation.” The renowned researcher and state professor of History, Geography and Civic Education addressed these issues in his presentation “Two moments at teacher training in Chile: 1928 and 1974: Present echoes.”

On October 28^th, at the Armando Quezada Auditorium, the recipient of the National Award of Education 2015, Iván Núñez, gave the presentation “Two moments at teacher training in Chile: 1928 and 1974: Present echoes.” The activity was organized by the Faculty of Humanities and the Department of Education of Universidad de Santiago in the context of the Teachers’ Day celebration.

Professor Núñez was presented by Dr Jorge Rueda, Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Humanities. The director of the Department of Education, Dr Saúl Contreras also addressed the audience.

Dr Rueda emphasized the role of education as the driving force for human development and better communal living, in the midst of the individualistic and discriminatory society of current days, as well as the educational role that our university has played through the School of Arts and Crafts, the Pedagogical Institute and the State Technical University (UTE, in Spanish).

For his part, Dr Contreras highlighted the importance of the visit of professor Núñez at a critical time for Chilean education, as well as the contributions made by the university to teacher training, one of the core components of the university development. 

Inconsistent development

Professor Núñez started by mentioning that the development of Chilean education has not been progressive or linear: it has moved forward and backward through history. 

In his presentation, he deeply analyzed two significant moments in the history of teacher training: the closure of teacher training schools (escuelas normales, in Spanish), for different reasons, in 1928, under Carlos Ibáñez del Campo’s dictatorship (1927-1931), and in 1974, under General Augusto Pinochet’s regime.

He reminded the audience that teacher training schools started in 1842, when they were created by the Argentinean Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, under the conservative oligarchic government of Manuel Bulnes, who was able to recognize the importance of peoples’ training. Bulnes founded Universidad de Chile, among others. The first escuela normal was located in the vicinity of Matucana Street.

At that time, teachers did not only receive free training but they had free accommodation and free meals, though they were separated by sex. In return, the had to work for seven years at public schools, but many did not fulfill that commitment and engaged in other crafts and professions.

The first rebellion

He said that later, the saltpeter boom allowed bringing a group of German teachers at the beginning of the 20^th century. At the same time, a combative teachers association was created. They criticized teacher training as they considered it “authoritarian.” Núñez remembered that one of its weaknesses was pedagogical training.

In 1928, there were 15 escuelas normales. Under the pressure of teachers grouped together in the General Association of Teachers (AGP, in Spanish) for an “integral reform of Chilean education”- the escuelas normales included- Ibáñez decided to close them (he closed the Pedagogical Institute of Universidad de Chile too) and appointed its principal leaders to the Ministry of Education, “so that they could implement the reform” that they were demanding.

Although this situation did not last long, as the Government in the end decided to appoint a “commission of experts” to solve the problems, many of the association’s demands were subsequently taken up. For example, the minimum requirement to enter the school changed from four to six years of primary education.

The 60’s

During the following years, the escuelas normales increased their number, but they underwent some changes, especially in the 60’s, during the Education Reform of President Eduardo Frei (1964-1970), when the requirement to enter the school was completing secondary education. Although there was a co educational boarding school in Chillán, the boarding facilities were closed for financial reasons. On the other hand, an evening teacher training school was created at that time.

After the military coup, when there were more than twenty public and private (owned by the Catholic Church) escuelas normales, General Pinochet closed them for considering them “a focus of rebellion.”

The dictatorship imposed that, from then on, teacher training was to be part of university education. In spite of its controversial nature, professor Núñez considers that this action established “a common institutional framework, with the most similar bases possible.” In 1976, during the dictatorship, professor Núñez was detained and tortured.

He concluded by saying that, for his part, he still shares “ the utopia” that education contributes to “build a fairer and more caring society, regardless of the fact that it may be a difficult task that requires many years, and maybe, there have been some mistakes in viewing the difficulties at its implementation.”

