The successful cycle invites you to know what is being done in frontier astronomy in the Coquimbo Region.

“Clash of Galaxies - Problems in Universal Traffic” is the title of the next talk of the second season of the cycle “AstroSerena - Exploring the cosmos from the Coquimbo Region”, which will be offered by the PhD in Astronomy from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) and University of Aix Marseille, (France), Sergio Torres.

In this presentation, the Director(s), academic and researcher of the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of La Serena will address how such structures interact, allowing us to learn more about the evolution of the galaxies that we observe today in our Universe, including the future that holds for our own Galaxy.

The activity, which will take place this Friday, January 11, starting at 18:30 p.m. at the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library in La Serena (Juan José Latorre 782), is part of the cycle of free public talks that is organized by the Department . of Physics and Astronomy of the ULS and the Gemini Observatory, with the collaboration of the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library and the financing of the ALMA-CONICYT Project #31180047.

Successful cycle of public talks

The AstroSerena cycle, in all its forms, is an invitation to learn what is being done in frontier astronomy in our region, to experience curiosity about the cosmos, to enjoy the beauty of our skies, to share and preserve a heritage of all humanity.

AstroSerena was born in 2017 with the perspective of offering free talks on Astronomy and related Sciences, given by experts in the field. “There were obviously no lack of astronomical dissemination initiatives in the city's cultural panorama; What we did feel was missing was a season of talks with continuous programming throughout the year,” explained the researcher at the University of La Serena, Dr. Rodolfo Angeloni, who added that the cycle has reached its second season in optimal way, “with a growing number of people who attend our talks monthly in the auditorium of the Regional Library. On average, each event is attended by 100 people, and our website has already been visited by more than 3.”

In addition, Dr. Angeloni, from the ULS Multidisciplinary Research Institute in Science and Technology, highlighted the award of the ALMA-CONICYT project, “whose main objective is the purchase of astronomical equipment: telescopes, accessories for visual observations, etc., in order to expand our activities even beyond the traditional format of public talks. Our next effort in linking with the environment, as the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is now to also be able to offer monthly 'star parties', that is, night sky observation activities open to the public. "We are working to define some important logistical details, but the idea is to leave, hopefully in March of this year, so that we can all be prepared for that great event that is the total solar eclipse on July 2."

The instances are framed within the “Practical and Assistantship” subject of the degree.

Different practical experiences were carried out by the students of the Ped degree. in Chemistry and Cs. Natural to the institution, with the purpose of replicating exercises typical of the profession in different educational establishments. In this context, the scientific fairs organized by the Liceo Gabriela Mistral, Colegio Americano and Colegio Calasanz were visited, and Saint John's School was also received at the University premises.

“The students of this subject carry out the practical experience, which is carried out with some chemical reagents from laboratory work and others with chemical products from the home environment, considering all the relevant safety regulations. In the activities they develop both their procedural skills as well as their conceptual and attitudinal skills, since they begin their work as teachers from the initial training,” explained the program coordinator, Dr. Patricia Pizarro.

Furthermore, the participation of sixth-level students, who are taking the subject “Practical and Assistantship”, has also included first-year students and those who are taking the subject of Didactics.

The experience was described by the students as very valuable for their training, since it allowed them to strengthen the knowledge acquired in the classroom in a practical way. “These spaces seem like a very good opportunity to me, because many colleagues from other careers do not have these practical instances while they are studying, so this brings us closer to the world where we are going to have to work and also allows us to see if we really have the vocation to be teachers,” said student Carolina Calderón.

While the student Javiera Íter, who is in the last year of her degree, pointed out that “as a future teacher, these experiences help me in training, as they allow us to expand, lose fear and see my mistakes, which we have had to be resolved on site. Therefore, these instances help us see if we are good with our knowledge and it is the opportunity we have to see what didactic or teaching techniques we can use."

On the other hand, the graduate of the course, Paulina Zúñiga, valued the possibility that the students could learn about the University's facilities and carry out practical exercises in the Chemistry laboratories themselves. “The practical part is super important, one tends to bombard students with theory all year long. The fact that they see what happens, the reactions themselves, is doubly significant, since there is a double knowledge when carrying out demonstrative experiences and it allows them to assimilate a lot of the theory and understand the reason for certain reactions or situations," stated the teacher at Saint John's School, who accompanied the third-year students of the Chemistry elective of said establishment.

The coordinator hopes to continue participating in this type of activities during the current year, since in addition to promoting the initial training of future teachers, it has allowed them to connect with the graduates of the program, who have been able to share their vision regarding their own experiences faced in the world of work.

Source: Integrated Pedagogy Management Unit (UGIP) – PMI FIP ULS1501 | CM ULS1755

The training was framed in the implementation of the Applied Pedagogical Research (IPA) project “Observation of Teaching Pedagogical Practices with a focus on the treatment of Cognitive Skills of Reading Comprehension in pre-basic students in Kindergarten, first and second grade of Carlos School Condell de la Haza of the city of La Serena” developed under the aegis of the Integrated Management Unit of Pedagogies (UGIP).

