The study plan includes topics of integrated management of basins and water resources, geographic information systems, hydrological modeling, among others.

For several years now, the Coquimbo Region has been constantly experiencing water resource problems. There have been many studies that have revealed this, and without going any further, the Center for Advanced Studies in Arid Zones -CEAZA- has been emphatic in establishing that the situation is critical, especially in certain recognized sectors in the region.

For this reason, the University of La Serena, together with regional entities, defined in their strategies that the development of human capital for the good management of water resources was a central pillar for their development.

The need for good water management has been established in the Regional Development Strategy, in the Strategic Plan to confront Water Scarcity 2015-2025 and also in the National Policy for Water Resources 2015; All these instruments seek, ultimately, to create a high-level critical mass in the management of water resources.

With all these considerations, the ULS, as a public and regional university, decided to assume the commitment through the PROMMRA Laboratory of the Department of Agronomy, to raise a postgraduate training proposal that was awarded, becoming what is today called Diploma in Management. of Water Resources.

This diploma course hopes to improve the capabilities of students in various areas associated with water resources management, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. The study plan includes topics on integrated management of basins and water resources, geographic information systems, hydrological modeling, applied hydrology and hydraulics.

A central and very important axis of this diploma is that it addresses the innovation of transformation processes for good management. Likewise, it contemplates project evaluation, and legislation and quality issues.

The program is structured on the basis of VI modules that account for a total of 11 courses and among them is what is called water operations, where we work on high-efficiency irrigation systems, water treatment techniques and planning. water, and that the professionals who today take the role of students have had the opportunity to learn in the field.

For Christopher Vivanco, Project Engineer at the Water Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Zones of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAZALAC), agricultural engineer at the University of La Serena and current student of the diploma taught by the ULS, being part of this program study allows you to perfect yourself in areas of knowledge that directly affect your work performance. “Until now, the diploma has been a new opportunity to improve myself professionally; But it has also been a new opportunity to ask myself new questions, new challenges and new horizons in this very special line of water resources,” he indicated.

For her part, for Carolina Herrera, civil engineer and Provincial Head of DGA Limarí of the General Directorate of Water of the Coquimbo Region, the reason why she decided to take this diploma was to expand her knowledge about water management, expressing that “this way I can improve my own management and allows me to better support users and the various user organizations with which I have contact as Provincial Head of the DGA of Limarí.”

Furthermore, he added that in the regional context, the possibility of accessing a diploma such as the one offered by the University of La Serena is very important, pointing out that “this is a different and specialized diploma in an area where disastrous droughts have been experienced, such as "It is the Coquimbo Region, and where the experience of several professionals from the various productive areas of the region and water users is used, which is quite beneficial for those of us who develop in this area."

The Diploma in Water Resources Management program is taught in 11 courses lasting a total of 213 hours, distributed in 150 face-to-face hours and 63 hours of autonomous work, and is an opportunity for those who want to acquire solid knowledge, build capabilities and perfect themselves under a comfortable format from a work point of view.

Written by Patricia Castro, DirCom

In the Techno Science sections of CNN Chile and Superscience of radio dna, journalist Andrea Obaid commented on the scope of Univrso, the first Chilean virtual reality app to educate the community about astronomy, developed by the University of La Serena. This application is part of the project: “Virtual Reality to reinvent Astrotourism”, executed by the ULS and financed by the Innovation Fund for Competitiveness (FIC-R) - Coquimbo Region.

In ADN, the journalist spoke with the head of the ULS Digital Campus, Humberto Farías, who provided details of Univrso, a new way of approaching astrotourism. The initiative also considers the website Universo.userena.digital and four free massive open online courses (MOOC).

See the note at CNN Chile here 

Listen to the interview on DNA here (from minute 36:50)

The University of La Serena participated in the launch of the Santiago - Temuco section of the High Speed ​​Fiber Optic Network, which has 850 kilometers and an initial capacity of 100 gigabits per second, promoted by the National University Network (REUNA) and which included with the presence of government authorities, the private sector and representatives of various universities, connected simultaneously from 4 cities in the center and south of the country.

The Director of the ULS Informatics and Computing Center was present at the inauguration of this second section; Mg. Andrés Moya, who highlighted that our institution has a year of experience, after the first section of this Fiber Optic Network was inaugurated in April 2018, enabled between Santiago and La Serena, for the use of the entire scientific and academic community. From Chile.

The inauguration of this new section and the participation of the University of La Serena was highlighted in the magazine Pulse (The Third) on Sunday, April 28.

His visit was part of the inauguration of the new academic year of the University's Law program, where he also shared with authorities from the university. 