“History has left us a few things and, in the midst of the battle of daily life, we should take a look at them,” he finally said.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• With didactic experiments, presentations given by experts, workshops, contests and exhibitions, the 5th version of the Universidad de Santiago’s Scientific Fair was held for three days. The activity is organized by the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology and is recognized as one of the main activities for science dissemination in Chile.
• According to the fair’s coordinator, Professor Leonora Mendoza, “it is encouraging to see how the future professionals of this Faculty are committed to this initiative, in which students from many schools can be scientists for a day.”
• The recipient of the National Award of Exact Sciences 2001, Fernando Lund, who was invited to the fair, shared with visitors and expressed his admiration for “the success of the fair and the eagerness and commitment shown by the organizers.”

From a recipe for home-made tooth paste to a method for frying eggs without a fire: these are some of the experiments that called the attention of more than a thousand secondary students who visited the 5th version of the Universidad de Santiago’s Scientific Fair, between Thursday 25th and Saturday 27th of September, which is organized by the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology.

Around 600 people- students from schools of Santiago, mainly- participated every day in this fair that is recognized as one of the main activities for science dissemination in our country.

In the successful activity, the visitors, some of them with their families, were able to participate for free in experiments, contests and presentations given by experts, besides touring the laboratories of the University, where they were shown different experiences of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, the Faculty of Medical Sciences and the Mathematics and Electrical Engineering Departments.

“It is encouraging to see how the future professionals of this Faculty are so committed to this initiative, in which students from many schools can be scientists for a day,” the fair’s coordinator and Professor at the University, Leonora Mendoza, said.

Together with the 45 scientific experiments shown every day, presentations were given by guests like the renowned physicist Fernando Lund, recipient of the National Award of Exact Sciences 2001, who highlighted the importance of promoting scientific thinking in the country.

“I am very impressed how successful this fair is. The eagerness and commitment of the organizers are notable, so I congratulate Universidad de Santiago and the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology for this activity,” Lund said, adding that “controlling scientific thinking and knowledge allows us, human beings and societies, to be free.”

Commitment of all the faculty members

The 2014 version of the Universidad de Santiago’s Scientific Fair is the result of the commitment of more than 1,000 students, professors and staff of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology

Aracely Flores, a student of the fourth year of the Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Program, who was in charge of organizing the activity this year, highlighted the efforts made over several months to have a successful fair.

“We had to work hard to settle ideas, find sponsors, contact exhibitors and coordinate with the authorities. But today, when we see this excellent rate of response, we are very pleased with the results of our efforts,” she said.

Together with the didactic activities developed at the campus, the third version of the contest Concurso de Proyectos Científicos Dra. Elsa Abuin was held, in which the best scientific project presented by the participant schools was selected.

The successful 5th version of the Universidad de Santiago’s Scientific Fair was sponsored by the Explora Conicyt Program, Fundación Más Ciencia, Soviquim and Fundación Más Ciencia para Chile.


Translated by Marcela Contreras

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•  Universidad de Santiago de Chile made a significant contribution to Expo Food Process 2015, a technical and business platform that brought together different productive sectors related to food industry, facilitating the access to new technologies and solutions in different production processes. 

Universidad de Santiago de Chile had an outstanding participation in Expo Food Process 2015, a technical and business platform that brought together different productive sectors related to food industry, facilitating the access to new technologies and solutions in different production processes.

The activity was held at Espacio Riesco, Santiago, between November 04^th and 06^th. Researchers at the Food Science and Technology Research Center (Cecta), the Department of Food Science and Technology, and the Department of Chemical Engineering of our university participated at the exhibition and led two specialized seminars. One of them was focused on biotechnological research and development for the food and beverages sector, and the other, on food packaging.

The university delegation was led by Dr Oscar Bustos Castillo, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation. He told the attendees that Universidad de Santiago has strongly been related to the development of the country since its beginnings, what has led it to incorporate new lines of work.

“Today, our society is more aware of improving its quality of life by means of healthy food; therefore, the university considers the food sector a priority area,” he explained.

The scientific productivity in this field of research concentrates 10% of the total number of publications of the university and the 17% of the projects awarded funds from different sources.

