amphitheater4

The work supported by the Rectory, recovers this historic space and incorporates 12 stained glass windows that remember different passages in the life of the Chilean Nobel Prize winner, highlighting in her images the role of the poet in the field of Chilean public education. 

Rescuing traditional elements of the building and extolling the work of the famous poet Gabriela Mistral, by incorporating 12 stained glass windows that remember important passages of her life and work. These were the aspects considered in the remodeling work of the Amphitheater of the Former Normal School, located on the Isabel Bongard Campus, and which is part of the space improvement policy of the University of La Serena.

amphitheater2Through a process of inquiry with normal students who studied in the place, it was possible to return to a design similar to the original, in addition to recognizing the teaching work of our Nobel Prize in Literature and Isabel Bongard, both teachers who are bulwarks of education in Chile. .

The work, carried out by the Services Directorate team and supported by the Rector's Office, had as its main axis the remodeling of the space, where an attempt was made to recover the image it had before the fire that affected it during 1988. In addition, beautiful stained glass windows on Gabriela Mistral, made by the artist Daniel Palominos.

During the inauguration ceremony, the Academic Vice-Rector, Dr. Alejandra Torrejón, representing the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, pointed out that "this intangible heritage, which as the University of La Serena we have cared for for decades, has made us guarantors of "the preservation of pedagogy careers in our region and we hope that it will be recognized as a temple of education, culture and the arts. There is an enormous cultural heritage here that makes us significantly proud and we urge you to be part of it."

As the authority mentioned, one of the key points of this remodeling was the help provided by the normalistas who studied in the place, since they were the ones who described what this space was like. In this way, it was possible to find the original design, in order to use it as a reference point for the current one. The communication that the University had with the normalista community was of vital importance, because it not only allows maintaining a historical place in the city, but also maintaining the active link with those who have a tradition around education in the region. amphitheater3

The project, where the sum of more than 110 million pesos was invested, was presented in two stages. The first was developed around the remodeling of the physical space, that is, changing windows, construction of a steel structure for a false ceiling, replacement of pavement, interior and exterior painting, among other works. And a second stage, which consisted of the design and construction of stained glass windows with the theme of the Nobel Prize winner Gabriela Mistral, highlighting the importance of the Chilean poet, and highlighting her influence and work in Chilean education.

The recently inaugurated space had the opportunity to be premiered with participants of the fifth Meeting of Our America, ENA, which has the ULS as host and which seeks to implement educational improvements with social impact. The meeting brings together representatives from different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, in order to generate deep dialogue and reflection on issues linked to education.

Written by Patricia Castro, DirCom

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rector medal

The Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, received the distinction of the Order of the Rising Sun of Golden Rays with Hanging Ribbon, presented in the name of Emperor Emeritus Akihito, for his contribution to the dissemination of Japanese culture and development of Japanese language teaching in Chile.

The highest authority of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, received this Monday, May 6, 2019, the decoration that the Japanese Emperor has granted since 1981 to foreigners through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. This is the distinction of the Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays with Hanging Ribbon, conferred on those who promote Japanese identity.

Since his role as Rector, the academic has promoted different initiatives at the University of La Serena and the Coquimbo Region to strengthen the brotherhood between both countries. The “Chilean-Japanese Friendship Week” stands out, today called “Japan Weekend” which, for 12 consecutive years, and through activities such as training workshops in Japanese culture, exhibitions, conferences, contests and artistic shows, have generated growing interest. of the community to understand this ancient culture.

In addition to his continuous contact and participation in activities with the Japanese Embassy, ​​he has also had the opportunity to greet Prince Akishino during his visits to Chile in 1997 and 2017, on the occasion of the commemorations of the 100 and 120 years of bilateral relations. between both nations.

In 1987, the Rector of the University of La Serena obtained a scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (Monbukagakusho), which allowed him to live 7 years in the eastern country, during which time he had the opportunity to complete the Master's degree. and Doctorate in Engineering at the Nagaoka University of Technology (Nagaoka Gijutsu Kagaku Daigaku) ​​in Nagaoka. His stay also included Japanese language studies and a year of internship at the Fukuda Gumi Design and Construction Company in Nigata.

