Renowned scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Germany and various institutions gathered at the ULS to participate in this scientific conference.

“It is a good opportunity to increase our collaboration and do much more science together.” These words of Dr Simon White, winner of the Shaw Prize in 2017 - known as the Nobel Prize of the East -, reflect how beneficial the conference on galaxy formation and evolution organized by the University of La Serena was and which had the specialist as one of its main speakers.  

The scientific event officially began the collaborative agreement “ULS-MPA Partner Group”, recently signed between the University of La Serena and the Max Planck Society for Astrophysics of Germany.

Addition Dr. White, the congress brought together figures of the discipline such as professors Guinevere Kauffmann y Volker Springel, all directors of the Max Planck Institute in Germany, as well as national and international astronomers who work in the area of ​​formation and evolution of galaxies and related topics, and undergraduate and graduate students from the ULS and other Chilean and foreign institutions.

Dr. Facundo Gómez, of the Multidisciplinary Research Institute in Science and Technology ULS, explained that this event was developed “based on the creation of a partner group, which is an associated group between the Max Planck Society for Astrophysics, which is in Munich, and the University of La Serena”. He added that "the idea is to maintain these collaborations that we developed during our stay in Germany and extend them, to form collaboration groups, developing new projects and involving more people to keep this link of scientific collaboration active and make it grow."

Regarding the participation of students in doctoral programs, the Dr Simon Withe He highlighted that “the new scientists are going to be these students, so they need to be trained by local scientists. There are many astronomers who are coming to teach the kids and the hope is that in the future the same Chilean kids will come back and take that wheel so that the community of Chilean astronomers begins to grow, which there were not many until recently and who It is growing rapidly.”

The activity is part of the winning projects of the Contest to Support the Holding of Scientific Events, promoted by the Vice-Rector's Office for Research and Postgraduate Studies and the Academic Vice-Rector's Office of the U. of La Serena.

Written by Ignacio Aguilar, Journalism student