The Director of the Judicial Academy, Juan Vargas Vivancos, visited the University of La Serena on the occasion of the inauguration of the academic year of the Law degree, an occasion in which he also held a meeting with the Academic Vice-Rector, Dr. Jorge Catalán, in representation of the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, together with the Vice-Rector for Economic and Administrative Affairs, Dr. Alejandra Torrejón, the Academic Secretary of the Faculty of Cs. Social and Economic, Mg. Carolina Rodríguez, the Director of the undergraduate program, Mg. Carlos Magna, and the Race Coordinator, Mg. Christian Merino.

At the meeting, the authorities discussed the work that the University carries out today regarding the academic training of future professionals in the region, highlighting the work that has been developed in the Law career.

After this meeting, the inauguration of the academic year of the Law degree took place in the Pentagon Hall of the University of La Serena, a space where the Director of the Judicial Academy gave the talk: “Challenges of the training of judges in Chile”, which was attended by authorities, academics and students.

Written by Tomás Rodríguez, DirCom

The meeting with Dr. Walter Kohan took place in the context of the inauguration of the academic year of the degree, where university authorities, academics and students participated.

With the premise that in society there is a contradiction in what is said and done in the area of ​​early childhood education, the academic Walter Kohan, philosopher from the University of Buenos Aires and Doctor in Philosophy from the Universidad Iberoamericana de México , visited the University of La Serena to give a keynote talk to the students of Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education, in the context of the inauguration of the academic year of the degree.

In the activity, which was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Dr. Cristián Noemi, academics, students and special guests, the expert was emphatic in confirming that today, although there is a child protection policy, it remains a lot for early childhood education to be a priority and that, from that perspective, what can be done is to start talking about the topic, in spaces like those that the University of La Serena fosters.

“Childhood education is one of the most important in the world, although people do not realize it or do not want to believe it, and unfortunately since childhood is neglected and neglected, educational systems think that the most formed stages are the most important, But we neglect the lowest ones and even that has a lower economic reward, because people who work in early childhood education receive less, are less economically stimulated, and all of this reflects carelessness and inattention," said the philosopher.

Meeting with academics and talk

The expert also met with academics from the Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education career, where they were able to analyze the different scenarios through which early education goes, as well as learn about what the ULS does with students, where the work in equipment and knowledge of realities, not only in schools, but in facilities such as hospitals and penitentiaries.

Dr. Kohan ended his visit to the University with the exhibition called “Biopolitics, school and resistance: Childhood for teacher training.”

Written by Patricia Castro, DirCom

The new graphic form of communication of the University comes to complement the traditional Institutional Shield that will be used in solemn communication contexts.

The University of La Serena chose social digital environments to launch a new visual image for its institutional and promotional communications. It is an isotype that rescues the elements of the original institutional Shield -which is part of the tradition of the house of studies- and that seeks to improve the visibility and recognition of the name of the University in small format formats.

“The ULS began an exercise to review the use of its Shield, observing that when it was used in the context of mass communication, the name of the institution lost notoriety. This happened because the Shield was used and adapted as if it were a logo, without the necessary safeguards. Thus, to the sophisticated original construction work of the Shield, elements such as circles, words and phrases were added, forcing it to become a logo and slogan," explains Carola Espinoza Orellana, a professional who joined the ULS last March within the framework of the project to create the Strategic Communication Department, a new unit that will manage the communications of the corporate brand in order to increase its reputation.

In this way, to respect the solemn use of the Coat of Arms created in 1981, it will be ensured that this important symbol is used in solemn acts and documents, such as titles and degrees, certificates, theses, etc.

“The challenge was to rescue the central elements from the original 1981 Shield and bring them to modern graphic styles that are compatible with smaller format digital formats. For this reason, in addition to the logo in vertical and horizontal application, we created one with the acronym ULS, whose use will be applied in social networks, smaller digital formats, clothing and small corporate articles”, explains the Master in Communication, in Management of Marketing and Direct and Digital Marketing, Carola Espinoza.

On social networks, criticism did not take long to arrive, especially from those who thought that the logo replaced the Shield. Before them, the Director of Strategic Communication points out that the opinions are valid and that they hope that once the community understands that the logo does not replace the traditional Shield, but rather accompanies it, acceptance will improve.

“It is a good sign that a community defends its identity. The important thing is to understand that the essence does not change, but its forms of expression must evolve. It would have been strange if everyone applauded the measure. Furthermore, since some believed that we had eliminated the Shield, the criticism is understandable. For now, what must attract us all is for ULS to be easily recognized in the national context, which is where our image is less known. The logo and the communication isotype come to help us in this task of being seen, while the stories and content that we are generating must fill that visuality with meaning,” the professional points out.

The visual identity project is one of the first innovations of the new ULS era in terms of strategic communication, a discipline with which it hopes to reinforce a relevant personality and voice in the face of its community of officials, students and the regional, national and international social environment. .

"We are preparing to reach 40 years of institutional life with a brand that, based on its heritage and tradition, is willing to innovate to walk together with its Region, in the challenges imposed by the XNUMXst century," says Espinoza.