Honor Ceremony

The award ceremony for the Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays with Hanging Ribbon, took place in Santiago, specifically at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan in Chile, Yoshinobu Hiraishi. At the beginning of the event, the Ambassador commented that “it is a great pleasure and honor for me to receive you today, here in my residence, to celebrate the well-deserved decoration of the Rector of the University of La Serena, Nibaldo Avilés, in recognition of his enormous contribution to the development of Japanese language teaching and, at the same time. to the dissemination of Japanese culture in Chile.”

He also reviewed the merits of Rector Avilés to be honored by the Emperor Emeritus of Japan, ending his speech with a quote from the poet Gabriela Mistral: "To say friendship is to say complete understanding, quick trust and long memory; that is, fidelity."

For his part, Rector Avilés made his speech in Japanese, thanking the Emperor, Ambassador and the Japanese nation for such a high honor conferred and highlighting the learnings developed during his seven-year stay in Japan, and the work that since that date and until Now, it has developed to maintain ties with Japan and promote its culture and language in Chile, especially in the Coquimbo Region.

Along with the delivery ceremony, an honorary lunch was held, ending with the traditional tea ceremony, performed by the Ambassador himself.

Dr. Nibaldo Avilés is a native of Ovalle, where he was named a distinguished citizen in 2014. In 2010 he was awarded as an illustrious visitor to the city of San Juan, Argentina. He is a Civil Builder, Civil Engineer and Execution Engineer in Business Administration with a Master's and Doctorate in Engineering and an MBA. His specialty includes the topics of reinforced concrete, steel structures and resistance of materials. He was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of La Serena from 1999 to 2006 and assumed the rectorship in 2006 and has been re-elected three times.

About the Order of the Rising Sun (Kyokujitsu-shō)

It was created in 1875 by Emperor Mutsuhito (1852-1912), who began the Meiji Era, being the first Japanese order to reward military and civil services to the country. It is comparable to the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, a British Order of Chivalry founded in 1725.

Currently, the Order of the Rising Sun is structured into six classes:

  • First Class, Grand Cordon.
  • Second Class, Gold and Silver Star.
  • Third Class, Golden Rays with Hanging Ribbon.
  • Fourth Class, Golden Rays with Rose Window.
  • Fifth Class, Rays of Gold and Silver.
  • Sixth Class, Silver Rays

Since 1981, it has also been awarded to foreign citizens and its diploma is signed by the emperor himself. Also in 2003, the possibility of awarding this recognition to women was established. The awards of the Order of the Rising Sun, in their different categories, recognize people dedicated to promoting Japanese culture or bringing Japanese society closer to other peoples.

roco book1

This is the sixth literary work of Dr. Francisco Roco, and it stands out because it is linked to the work of the ULS Journalism degree.

“Communication and Technological Revolution - contributions to human understanding in the digital age”, is the new book launched by the academic of the University of La Serena, Dr. Francisco Roco, who explains the change and adaptation that man and his realities have had in this era and whose inspiration was lroco book2he chair of Communication Theory, taught to students of the journalism career full Faculty of Cs. Social and Economic.

The book, made through the Editorial of the University of La Serena, and which can be purchased in his bookstore, corresponds to the teacher's sixth literary work and stands out because it is linked to the work of the degree. As pointed out by the Director of the ULS School of Journalism, Mg. Cristian Muñoz, “the characteristic of this publication is that it is born from the teaching-learning process developed in the subject of Communication Theory that Professor Roco has taught for many years, so as he very well describes it in his book and explains it , these are the contributions and reflections that the students themselves have generated through the discussion of the subject.” Regarding how the idea arose, the same academic Dr. Francisco Roco expressed that “this book was born in a class of the year last, of the journalism course that is now second year, because the topic of millennials, generation Y, generation Z came up and they shared very freely what they felt about the world," highlighting how that conversation would have influenced the creation of your book.roco book3

"I had never had the opportunity to talk with someone so freely about what they felt and that conversation had a huge impact on me. So I concluded that in this generation there is something new compared to the previous one, and the previous one and so on, that is, each generation that "She comes to the University not only is she younger, but she is somewhat different from the others. So I related it to the issue of communications, social networks, the technological ways of communicating that make minds different," Roco explained.

