On the occasion, the members of the corporation had the opportunity to share experiences at the University of La Serena, the Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo headquarters, and the AURA Observatory.

Within the framework of the activities to commemorate the 20 years of existence of the National University Network (REUNA), the National Assembly of this corporation was held at the University of La Serena, which meets outside Santiago once a year. On this occasion, the president of the REUNA Board of Directors, José Palacios, pointed out that the objective of developing this type of activities outside the capital is for the members to fully join the program of activities defined for the day, in addition to learning about the progress made by the institutions that are members of REUNA. ''This is an instance for partners to share experiences and jointly establish future actions, in favor of strengthening advanced digital connectivity for science and education in Chile; a key element for the development of institutions that today work in networks,'' Palacios emphasized.

In this context, the National University Network sees it as a great opportunity for the assembly to be held at least once a year outside of Santiago, since it allows the integration of all the institutions of the corporation to be promoted, regardless of the geographical area in which it is located. they find. Likewise, it is an occasion for the host institution to share its achievements and challenges with its peers.

At the reception organized at the University of La Serena, the academic vice-rector of the House of Higher Studies, Dr. Jorge Catalán, representing the Rector, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, emphasized that ''for us it is of utmost importance to be part of this Network of institutions, since we are aware that inter-university collaboration is essential to achieve the advances expected in the field of science, education and culture,'' he explained.

Regarding the activities to commemorate the 20 years of REUNA, its president commented that “this is a year in which REUNA moves to a state of greater development, with a rather quantum leap, with achievements in several senses; one in the network infrastructure that it represents, the arrival of universities that did not initially participate in REUNA (...) and the incorporation of institutions that are dedicated to the development of science, such as astronomical centers (...), in this sense we are very happy having achieved these achievements,” Palacios pointed out. 

The director added that "thanks to this visit to the Fourth Region we realized how developed the University of La Serena is and we were able to get in touch with its professors and students."

Program Activities

The Network, made up of 30 institutions, including universities, research centers and astronomical groups, participated in different activities during its visit to the cities of La Serena and Coquimbo. This is how its representatives learned about the Guayacán Campus of the Universidad Católica del Norte and the Andrés Bello and Ignacio Domeyko Campuses of the University of La Serena, where they visited the Irma Salas Central Library and the laboratories of the Kinesiology and Dentistry careers, spaces where They interacted with students and academics from both careers, who were able to show the technological advances implemented for these ULS undergraduate programs.

Likewise, they visited the AURA facilities in La Serena and Cerro Tololo, located in the commune of Vicuña, where they took a guided tour of the Observatory facilities.

GATHER

REUNA is a corporation made up of universities, research centers of excellence and international astronomical groups. The National University Network provides the country with a leading digital platform that articulates, connects and promotes collaboration between the entities of the national science, education and culture system, and inserts them into the world through innovative services.

The contest will also award three mentions of 1.500 euros each.

Within the framework of the III International Meeting of Universia Rectors, the call has been opened to participate in the Fototalentos 2014 contest (www.fototalentos.com), which is aimed at the university community with the aim of promoting, recognizing, disseminating and rewarding creativity in the art of photography. The initiative is promoted by Banco Santander and the Universia network. The contest is aimed at all those who belong or have belonged to the university community of legal age (students, teaching or research staff, administration and service personnel, graduates, diploma holders and general all members of the university community), regardless of their nationality, who reside anywhere in the world. A first prize of 3.000 euros gross and three mentions of 1.500 euros gross each will be awarded.

Those interested in participating must be Universia users and register on the contest page. There is until July 7, 2014 to send photographs (check other key dates inhttp://www.fototalentos.com/ES/concurso). 

In jpg format and with a maximum size of 2Mb, the images can deal with the most varied topics of university life, with the requirement that they be unpublished, original and comply with the contest rules (http://www.fototalentos.com/popup/ES/bases.jsp). 

The photographs submitted by the contestants will be visible on the contest websitewww.fototalentos.com, and will also be shown within the framework of the III meeting of Rectors Universia Rio 2014 (http://www.universiario2014.com/). The Internet public can vote for all the photographs on the contest website until July 10, 2014. 

The 25 photographs most voted for by Internet users will be considered finalists, and a committee of experts will decide which of them will be the winning work, as well as the mentions. The ruling will be made public on July 18, 2014.

This initiative is part of the preparations for the Third International Meeting of Universia Rectors which, under the motto ''The university of the 1.100st century: a reflection from Ibero-America'', will bring together more than 46 rectors from XNUMX countries in Rio de Janeiro in the month of July.