Research with impact

Many researchers at Universidad de Santiago participated in the two seminars.

During the first day, Dr Laura Almendares gave the presentation “Generación de Productos Innovativos para la Empresa Alimentaria” (Generating innovative products for Food Industry) and Dr Julio Romero presented his work “Tecnología de membranas y solventes alternativos: ejemplos de transferencia y adaptación tecnológica” (Technology of membranes and alternative solvents: examples of technological adaptation and transfer).

Dr Claudio Martínez, Cecta’s director, presented his work “Mejoramiento del vino a través de la microbiología, una tecnología aplicable a otras bebidas fermentadas” (Improving wine production through microbiology: a technology that can be applied to other fermented drinks), and Raúl Ciudad, member of the I+D Committee of the Social- Business Development Council of Universidad de Santiago, gave the presentation “Desafíos I+D+i Universidad-Empresa” (University-Business I+D+i Challenges).

Gonzalo Jordán, Executive Chairman of CORFO’s Food Strategic Program gave the presentation “La Especialización Inteligente de la Industria Alimentaria: Nuevos Espacios de Competitividad” (Smart specialization in Food Industry: new spaces for competitiveness).

On Friday 06^th, Dr Abel Guarda Moraga gave his presentation “Envases de Alimentos. Requerimientos y Necesidad de desarrollo” (Food packaging. Requirements and need for development, and Dr María José Galotto, “Innovación en el área de envases de alimentos. La nanotecnología como herramienta para el desarrollo” (Innovation in food packaging. nanotechnology as a development tool).

For his part, Dr Francisco Rodríguez talked about “Envases para productos hortofrutícolas” (Packaging for fruit and vegetables) and Dr Julio Bruna, about “Envases y Biodegradabilidad: Realidades y Mitos” (Packaging and biodegradability: myths and facts). Finally, Dr Alejandra Torres closed the presentations with “Requerimientos de Innocuidad en envases plásticos para alimentos” (Innocuousness requirements for plastic food packaging).

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The First Higher Education Inclusion Congress at our University gathered together international experts in this field, calling the attention of representatives of different universities, like professor and Co-director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, Estela Mara Bensimon, who valued the “courage” that Universidad de Santiago de Chile has had to drive “transforming and exemplary” initiatives as the Propedéutico Program and the Grade Ranking, among others.
• The activity sponsored by the Embassy of the United States in Chile included presentations and workshops and concluded with a plenary session at the Enrique Fröemel auditorium.
• During this activity, Universidad de Santiago introduced its new inclusion initiative “Cupo Ranking 850” that will benefit “top one” students who take part in the Admission Process to Chilean Universities 2015.

With the purpose of promoting the development of innovative models for higher education access and retention and the generation of inclusive public policies that may be replicated in other universities, the First Higher Education Inclusion Congress was started at our University on November 06th.

The activity organized by Fundación Équitas, Universidad de Chile, Universidad Diego Portales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad Católica de Temuco and Universidad de Santiago de Chile was held at the auditorium of the Department of Mathematics and concluded on November 07th. The program included presentations and workshops to promote equal opportunities.

The Director of the Unesco Chair on Inclusion in Higher Education of Universidad de Santiago, Francisco Javier Gil, welcomed the international experts and representatives of different universities meeting at the congress and then described the goals of the activity to our institutional newsletter.

“During these two days, we seek to strengthen the network of universities committed to inclusion and to promote it in those institutions that have not understood yet the importance of generating inclusive systems. We also aim to train new young professionals so that they continue with this task, because the challenge posed by inclusion in higher education will not be solved in one day,” he said.

Professor Gil said that once this network of universities becomes consolidated, they will try to change the academic requirements that are currently used in the country to award scholarships, loans and other benefits. “Today, the Ministry of Education awards scholarships and loans considering the PSU admission test results only and this should not continue to happen,” he said.

Regarding the high number of national and international institutions participating at this First Higher Education Inclusion Congress, Francisco Javier Gil showed himself very pleased and he specified that “inclusion should be a cross-cutting concern involving all universities, without distinctions.”

