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Last year, on March 15, 2020, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) made the decision to officially close the classrooms of our universities in order to protect our students and staff from the imminent threat of COVID-19. Literally no one in the whole wide world knew what was coming, and almost a year after that moment, we are still experiencing the effects of the virus that continues to destroy families, economies and our liberties. We are in the middle of a new application and enrollment process in Chilean higher education, and I have been thinking a lot about our young people these days; about the students who entered in 2020 and those who are entering university this year. This situation of uncertainty is not the same for people who already have a life, with achieved goals and a certain amount of life experience, as it is for entire generations of young people and children who do not know what is going to happen, what the future will be like, and what awaits them, considering that, besides of the typical teenage problems, these young people are also going through a pandemic. Older generations know that the younger ones are very advanced regarding this digital world of virtual interaction – unlike us, who had to rethink our way to communicate and interact and to understand that everything is different – but even though, I think that university life these days is very far from what it should be. In this context of abnormality, and being fully aware of the situation, at UFRO we have taken – and we will continue to do so – all the precautions to ensure the well-being of our students: they are the center of our work, the university would not exist without these young students who get trained as professionals and grow as a person each day. Therefore, all our support programs for them are still available, because we must take care of them. We want their start in higher education to be a pleasant memory, and we want them to get a training of high quality and excellence during these challenging times. For that reason, I want to invite all of us who are part of the university to be flexible, understanding, empathetic, patient and aware of the world we are living in. |
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With the support of the UFRO Macro Faculty of Engineering and the IEEE WIE, an international organisation dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists, 22 UFRO undergraduate students officially established a group to promote the participation of women in the fields of engineering, science and technology. |
With the aim of promoting a greater participation of women in the fields of engineering, science and technology, 22 undergraduate students of the Faculty of Engineering and Science of the university Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) established an IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) group at UFRO. With the support of the UFRO Macro Faculty of Engineering and the IEEE WIE, an international organisation dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists, this new UFRO student group will develop a series of activities aimed at contributing to the recruitment and retention of female students in the fields of engineering and technology and, on that basis, at building an active community that uses its talents and scientific and technological skills both to innovate and contribute to the progress of society. “We wanted to provide a space where young women, who want to pursue a career in the fields of engineering and science, feel protected, supported, empowered and accomplished, where they can discover and use their strengths and skills that will help them in their lives and future careers. That was our main motivation for establishing an IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) group at UFRO. We want our members to get to know themselves and to make them see what they are capable of,” explains Javiera Galleguillos, a student of the program in Industrial Civil Engineering with specialisation in Bioprocesses at UFRO and the current president of this group. An important factor for the establishment of this student group was that many of its members participated in the programme “Women leaders STEM UFRO” of the Macro Faculty of Engineering at UFRO. Through that programme, they were able to notice how important it is for female students in the fields of engineering and science to have a space of support in the training process. “In the long term, our idea is to encourage more girls to share their passion for science and technology, and thus inspire each of them. Therefore, we want to carry out different activities, such as workshops, conversations, seminars, meetings and congresses; for the members of this group, as well as for the whole university and the educational community of Temuco. That way, we can share different tools, knowledge, and the enriching experiences that encouraged and motivated us and that might motivate and encourage others, who are interested in a career in this field, as well,” Javiera Galleguillos says. Ivonne Gutiérrez, the director of the Training Node of the UFRO Macro Faculty of Engineering and a member of the Department of Electrical Engineering, is equally enthusiastic and happy about the first activities of the group. “We believe that this group of and for students will contribute to the personal and professional development of each of its members. Besides, it allows us to bridge the gender gap that is still evident at our Faculty,” she comments. Meanwhile, within the official establishment of the IEEE WIE group at UFRO, Natividad Novoa, the head of the Student Culture and Civic Affairs Unit of the Office of Student Development at UFRO, also expressed her appreciation for the establishment of this new group, and invites the members to act with responsibility and dedication, and to use this opportunity to develop as an individual and as a group.
Written by: Daphne Bormann Parada |
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The number of Regular Fondecyt (Chilean National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development) projects awarded to researchers from UFRO increased by 50% this year, while the number of Postdoctoral Fondecyt projects awarded is the same as last year, with 17 projects. |
The year 2021 has just begun and the university Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) has already achieved a new record: the highest number of Regular FONDECYT projects awarded, with 20 projects. In addition to that, 17 Postdoctoral Fondecyt projects were awarded. That’s a total of 37 projects. The Vice Rector for Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. César Arriagada Escamilla, is very proud of that. According to him, this great result is partly the product of the implementation of new policies and mechanisms. “This is an historical achievement that reflects the high level and commitment of our researchers, as well as the improvement and incentive mechanisms that we have implemented through the Research Office of our university,” he explained. He also added that “this increase in the number of Regular Fondecyt projects awarded to our researchers at the very beginning of this year allows the university to look to the future with optimism”. Another remarkable fact is that the projects awarded cover a wide range of fields of knowledge, such as Agronomy, Earth Sciences, Geography and Urban Planning, Biology, Engineering, Education, Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology and Archeology, Medicine, Clinical Sciences and Health Sciences. The Research Director, Dr. Pamela Serón Silva, also points out that “this year, it is remarkable that more than 50% of the projects awarded are from female researchers. That shows that the paradigms are changing, what allows us to keep strengthening the role of women in science by promoting their contribution to the creation of knowledge with a national and international impact”. REGULAR FONDECYT WINNERS Paula Aguilera Ñonquepan, Adison Altamirano Navarrete, César Arriagada Escamilla, Leticia Barrientos Diaz, Priscilla Brebi Mieville, Mariela Bustamante López, Jaime Cárcamo Oyarzun, Pablo Cornejo Rivas, Mabel Delgado Torres, María Cristina Diez Jerez, Juan Hinostroza Scheel, Patricio Lepe-Carrion, Viviana Letelier González, Cecilia Mayorga Muñoz, Patricio Mena Malet, Marjorie Reyes Diaz, Sonia Salvo Garrido, Alex Seguel Fuentealba, Orlando Vallejos Romero, and Mauricio Zambrano-Bigiarini. POSTDOCTORAL FONDECYT WINNERS Researcher in charge: Tamara Viscarra Álvarez; Sponsoring researcher: Carmen Gloria Ili Gangas
