The talk by the specialist in pediatric dentistry will be held in the ULS Exhibition Hall and admission is free.

There are several departments at the University of La Serena that are looking for ways to take knowledge out of their classrooms and deliver it to the community. This is the case of the Dentistry program, which together with the Extension Directorate, since 2013 has provided an annual conference cycle dedicated to addressing different topics on the importance of taking care of oral health. On this occasion, the institution's pediatric dentist and academic, Paula Arriagada, will offer the conference “Why it is important to take care of baby teeth in children,” on Tuesday, September 23 at 11:30 a.m. 

The importance of addressing this issue lies in the fact that in general the population is quite ignorant about it. Oral health, especially in baby teeth, seems not to be so relevant since they are temporary teeth; However, the academic stressed that it is very important “to be able to clarify concepts and to be able to talk at this conference with people who are interested, to be able to slightly improve the health and quality of life of our children,” stated Paula Arriagada. 

When advancing the topics to be discussed at the conference, the ULS academic emphasized that adequate hygiene must be maintained, habits must be created from a young age and, as far as possible, periodically attend the dentist. “Baby teeth have many functions, we can even say that they have more functions than permanent teeth, because apart from the functions that we all imagine and know about these teeth, which are chewing to be able to eat and nourish ourselves properly, We can also name many others, such as phonation, which is also a function of permanent teeth and temporary teeth, that is, the correct pronunciation of words. At this age, children begin to learn to speak and it is important that they have all their baby teeth or else some sounds will escape and they will not be able to speak correctly.”

Likewise, the speaker listed other important and sometimes unknown functions of baby teeth. "For them it is also important to have a nice smile and it also helps them with their self-esteem, to socialize because children begin to socialize and it is important for them to show their smile and be able to talk to everyone, apart from that there is a very important function that it has. relationship with maxillofacial growth, the growth of our maxillary bones, both upper and lower, and that depends directly on the presence of baby teeth,” he explained.  

At the same time, the rapporteur will provide impressive figures on the percentage of cavities in boys and girls under 6 years of age and the commitment of the Dentistry career to the country's dental goal of the Ministry of Health. 

“We at ULS are supporting this challenge to improve the oral health of our children. If we take proper care of these baby teeth, we can perfectly have children without cavities. It is proven that children without cavities in their baby teeth will be adults without cavities in their permanent teeth, it is as important as that. Indeed we need to pay more attention to this, give it real importance. Cavities can be controlled without depending so much on the dentist, but rather on the measures that we take as daily habits,” Arriagada concluded. 

This conference will be held in the ULS Exhibition Hall, located at Benavente 950, in La Serena, with free admission. For more information, go to the Extension Center, located at Prat 446, call 2204171 or contact email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Historical, artistic and ecological samples could be seen in all the spaces intervened by children, young people and adults during this activity.

A very high number of people and the most varied artistic numbers had the First Meeting of Culture and Education of Las Compañías “History, Art and Identity”, organized by the Education and Culture Board of Las Compañías, coordinated by the Regional Center for Studies and Educational Development of the University of La Serena (CREDEULS), with the sponsorship of the Municipal Delegation of the sector, the House of Culture of the First Municipality of La Serena and the Carmen Goudie Foundation. 

Dance and juggling with the ULS Mining Circus, artistic acts prepared by the Arturo Prat, Villa San Bartolomé, Carlos Condell and Alonso de Ercilla schools, by the Integra Foundation kindergartens, musical, theater and folklore groups, representatives of The establishments, the Chilean French Institute and much more, made up the schedule of shows that entertained the public throughout the day. Added to this were audiovisual and photographic displays inside the Municipal Delegation, as well as a historical dialogue in the same venue.

On the street, a few meters from the fair, the stands of CREDEULS, Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education ULS, Integra de Las Compañías gardens, Pucará Intercultural Children's Garden, the participating schools, the project Los Porqué de mi Territorio (Ceaza) and the Office of the sector gladly welcomed visitors of all ages who came to the busy place. As occurred with the samples of puppet theater, indigenous education and communication, clay, wood carving, ceramics, painting, etc.