Finally, the launch activity for this book, which was organized by the School Directorate and the Publishing House of the University of La Serena, took place in the TV Studio with a large attendance of students, teachers and the general public.

Written by Consuelo Peña, School of Journalism

radio schedule

The head of ULS Digital Campus, Eng. Humberto Farías spoke with journalist Alejandro Alaluf, from Radio Pauta (program “Invención del Futuro”), about the Univrso project, which seeks to strengthen astronomical tourism with a virtual reality mobile application and massive online courses.

This project from the University of La Srena is also highlighted by Diario El Día in an opinion column. 

Listen to the interview on Radio Pauta here 

Read the opinion column of Diario El Día here

kine1

The activity was carried out within the celebration of the kinesiologist's week.

With the aim of providing better training to its students and graduates, the career of Kinesiology full University of La Serena organized the “Musculoskeletal Update Day with Cervical and Shoulder Clinical Application” by the sports kinesiologist Alejandro Kock, director of the Diploma and Master of Musculoskeletal Kinesiology with Clinical Application KINEX, who gave a presentation and later a workshop with the attendees.     

kine2For Abraham Díaz, a Kinesiology graduate, it is quite positive to have these instances that help not only provide better training to the students of the degree, but also help to complement the knowledge of the graduates. “I think it is very good that there are these types of instances, I think they chose one of the best speakers, who can talk about such technical things in a simple way, reaching first-year students as well as already qualified kinesiologists, and allowing us to improve our work.” that we can do as professionals,” he said.

For her part, Valeria Ramírez, a 4th year student, indicated that it is important that the University has these spaces, since it improves the training of students. “It is good to be able to have a day of this type within our University, I feel that it is very positive to have someone who has been practicing the profession for so many years. With activities like this, students can learn more and better,” she expressed.

Some of the topics addressed at the conference were reasoning in clinical pain, axioscapular clinical biomechanics, evaluation of altered motor patterns of the shoulder, arthrokinematic and myofascial treatment, among others.

This activity was carried out within the framework of the celebration of the kinesiologist's week, a commemoration that closes on Sunday, May 12 with the “Run for Health”, an activity to be held on Costanera Avenue in Coquimbo.

Written by Tomás Rodríguez, DirCom

illustrious son

The distinction was awarded to academic Jorge Carvajal during the civic-military parade with which the Coquimbo commune celebrated a new anniversary together with authorities and neighbors.

With 50 years dedicated to education in different establishments and institutions in the region, among which the University of La Serena stands out, the academic of the Department of Education, Jorge Carvajal Cortés, has always shown concern and integrity in the training of children and young people, work that earned him recognition from the Municipality of Coquimbo, which distinguished him as Illustrious Son of the commune within the framework of its 152nd anniversary.

For the academic, being named Illustrious Son of Coquimbo was a pleasant surprise, since he feels that this type of recognition is needed for teachers in the region. “I have never thought about being worthy of recognition, so when the news reached me, it was a surprise that I took with honor, thinking of all the important professors in the region who also deserve such important recognition,” said the professor of the degree program. Pedagogy in Basic General Education.

Finally, the educator shared a message to his education students to motivate them to continue working. “I urge my students that the quality of work has to take precedence above all, pedagogy is not a career that gives you great economic benefits, but it does give you spiritual benefits and that it is always important to have the vocation,” he said. .

The distinction of Illustrious Son was awarded to academic Jorge Carvajal during the civic-military parade with which the Coquimbo commune celebrated its 152nd anniversary together with authorities and neighbors. The event was led by Mayor Lucía Pinto and Mayor Marcelo Pereira.

Written by Tomás Rodríguez, DirCom