Universia is the largest network of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking universities, bringing together 1.262 universities from 23 countries, representing a total of 14.3 million students and professors. The Third International Meeting of Universia Rectors has the support of Banco Santander through its Global Santander Universities Division (www.santander.com/universities), which has supported Universia in all its activities since its creation in 2000.

Source: Universia

Within the framework of this commemoration, the College of Nurses Fourth Region and the Association of Nurses (os) Hospital de Coquimbo, distinguished Mg. Ana María Vásquez Aqueveque, for her contribution to Nursing education in the region and the country.

The Department of Nursing of the University of La Serena, within the program of activities to celebrate the International Nursing Day, organized by the College of Nurses Fourth Region and the Association of Nurses (os) Coquimbo Hospital, developed on day 5 May an academic activity at the Coquimbo Campus.

In this activity, Paulina Nadeau Abarca, nurse and commercial engineer, Master in Quality Management in Health Services and academic from the University of Los Andes, spoke, who addressed the conceptual, technical and legal aspects of care management, its connection with the quality and safety of patients within health institutions in our country, emphasizing the importance of nursing professionals in complying with regulations that allow patients to receive humanized, safe and timely care.

The event was intended for all nursing professionals in the region who work in the various health establishments of the healthcare network and nursing students from this higher education institution.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of La Serena is inviting you to participate in the training course ''Maintenance Management in Mining and Industrials'', aimed at people who work as supervisors, technicians, mechanical, electrical, and electronic maintainers. and industrial.

The initiative, which will last 21 hours, will take place on Thursday, May 29, Friday, May 30, and Saturday, May 31. The presenter of this training will be the maintenance consultant Carlos Vásquez.

Those interested in joining this course, which has a value of $100.000, can direct their questions to the Department of Mechanical Engineering ULS, located Benavente 980, La Serena, or by calling 2204260; You can also write to the e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The objective of the meeting was to learn the details associated with the organization of the XV Business Ideas Fair and the X Congress of Entrepreneurs organized by students of the Commercial Engineering degree. 

Within the framework of the organizational activities of the XV Business Ideas Fair, an event that this 2014 commemorates 15 years since its beginning, the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, met with the students of the School of Commercial Engineering of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, to learn details of this important event that is conceived as a meeting point between the world of university entrepreneurship, schoolchildren, businessmen, and the community in general.

On the occasion, the student members of the organizing committee explained to the university authority the main purpose of this Fair, which in its XNUMXth version lies in providing the attending students with a quality and useful event for their personal and professional training.

The Business Ideas Fair is the largest activity in the area of ​​entrepreneurship developed by students throughout the country, so in this year of commemoration, the organizers want to highlight the importance of this showcase for entrepreneurs in the region.

Likewise, on the occasion, the Rector of the ULS was informed about the work program designed to hold the 2003th International Congress of Entrepreneurs, an event that has been taking place since 2, attracting more than XNUMX thousand attendees in its history and counting with the participation of the most prominent entrepreneurs from Chile and the world.

Also present at the meeting were the dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Mg. Jorge Fernández, the director of the School of Commercial Engineering, Mg. Erico Wulf, the ULS academic, Vicente Tapia, the general coordinator of the X Congress of Entrepreneurs, Javier C. Medanić, the general deputy coordinator of the Congress, Álvaro Huerta, the general coordinator of the and the general deputy coordinator of the Fair, Alejandra Sánchez

With an attractive design, graphics and varied photographs, the text seeks to make information about this unique species in this part of the world accessible.

At the Extension Center of the University of La Serena, the official presentation of the book ''Natural History of the Tricahue Parrot in Northern Chile'' was held, edited by researchers Dr. Renzo Vargas (ULS-CEAZA-IEB) and Dr. Francisco Squeo (ULS-CEAZA). The book was commissioned by the mining company Barrick Pascua-Lama as a result of an environmental commitment and the need to carry out responsible work with the environment.

The volume, the product of four years of research, aims in a simple and visual way to promote the ecological importance of the Tricahue parrot as a species and the role it plays in its ecological system. ''We are beginning to understand the ecological importance of the Tricahue parrot as a species and the role it plays in its ecological system. This bird consumes seeds from bushes and trees in its environment and also disperses them to different places. For example, it is possible to find seeds of forage plants, on which they feed, near breeding sites or parrots, even though these bushes are generally far from them. What the parrot is doing is moving, dispersing and favoring the genetic flow of the vegetation on which it feeds,'' explained Dr. Vargas.

The specialist added that this animal also participates in regulating the abundance of plants because it consumes the seeds. ''There are other sites in the South of Chile where it has also been seen that the parrot is capable of consuming the nectar of chagual flowers. Therefore, it could be a pollinator of these species,' he said.