Likewise, it was the best opportunity to distinguish outstanding teachers for their contribution to local culture, chosen by the school communities themselves, some still active as teachers and others already retired.

As the director of CREDEULS and academic of the Department of Psychology of the University of La Serena, Dr. María Teresa Juliá, explained, “since 2010 we have been working with five schools of La Compañía and today's is a joint initiative of the five schools, which have activated their own networks. All the artists, all those who are here, in some way, are summoned by the parents of those schools, who have been with us in training processes and we are already on our fourth year.” 

Dr. Juliá added that the group of parents who actively participate is made up, in part, of “the directors of the fathers and mothers centers who are very interested in this, who are playing a role as multipliers. We are training them as agents of educational development and our intentions are for them to continue playing this multiplier role towards their social organizations –because many of them belong to other organizations–, but also towards the interior of the schools, organizing activities within the establishments. So we hope that they give it sustainability over time.”

In this way, hundreds of people of all ages came to Esmeralda Street, which hosted the First Meeting. “The children are very motivated, they are everywhere and the schools have also done everything possible to show the best. You see how they have prepared themselves,” said the director of CREDEULS. 

Meanwhile, Nicole Zárate, a student intern at Ped. in ULS Early Childhood Education, mentioned that “the experience was super satisfying and enriching (...), because our career has the characteristic of doing work with the community, since the community is super important in the education of children.” The young woman explained that participating in initiatives of this type contributes to the children's socio-affective area, “since they can socialize with other children from other schools or with adults, with different people who may not always have contact. So, it enhances their social skills as well.”

At the stand prepared by the program, Nicole explained, “didactic materials that were made by ourselves, third-year students of the program, were presented. They have their technical sheets, how they have to use it, what area they are promoting, what learning, how the material can be worked with children and they are not only materials for a certain age, but they are created and designed mainly so that the Learning and skill for all ages, from 0 to 6 years. We also have stimulation books and guides that we have created as a career, on emotional and cognitive functions (guide for educators, with activities and information guides for parents, educators, etc.).”

Among the school community of the Carlos Condell de la Haza School was Byron Leyton, an enthusiastic student who, along with his friends, confessed that “we came to support the School's dance.” While the teacher of the same establishment, María Rebeca López, pointed out the stand that they prepared was intended to inform the community of everything carried out within the school "and it is also a recognition of our teacher and colleague, Luis Zamora, who for many years has been outstanding working in pursuit that we have a better environment.” The teacher specified that, during the year, they prepare sports activities, artistic exhibitions in this area and work with recycled material as teaching material. Among recent actions, an environmental project stands out with which they contributed to the community by building eco-bricks.

Education and Culture Table of the Companies

We must add that the Education and Culture Board of Las Compañías, organizer of this First Meeting, seeks to generate a space for dissemination, exchanges and learning of different expressions and forms of culture in the sector, in the conviction that the education of boys and girls It is a task shared between schools, families and the community. Parents from the Arturo Prat, Alonso de Ercilla, Villa San Bartolomé, Darío Salas and Carlos Condell schools of the Gabriel González Videla Corporation, Kindergartens, the Mistralian Center of the ULS, local cultural and social actors, media and organizations actively participate. cultural The Companies. All of them make up an integrative and supportive network, aimed at valuing local culture.

Visit photo gallery

Mixing different elements of nature, artists Rosa Castillo and Graciela Ramos present an attractive textile exhibition at the ULS.

“Weaving spaces: to connect the earth, water and air”, is the title of the current exhibition corresponding to the 2014 exhibition cycle organized by the Extension Directorate of the University of La Serena, which shows a varied range of fabrics, organic looms and tapestries that evoke feelings of roots and revive our admiration for the different elements that nature provides. 