Identifying variables of teaching pedagogical practice, in the development of cognitive skills of Reading Compression, was the main objective of the project carried out by Professor Dr. Alejandra Torrejón, Vice-rector of Economic and Administrative Affairs, together with the Management and professors of the Carlos Condell de la Haza School.

The research included carrying out different workshops, directed by Dr. Torrejón and Professor Jorge Carvajal, in which they addressed topics related to cognitive skills and reading comprehension strategies at their different levels and stages of development.

“We feel pleased as a working group, since we established pedagogical dialogues to find possible answers to a series of questions that we initially posed (…). Some instruments were formulated to collect information and thus see what was happening in daily practice with educators and teachers regarding early reading processes and, on the other hand, see how it can be visualized that early reading skills were indeed being developed. giving (…) therefore these workshops allowed us to establish a self-analysis regarding pedagogical practices,” explained the Vice-Rector.

For her part, the director of the school, Nelly Vilches, who actively participated in the investigative work, positively valued the realization of these collaborative instances between the University and the establishment. “There is an urgent need in education to reuse this practice of researching what we do. The Carlos Condell de la Haza School is a public educational center located in a territorial sector that needs a training and educational pedagogical proposal relevant to the context (...). The view that we always have is the relevance that the school has in the territory, because more than an infrastructure, it is an engine of development (...). Those who gained the most were our boys and girls, and for them we are always looking for ways to update ourselves,” said the director.

One of the important aspects of the IPA projects is that it considers the participation of academics, teachers from the school system and undergraduate students from the University of La Serena. In that sense, the teacher-in-training of Ped's career. in Basic General Education, Diego Muñoz, had a fundamental role in the work carried out with the members of the school. “Research is a duty of the University, and on this occasion, the importance that I want to highlight is that we are considered as pedagogy students in a research of these characteristics. This gives it a seal that not all research has, as students we contribute not from experience, but from curiosity and the desire to learn. We are all responsible for generating knowledge from the place where we are and I also want to thank the institution for generating these opportunities,” he stated.

In this way, the training culminated in a ceremony in which a certificate of recognition was delivered to the 27 teachers who attended the project workshops.

“The participation I had in the project was very fortunate, because that allowed me to improve some aspects of how to teach reading to children, they gave me some strategies that I implemented until the end of the year and thus the children could understand better and achieve a better development in reading and writing,” said the first cycle teacher, Patricia Rojas.

The same was stated by her colleague, Camila Zamarca, who stated that “the research made us understand in a different way how to teach children, with different structures, and thus enhance their abilities. We didn't think that being so small we could take advantage of the texts, which was what surprised us, we started to implement it and it has gone very well for us."

It should be noted that the main purpose of Applied Pedagogical Research projects is, precisely, to respond to real problems presented by the actors in the school system themselves. For this reason, there are already eight projects that are being developed in the different communes of the region. “We have to continue working together, for mutual benefit, advocating for cooperation and joint work between the institutional community and the educational system,” emphasized Dr. Fabián Araya, alternate executive director of the Integrated Management of Pedagogies Unit, who coordinates the execution of all IPA projects.

Source: Integrated Pedagogy Management Unit (UGIP) – PMI FIP ULS1501 | CM ULS1755

The activity was organized by the “Student Attraction, Retention and Accompaniment” subunit of the Integrated Management of Pedagogies Unit (UGIP).

 “University for a day” is the name of the day in which nearly fifty third and fourth year high school students participated, who had the opportunity to get to know the world of higher education for a day. The purpose of the event was to reinforce interest in studying a pedagogy degree at the University of La Serena.

“The objective was to bring high school students together and make them participate in a university day. Therefore, we try to replicate what a student teacher does during their real academic year. "For the first time it was done, it was a fairly successful experience, and the students left very satisfied," explained Professor Diego Contreras, who is in charge of the "Student Attraction, Retention and Accompaniment" subunit of the UGIP. .

In the first instance, the schoolchildren attended the talk “Challenges for educating in the knowledge society” given by the UGIP researcher, Dr. Rodrigo Ruay, in which he referred to the role of education and the teacher in today's society. . Subsequently, each student participated in a class of the pedagogy degree of interest and a reflective workshop where Professor Diego Contreras explained to them about the study plans, graduation profiles and the main changes that will come with the implementation of the curricular renewal during the current year.

For student Arelys Muñoz, who was part of the first generation of the “I Want to Be a Professional in Education” program, the experience helped her “learn more about the English Pedagogy career. They integrated me into the activities carried out in the classes as if I were just another student in the course. Furthermore, the didactics of the class caught my attention, I imagined that they only passed subject after subject, but they played games, activities with each other, asked each other questions, I realized that it is not like a school class. “I would like to continue with the same motivation of being able to teach and study pedagogy, because it is a different and close way to reach children, to make them change their vision and motivate them to do something else beyond the ordinary,” she noted.