Exemplary initiatives

One of the keynote speakers at the congress was professor and Co-director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, Estela Mara Bensimon. After her presentation, she valued the “courage” that Universidad de Santiago de Chile has had to drive “transforming and exemplary” initiatives, like the Propedéutico Program and the Grade Ranking.

“Universidad de Santiago has particularly done a transforming, revolutionary work regarding educational inclusion matters. In Chile and the United States, we need more initiatives, like promoting the Grade Ranking or the Propedéutico program experience of Universidad de Santiago,” she said, adding that “this university has become a model to follow for other institutions.”

Universidad de Santiago’s leading role

Another participant in this congress was Alberto Vásquez, Director of the Social Inclusion program of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile that has the purpose of implementing the new inclusion policy enacted at that institution a few weeks ago.

“We expect to empirically demonstrate that the students’ entry to higher education through ways other than the regular system does not affect the academic quality of institutions; on the contrary, it contributes to better and more inclusive universities, Vásquez said.

He added that he “has been aware for a long time of the experience and leading role of Universidad de Santiago regarding inclusion matters.”

“This University has probably pioneered these matters in the country and I believe that it has persuaded all the other institutions to find ways to access higher education different from the PSU,” he concluded.

For further information on the First Higher Education Inclusion Congress sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the Embassy of the United States in Chile, check http://fundacionequitas.org/congreso2014/


Translated by Marcela Contreras

Universidad de Santiago was awarded 900 million Chilean pesos in the V version of the Contest Anillos Research Projects in Science and Technology. The contest was announced by the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research.

Universidad de Santiago was awarded 900 million Chilean pesos for the execution of two projects in the context of the V version of the Contest Anillos Research project in Science and Technology 2014.

Thanks to the Associative Research Program (PIA, in Spanish), 17 projects will be funded nationwide, all of them top-class studies with international scope.

Dr Óscar Bustos Castillo, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation, said that he was very pleased with the results, adding that “this type of project allows developing cutting-edge research that goes beyond our borders, and this is highly significant to contribute to our university’s internationalization.”

Dr Bustos highlighted that two of the projects that were awarded funding belong to consolidated research groups that, in the short term, could become research centers.

“These study projects will be executed over three years and will allow us to face issues of national interest and global challenges, restating the role we play as a state and public university,” he said.

The projects

One of the projects is led by Dr Maritza Páez and Dr María Victoria Encinas, researchers at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, and Dr Jenny Blamey, researcher at Fundación Biociencia, who will address the problems generated by the spontaneous and undesirable damage of materials, known as corrosion or biocorrosion. The name of the study is “Functionalized surfaces: protection against corrosion and biocorrosion.”

They have the goal of replacing the anti corrosion procedures that involve chemical compounds of high toxicity, like chromates, and provide effective and eco-friendly solutions.

Dr Francisco Melo (surface mechanics), Dr José Zagal (electrochemistry) and Dr Manuel Azocar (bioinorganic chemistry) will participate in the project.

Dr Marcela Urzúa (polymers) and Dr Marco Flores (surface physics), both researchers at Universidad de Chile, will take part in the project too, as well as Dr Jenny Blamey and Dr Freddy Boehmwald (microbiology), of Fundación Biociencia, and Dr Mamie Sancy (corrosion-electrochemistry), of the Chilean Air Force.

The second project is led by Dr Raúl Cordero, researcher at the Department of Physics. This is the second time that he leads an Anillo Project (the first time was in 2010). This time, he seeks to better understand the effects of black carbon at the Andean cryosphere. 

Black carbon or soot is a pollutant generated by the use of fossil fuels in the cities that is carried by the wind over the Andean snow, changing its reflectivity and its melting speed. 

According to Dr Cordero, the study “is mainly focused on measuring the content of black carbon in the snow on the west side of the Andes.” For this purpose, they will conduct campaigns to collect samples and analyze their carbon content across the country, from Putre to the Patagonia.