Hard work weaving knots, threads and various elements of nature makes up the textile exhibition exhibited by the two regional artists, Rosa María Castillo and Graciela Ramos, which was inaugurated in the Exhibition Hall of the University of La Serena and It will remain open until September 30, with a break between the 15th and 19th of the same month. 

As the artist Rosa Castillo commented, this is the result of years of practice and collection. “The truth is that I am always in hidden places and I am always collecting, for example, if I am in Los Choros, I am collecting shells, if I am in the Elqui Valley, in Alcohuaz, I am collecting seeds, quartz in Quebrada de Talca, mauve rose, pieces, in short, of what I find, and the bundles of palm trees also that are placed in the works. So this is a complex composition of a textile, which for it to come to life has to be very well executed,” highlighted the artist. 

The attendees admired the exhibition and valued the work of the exhibitors. “I find that there is a lot of passion in the works, which is reflected and very well expressed in the author's work. There is also a great color composition and quite a few messages inserted within the works. The one I liked the most was 'Heroin of Memory' because it also includes elements from nature, there is a recycling of palm trees, some jacaranda pods and the feathers that is quite ethnic, that's what I would call it, something very ethnic (…), he is mixing the ethnic with these decorative tapestries, which is also a personal technique,” ​​commented Ricardo Pérez.

“A lot of creativity, inspiration and contact, like the person is immersed in nature, therefore extracts all its essence and expresses it in art, which is the food of the soul,” highlighted María Yolanda González. 

Finally, the artist Rosa Castillo expressed her intention to invite the students to also participate in the exhibition. "We are fully convinced that the young children from the schools near the exhibition should attend, we must establish contact with the community and have the students come so that they can be enchanted by this simple and simple thing that is knots, they are plots, basic macrame stitches to keep them entertained.” 

This exhibition is open from Monday to Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. and from 16:00 p.m. to 18:30 p.m. and on Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. and from 16:00 p.m. to 17:30 p.m. Admission is free to the public at the ULS Exhibition Hall, located at Benavente 950, La Serena.

The rapporteur announced that some interviews do not have good results for the worker not because they do not have the skills, but because they do not know how to deal with these processes. 

The cycle of academic conferences “Psychology and Contemporary Society” has dedicated different instances to delve into important topics in psychology that concern all types of audiences. On this occasion, next Wednesday, September 24, at 11:30 a.m., the conference “Guidelines from psychology to face the world of work” will be held, which will be given by Mg. Carlos Díaz Lastreto, academic at the Department of Psychology at the University of La Serena. 

According to psychologist Carlos Díaz, the way you face a job interview or knowing that you are competing with someone else can be stressful in a job selection interview that does not necessarily show the qualities of the candidates. In this regard, the academic highlighted that all these variables that make handling difficult in an interview are absolutely trainable. To show more detail about this statement, the academic will give a talk that will seek to answer all these doubts and provide some guidelines on how to make a good presentation of strengths in a job interview. 

“Organizations, when they select personnel, always do so against a profile that specifies certain characteristics or certain desirable traits in the candidates, and on the other hand, what candidates do when they go to an interview is a presentation of their qualities to see if Those are coincident with the profile, there are elements of the profile that are little modifiable, personality traits, some more structural aspects, but everything that has to do with the aspect of training, motivation, state of mind, attitude, mastery in an interview, they are perfectly trainable; and people who educate themselves, who train, who review their selection experience, can undoubtedly improve their performance,” the speaker said.

In this regard, the professional highlighted one of the main deficiencies in the job search "It is important here to start with a distinction and that is that traditionally we have been taught or we have learned that we have to ask for a job, and the truth is that when you are asking for a job In short, what he is doing is making someone take care of his need to work. Another way of looking at this is from the perspective of what my competencies, capabilities and abilities are and showing in a job interview that I can be an offer to solve problems for an employer (...). From the perspective of people who go to a job interview, presenting yourself as the solution to the employer's problems rather than someone who humbly comes to ask for a job, is a positioning that generates greater success in that activity,” said Díaz. 