In the context of the book's presentation, the territorial manager of Fundación Senderos de Chile, Manuel Rojas, expressed that ''the approach they gave to the book makes it very enjoyable and directed towards citizen science, towards people. It is an easy book to digest, to read and allows you to clearly evaluate what is being explained.''

Rojas added that "the book provides new and interesting information regarding its coverage, current condition and future, it is a publication that manages to reconcile all views regarding this bird."

Subsequently, in a detailed presentation, Dr. Renzo Vargas, researcher at the University of La Serena, referred to the main aspects addressed in the text, highlighting the need to know and preserve the species and educate both the communities close to its nesting areas, like the rest of the population regarding their habits and living conditions.

From what is known about genetic and evolutionary evolution, the Tricahue parrot has lived in this part of the world for at least thirty thousand years. In captivity, it is capable of living around twenty years and a little less in the wild. An interesting aspect is that it is also distributed in Argentina and Uruguay. Throughout its entire distribution area between these two countries and Chile, there are four subspecies, which on the other side of the mountain range are known as burrowing parrots.

''A study carried out by an Argentine biologist discovered that the most ancient populations of the species are found in Chile. In fact, the subspecies found in this country is endemic, that is, it is only in this country. And those found in Argentina and Uruguay have derived from this endemic subspecies. Therefore, the time it has been present here is very long and the value of the Chilean subspecies is very high for the entire species in general,'' the scientist highlighted.

Threats

Dr. Vargas explained that the Tricahue parrot is exposed to various threats, mainly generated by human (anthropogenic) influence. The main ones would be degradation of their habitat, due to productive development that would deteriorate the various environments in which parrots develop different phases of their life.

''The construction of roads in some places has affected reproductive parrots, leaving them useless and inaccessible. The development of mining projects can also affect in the same sense. The production of charcoal has an impact on the presence of the plant species that serve as food for the parrot. Large-scale agricultural exploitation also involves the removal of a large number of plants that are normally their food and water that is vital for the Tricahues. On the other hand, hunting, which until some time ago was thought to be no longer a threat, we discovered that it still is and that through this method they are sold at exorbitant prices,'' he stated.

The future, preserving the species

As a product of this project, the program for the conservation of the Tricahue parrot has been created, led by these same specialists at the University of La Serena, who develop activities in the field of research, education and conservation management.

''The region is not characterized by having protected areas for the conservation of biodiversity but they do have large productive areas. That is why we need, on the one hand, to create protected areas for the key sites of the species and, on the other hand, also achieve their conservation in productive environments, such that the development and conservation of biodiversity in general and of the Tricahues in particular, it is possible,'' Vargas emphasized.

The specialist emphasized that it is necessary to transmit this information that has been generated to the largest possible audience, especially to new generations, children and young people, as well as decision makers. ''People's participation in education and conservation programs is very important. There are people who live near parrots who have great appreciation for them, as Doña Petronilla Vallejo and Don Orlando Marambio relate in the book. On the other hand, inter-institutional cooperation is essential. Working with other organizations such as CONAF, SAG, the ULS, and private companies such as Barrick, is the key and shows the way forward. "We are all collaborating to be able to promote the conservation of the species," he said.

In this regard, Rodolfo Westhoff, Environmental Manager at Barrick Pascua-Lama, indicated that the concern for carrying out the first ecological study on this species in Chile was due to ''the need to carry out responsible work with the environment and with the communities. surrounding the company.

Westhoff added that ''this book is part of an environmental commitment that Pascua-Lama signed, due to the construction of a high voltage line. There we committed to monitoring and studying the population of Tricahue Parrots in the Quebrada Los Choros. The study contemplates important areas, such as population density, body characteristics, evolution and phylogeography, evolution and desertification, and distribution in Chile, among others, adding to this several initiatives for the conservation of the species, such as signage, leaflets and dissemination to the community. and to the workers. "This book will allow us to leave a concrete legacy of knowledge to future generations about a species that is in danger of extinction and that to this day coexists with the communities."

For his part, Dr. Francisco Squeo, an academic at the ULS, indicated that ''we develop basic research of interest to both communities and the private sector, this research is in the context of several science studies financed by the sector. private, in this case by the mining company Barrick that has collaborated, as is the global trend, in support of the research. We also have access to financing sources for the different competitive funds and we continue working with species such as guanacos and llaretas or on the Andean plains, among others. Doing high-level research at the University of La Serena also allows you to pursue undergraduate teaching. In many cases, teachers who do research use examples of their work in their classes and thus students face problems of global importance with a very important local meaning.

The meeting was attended by authorities led by the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, representatives of Barrick Pascua-Lama, researchers, academics, students and special guests, who recognized the importance of this initiative and the need to generate a culture of protection, essential for the care and preservation of the different species that inhabit this area of ​​the country.