With this data, “we expect to generate a map that shows the black-carbon content in the Andean cryosphere, highlighting the areas of impact. This information will be useful to evaluate the effect of black carbon on glaciers melting,” the researcher explained.

The project is really important, because the country’s long-term sustainability depends on the availability of water resources coming from the Andean snows. However, just like many cold regions of the planet, the Andean cryosphere has doubled the global warming rate. “Although green-house gas emissions seem to be the main cause of this problem, black carbon may be playing a role too,” he added.

“Universidad de Santiago is a leader in interdisciplinary studies that address different aspects of sustainability, what largely explains the successful results of our applications. This project involves an interdisciplinary team of physicists, chemists, glaciologists and engineers of six renowned Chilean universities. Besides, ten international institutions will collaborate with the project, like the German Aerospace Center (DLR, in German) and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC),” Dr Cordero concluded.

Nationwide results

The other 15 projects that were awarded funds belong to the following universities: five to Universidad Católica de Chile; four to Universidad de Chile; two to Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María and one to Universidad de La Frontera, one to Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, one to Universidad Andrés Bello and one to Universidad Autónoma de Chile.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• 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

• To contribute with a cleaner and safer energy source and help our country to achieve energy independence, the “Hydrogen Economy and Sustainable Development” Seminar was held at our university. The activity was organized by the Faculty of Engineering, in the context of its 100^th anniversary and it gathered national experts from the public and the academic sectors. The key lecture was delivered by the international speaker Dr Walter Theodor Czarnetzki, Vice President of Research and Technological Transfer of the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

To contribute with a cleaner and safer energy source and help Chile to achieve energy independence from other countries, the “Hydrogen Economy and Sustainable Development” Seminar was held at the Enrique Froemel Auditorium of Universidad de Santiago. The activity was organized by the Faculty of Engineering, in the context of its 100^th anniversary.

The activity was headed by Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, who said that universities, as dynamic centers for knowledge building, cannot keep out of the important sustainability processes that our countries are undergoing today, as they are the best tool to develop the foundations for a good future for our societies.

“Hydrogen produced in a clean and economical way could be used to compensate most of the energy insufficiency that we have,” he stressed.

“Our corporation, true to its public service tradition, has committed its best research and teaching resources and infrastructure to contribute with professionals, research and developments that help in policy making and at implementing a “Hydrogen Economy” in Chile,” he said. 

“A scientific work commitment made among universities, state-run bodies and the private sector will allow to find a sustainable energy alternative to reduce the current dependence on hydrocarbons and greenhouse gas emissions,” Dr Zolezzi said.

For his part, Juan Carlos Espinoza, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering said that the activity “is an example of the constant interest that this academic unit has in the field of energy, what facilitates the reflection on the need to progress in generating technological innovations that contribute to this area.”

The seminar

The seminar was introduced by Andrés Romero Celedón, Executive Secretary of the National Energy Commission, who said, “To address climate change, we shall change from a hydrocarbon-based civilization to a hydrogen-based one. Besides, this seminar is relevant, as in Chile we are trying to make a long-term energy policy for 2050, to overcome the energy problems that our country constantly faces.”

He added that all initiatives aimed to this goal should be supported by universities and professionals of all over the country, to have more security, sustainability and independence in this matter.

Presentations and speakers

During the activity, Dr Walter Theodor Czarnetzki, Vice President of Research and Technological Transfer of the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany, gave the key lecture “Hydrogen Economy for a Sustainable Future.” Patricio Rousseau, Electrical Engineer of Universidad Católica de Chile, and Dr José Zagal Moya, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of our university gave presentations too.

The participants in the “Hydrogen Economy in Chile” panel discussion were Dr Walter Theodor Czarnetzki; Anselmo Peiñan, representative of the Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo, in Spanish); José Miguel Arriaza, Regional Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, and Professors Dr Fernando Corvalán and Patricio Rousseau. The discussion was moderated by the lawyer Gonzalo Salgado, an expert in energy regulations.

Translated by Marcela Contreras