In the activity, the speaker will give attendees different tips to make a difference, which may result in an employer finding one candidate more attractive than another. “Employers are full of generic resumes, of people who highlight their degrees, their postgraduate degrees, their formal education and that does not make a difference, what makes a difference between choosing one person and choosing another, is who is a better offer to solve my problems,” he said.  

This activity is free of charge and will take place in the ULS Exhibition Hall, located at Benavente 950, in La Serena.

Individual labor matters, such as contracts and work hours, remuneration and settlements, were some of the topics addressed in the course.

About twenty students were part of the closing of the “Labor Legislation Applications” course, which the ULS Training Office, through the Extension Directorate, has taught to workers seeking to acquire the necessary knowledge about legal matters and the current labor regulations, set forth in Law 19.759 of the Labor Reform. 

The training given by the lawyer Osvaldo López Bugueño, professional and academic - who has vast experience in this area - was based on the course/workshop modality, which included expository talks and the participation of the students, through their own work experiences, which allowed them to better recreate the concepts taught, through their application in real situations. “I have been teaching the course for 5 years now, it is entertaining, it is dynamic, you learn a lot (…). There are certain myths and lack of knowledge about particular institutions, but in general students know, there are even circumstances in which they know more than oneself, due to the practice they have, so that is useful enough to learn oneself as well," the speaker noted.

For her part, the student, Pamela Rojas, expressed the importance of these types of training existing since it favors her work performance. “There are always updates that we must make due to current regulations and it is important that we are up to date with any situation that may occur to us at work and with the workers who remain there,” said the person in charge of Human Resources at the Rencoret Construction Company.

For his part, Alain Cerda pointed to the expansion with which legal issues regarding labor issues were addressed and how these tools would benefit his professional work. “The training was very good, many concepts necessary for labor practice were covered, the topic of concepts, which are the clauses and terms of the contract, was very in-depth. For a long time he was waiting for a course like this, since in reality, practice is very necessary,” adding that he would like to continue improving himself and continue participating in these types of courses.

At this point, the lawyer and speaker, Osvaldo López, highlighted the social need that exists for these types of training to continue developing in the region, since it allows the updating of knowledge, giving way to information feedback and better training. professional of the students, pointing to the importance of opening a new course on labor law, but this time, addressing topics on collective law or collective negotiations.

For those who are interested in perfecting their work management and acquiring new knowledge in the various topics offered by the ULS Training Office and its different courses, they only have to go to Calle Amunátegui N° 890, in La Serena, call 051-2204172 or to the mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With the aim of forming new audiences, the professional musicians in the cast tour different schools sharing their talent and love for music.

As a great contribution to the socialization of classical orchestral music in the community, the Educational Concerts promoted by the Symphony Orchestra of the University of La Serena (OSULS), which since April has been visiting schools and institutions to share its talent.

There are already more than 3 thousand schoolchildren who have enjoyed the presentations of the Brass Quintet, String Quartet and a second String Quartet plus Clarinet, which have prepared repertoires dedicated especially to educational communities.

 “Within our work as OSULS, is bringing music to every corner. During this year we have attended schools with different chamber orchestras and during the month of August the full orchestra went to the establishments, generating a wonderful meeting where children discover the sound of instruments, for the first time, and that is one of the main values ​​of playing live,” said Cristian Monreal, coordinator of this initiative.

“It is a very nice experience,” said Monreal, who is also part of the cast. “Personally, it is wonderful to see the shine in some children's eyes and that is priceless. They then tell their families, so, without a doubt, we sow a seed since each concert generates a magical moment and the children feel it that way,” highlighted the musician.

For those who wish to enjoy an Educational Concert in their establishment during the remainder of September and November of this year, registrations are still open on the website of the Universidad de La Serena Symphony Orchestra: www.sinfonicalaserena.cl.