Written by: Karimme Riadi Millas
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The online enrollment process for the selected applicants ends on Wednesday, March 3, at 11:59 p.m. |
The enrollment process for new students in 2021 started on Monday, March 1, and ends on Wednesday, March 3, at 11:59 p.m. Normally, this process is carried out at the Olympic Gym of the university Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), but this year, due to the pandemic, it is the first time that the whole process has to be carried out online. The students who need orientation or help have the possibility to ask their questions online, via Zoom, the university’s social networks, WhatsApp, and a free helpline. In addition, those who need further guidance can go to UFROs Olympic Gym, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thus, young students from different parts of Chile received orientation through Zoom, while others came to UFROs Olympic Gym to resolve their queries in person, to complete the online enrollment process during the first day. In this context, Pamela Ibarra, the Vice-rector for Undergraduate Affairs at UFRO, commented that “it is important to say that this online modality for enrollment is an innovation at our university that allows the selected candidates to complete their enrollment process safely, while receiving adequate information online or in person”. The Director of the Office of Student Academic Record, Ruth Candia, emphasizes that “we have prepared ourselves. We have put together a team of trained staff to support and assist the selected students in this process. And thanks to the size of the Olympic Gym, we are able to ensure the compliance with the capacity and distance restrictions. That keeps us and the students who come here for assistance very calm”. THE JOURNEY AT UFRO BEGINS With the satisfaction of being selected and looking forward to a new challenge in their lives, hundreds of young people have already completed their online registration at UFRO during the first day. One of them is Pablo Monnier, who obtained the best result in Mathematics among all Chilean students who took the Chilean National University Admission Tests this year. “I decided to study medicine at UFRO, because my parents have already studied here and I think that this is a very good university. I really hope to be able to attend in-person classes this year and to get to know my fellow students,” he says. Another freshman at UFRO is Danay Garrido, who was selected out of the applicants for the program in Obstetrics and Childcare. “I chose this program, because it’s what I always wanted to study, and also because of the University itself. I know several professionals who studied here and they told me about their positive experiences.” Benjamin Millanao enrolled in the Civil Electrical Engineering program at UFRO: “I am very happy that I am going to be part of this program, since it seems very interesting to me. I was able to talk with some of the students at the virtual Research Exhibition of UFRO in September last year. That was when I realized that I want to work in that field.” Kevin Rodas enrolled in the program in Speech and Hearing Therapy: “This program seems to be very interesting and I am anxious and excited to start my university studies and to learn a lot. I hope that I am going to be able to participate in the activities or student organizations that interest me.” Written by: Communications Office, UFRO
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As part of the Chinese Spring Festival 2021, an event held in China and Chinese communities around the world, the Confucius Institute of Universidad de La Frontera is celebrating the ‘Chinese Cultural Week’ with a series of interesting activities to disseminate the Chinese culture in the La Araucanía Region and Chile. |
This week, the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) is celebrating the ‘Chinese Cultural Week: Spring Festival 2021’, an initiative of the Confucius Institute at the university. The aim of this event is to bring this festival, which is very important in the Chinese culture, and its meaning closer to the people in the south of Chile, through a variety of activities that the whole family can enjoy. According to Dr. Paola Olave Müller, the director of the Confucius Institute at UFRO, “the aim of this cultural week is to show the community in the La Araucanía Region more of the Chinese culture and to invite them to get to know and enjoy this celebration, which is the most important one in the Chinese calendar, and which we will celebrate with a series of very interesting cultural activities”. The festival started with an inauguration ceremony, in which a representative of the embassy of the People's Republic of China in Chile explained the meaning and scope of this celebration, as well as how people in China usually celebrate the Chinese New Year, which is on February 12 this year. AN INTERESTING PROGRAM FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY The festival started on Monday and ends this Friday. It’s a whole week of very interesting activities, such as theoretical classes with Nicolas Escaffi, an outstanding doctor of the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, who will not only make an introduction to traditional Chinese medicine, but also share his knowledge about names and associated proverbs, and give health tips, for example for your spine, with different exercises that will keep you healthy throughout life. The whole community can participate in these activities with a short previous registration, which is free for everyone, who is interested. Other activities of the program are different talks; the photo exhibition ‘The Forbidden City’ by the famous Chinese photographer and artist Li Shaobai; a paper-cutting workshop held by the outstanding teacher Jiaming Bai, who, via Zoom, will also explain the meanings and/or details to be considered in each piece; different Chinese movies, which will be broadcasted on the YouTube Channel of the Confucius Institute at UFRO (https://cutt.ly/Wjk5VZI); and many more. CONTEST TO WELCOME THE CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR In order to actively include the community, the Confucius Institute at Universidad de La Frontera invited everyone interested to participate in a contest, by sending a 20-second audiovisual greeting in Chinese, in order to welcome the Year of the Ox. On Friday 29, the last day of the festival, a compilation of the six best greetings will be streamed on the university’s online platforms and the winners will receive a little price. It is worth mentioning that the festival will conclude with a recital of two poems of the Chinese poet Shen Haobo, an activity that will include a performance by the outstanding Chilean actor and director Héctor Noguera. You can find the complete program of the festival here Written by: UFRO Communications Office
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