A similar opinion was had by the graduate of San José School, Michelle Roco, who wants to study PED. in Differential Education. “I was quite surprised by this initiative, because I had a lot of fun, everyone was very kind to us, because both the first-year students and the teachers showed us what they experience daily. I was able to observe the attitude of the teachers, who are very close and made us feel very comfortable. As a future educator, I am very inspired by the fact that teachers are, in some way, the eyes of the students, they are the ones who can show that we are capable despite our difficulties, and that there are no limits to what we want to do. It was an excellent experience, because I met colleagues who had the same doubts, and we were able to confirm what we really want to be, future teachers,” she said.

On the other hand, the student of the Gabriela Mistral school, Montserrat Alfaro, participated in the classes organized by Ped's career. in Mathematics and Physics. “The class was super practical, it was done in a laboratory and it was very didactic. I learned a lot and it was very entertaining. Since there are few students in this program, I realized that they are close with everyone in the institution, not only with their classmates or teachers, but with all the staff who worked here. I feel that this profession is not highly valued by people, even though pedagogies are a fundamental basis for training teachers who will teach classes in other careers. We all need someone to teach us, but mainly to educate us with values, and that is why I want to study pedagogy, to be an agent of change and to be someone who can educate,” she emphasized.

In this way, the participating students were able to clarify their vocational doubts, through the experiential experience they had during the different activities carried out during the day, which is expected to be replicated in the coming years.

Source: Integrated Pedagogy Management Unit (UGIP) – PMI FIP ULS1501 | CM ULS1755

Some of the places visited were the La Moneda Cultural Center, the Gabriela Mistral GAM Center, the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Museum of Science and Technology, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Planetarium.

The second-year students of the Pedagogy in Basic General Education degree in La Serena carried out the study tour called “Art, Sciences and Technology: broadening the perspective”, from Wednesday, December 12 to Friday, December 14, 2018, traveling to Santiago and visiting various museums and cultural centers.

Some of the places visited were the La Moneda Cultural Center, the Gabriela Mistral GAM Center, the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Museum of Science and Technology, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Planetarium.

They also had the opportunity to participate in a Light and Sound class, offered by Professor Héctor Chanduvi at the Museum of Science and Technology, emphasizing the effect on children of the misuse of these energies.

The teachers Adriana Herrera Olivares and Teresa Galeno Araya, together with all the students participating in the tour, thanked all the units of the University: Academic Vice-Rector's Office, Accreditation Office, Coordination of the PEGB degree, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Education, School Management and DGAE, which provided the resources to carry out this relevant and transcendent activity in their training.

“Each of the museums and cultural centers visited were very important to acquire new knowledge, which will be necessary when we pursue our careers as basic general teachers. Additionally, I had the opportunity to interact and share with my classmates in a different way outside of the classroom, which allowed me to realize that we are surrounded by very good people who are willing to help others without expecting anything in return," he said. the student Marlene Páez Flores.

While his colleague, Ruth Ventura Román, indicated that “this experience was satisfactory and enriching, I can only thank the management done by the different people, such as teachers and directors.”

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Through this alliance, we seek to establish work that will allow us to launch a postgraduate program in the field of astro-informatics and astronomical research.

In the premises of the Central House of the University of La Serena, a working meeting was held between the Rector of the university, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, the Director of Research and Development, Dr. Amelia Ramírez, the Head of Campus Digital, Humberto Farías, and the Director of the Chilean Virtual Observatory and Deputy Director of Liaison with the Environment of the Computer Science Department of the Federico Santa María Technical University, Dr. Mauricio Solar.

This meeting was held with a view to carrying out joint work between both universities in the area of ​​astro-informatics.

In this regard, the Director of Research and Development of the University of La Serena, Dr. Amelia Ramírez, pointed out that "under the framework of the Ciencia2030 project, recently awarded by the ULS, in alliance with the University of Valparaíso and the Federico Santa Technical University María, there are clearly defined objectives to promote technological transfer and innovation of the knowledge generated at the ULS and that positively impact the regional community, both business, educational and government. In this sense, the ULS has strengths in R&D in topics such as water resources and renewable energies, as well as in Data Science, especially that driven by astro-informatics. It is in this context that we will generate postgraduate degrees, diplomas and postgraduate degrees in these areas as part of the future strategies of this House of Studies".

The final objective of this meeting was to present, on behalf of the UTFSM, the request to establish an alliance between that university and the University of La Serena for the development of a postgraduate program in astro-informatics. In addition, an invitation was raised for the University of La Serena to become an integral part of the board of directors of the Chilean Virtual Observatory (ChiVO).

The reason for this request, explained the Director of the Chilean Virtual Observatory Dr. Mauricio Solar, is because the University of La Serena has developed important work in astronomical matters. Currently the University teaches the Astronomy degree and works with research in this area. Furthermore, this region has optimal conditions for the study of astronomy, which is very important for us,” he stated.

“This is an opportunity for both institutions since it will be possible to collect the extensive experience of the UTFSM in astro-informatics with its Virtual Observatory and on the part of the ULS with the Datascience group that has also focused its work on astro-informatics,” added the Chief. from Campus Digital, Humberto Farías.