Sara Pérez spends eight months at UFRO, progressing with her research that involves an important regional by-product.

The international project ENCAP4HELATH, led by Dr. Francisca Acevedo of the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) in Chile and Dr. Stephan Drusch of the Technical University of Berlin (TUB) in Germany, seeks to develop more efficient and sustainable processing technologies for encapsulation. Within this framework, UFRO receives Sara Perez Vila, a doctoral student with Spanish nationality from the University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland, as the first doctoral trainee.

The doctoral thesis of Sara Perez, which she develops within the project ENCAP4HEALTH, focuses on the development of new sources of plant proteins obtained from green leafy plants, studying their functionality in order to analyse their behaviour when used in food formulation.

Regarding the objective of her traineeship at UFRO, Sara Pérez comments: “I got the opportunity to work with leaves of the quinoa plant as a starting material to obtain plant proteins. That way, we could achieve the objective of developing more sustainable materials, trying to replace animal proteins with plant proteins on the one hand, and taking advantage of a by-product of the quinoa grain production on the other hand. Overall, the purpose of my stay is to obtain and characterize the proteins of the quinoa plant leaves for their posterior use in the development of protective systems of bioactive substances.”

During her stay, Dr. Francisca Acevedo, who works at the Department of Basic Sciences, the Centre in Translational Medicine (CEMT), and the Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus (BIOREN), and Dr. Mónica Rubilar, who works at the Technology and Processes Unit of the Department of Chemical Engineering, supervise her work.

It is worth mentioning that the regionally renowned company Semillas Baer makes an important contribution to this project, since it supplies two of the four varieties of quinoa leaves.

The objective of the project ENCAP4HEALTH is to promote new, more efficient and sustainable materials for their application in encapsulation systems, identifying new polymers. More than 30 international experts with extensive experience, who come from different institutions, universities, SMEs and multinational companies from Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Argentina, France, Denmark and Chile, carry out this task. The results of this project will provide societal and economic benefits, since they will allow the production of more effective functional food, which leads to a better health and well-being of the population.

“This project offers me the opportunity to study the functional application of plant proteins as an encapsulating medium. In addition, I am able to visit another country, where I now learn new techniques and get to know new colleagues, other ways of working and a new culture,” the doctoral student from the Irish Moorepark Teagasc Food Research Centre said.

The business incubator of UFRO will participate at Startup Olé in Salamanca, Spain, where its incubated businesses will be able to establish new partnerships, attend business rounds, conferences and exclusive matchmaking activities with start-ups, scale-ups and key players of the international scenario, among other activities that directly benefit them.

IncubatecUFRO, the business incubator of the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), will participate at Startup Olé Salamanca in Spain, from Monday, September 5, to Wednesday, September 7. It is Europe’s most important event in 2022 that will present international entrepreneurship and innovation and that Chile already collaborates with for several years.

Cristian Campomanes Gutiérrez, the CEO of IncubatecUFRO, and Mario Núñez Arancibia, the representative for the Los Lagos Region in Chile, coordinate national start-ups that want to join and participate in the different categories of Startup Olé Salamanca, which allow them to establish strategic alliances with partners who are already familiar with the trajectory of the business incubator.

“We were anxiously waiting for the return of Startup Olé Salamanca, one of the most important entrepreneurial platforms in the world, which we are joining as KeyPlayers, presenting technological start-ups that work with IncubatecUFRO, in order to establish successful partnerships that will expand the markets of our entrepreneurs towards Europe,” Cristian Campomanes explained.

ACTIVITIES

The business incubator will participate in different categories at Startup Olé Salamanca, such as the Reverse Pitch, where Cristian Campomanes, the CEO of IncubatecUFRO, will participate, or the Business Accelerator Roundtable, in which Mario Núñez, the representative for the Los Lagos Region in Chile, will participate.

“We will participate in different categories with IncubatecUFRO, and we particularly stand out in the Reverse Pitch, where we will present what we do, our fields of work and the advantages to work with us. This opportunity will allow expanding the possibility to reach potential clients that will be present at this important event, focusing on Europe and Latin America. On the other hand, we will participate in the Business Accelerator Roundtable, together with other start-ups, where we can share experiences, analyze the global panorama as partners, and, of course, make our offer known,” Campomanes added.

PARTICIPATING START-UPS

IncubatecUFRO will have a stand at Startup Olé Salamanca to promote its work and connect with companies that are in the stage of consolidation or scaling, to generate spaces for networking.

“We will participate with companies from the aquaculture industry at Startup Olé Salamanca. One of them is Aquadata SpA, a company that offers technological solutions and consultancy services for the market, in the fields of prophylaxis and treatment of diseases; and the other one is Fishcare, a company dedicated to the transport of live fish in trucks with a bigger load capacity and incorporated technology that prioritizes the well-being and safety of the smolts,” the CEO of the business incubator pointed out.

The businesses that participate with IncubatecUFRO will have the chance to network in a relaxed atmosphere, to attend different talks and meetings with investors and corporations, to acquire knowledge in networking tools, to participate in pitch competitions, and to engage in activities that could be beneficial to their interests.

It is worth mentioning that the start-ups that participate with IncubatecUFRO have a 50% discount on the event fee and access to discounted flights with the airline Iberia.

For more information about the event, go to https://startupole.eu/ or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about the participating start-ups and the work of IncubatecUFRO.

Students from different parts of the world, such as Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Slovakia, Mexico and the Netherlands, have arrived at Universidad de La Frontera, as well as students from other parts of Chile, who made use of the national mobility agreements between the universities of the Consortium of Universities of the State of Chile (CUECH).

“It is always a motive of joy when we receive the young national and international students who chose our university for their studies,” said Dr. Eduardo Hebel Weiss, the rector of the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), at the welcome ceremony for the incoming students at UFROs Aula Magna.

“Here in the south of Chile, they will be able to learn from the virtues and difficulties of our region and our territory. At the same time, they will be able to have an inspiring cultural experience at our university,” he added.

Students from different countries in the world, such as Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Slovakia, Mexico and the Netherlands, have arrived at UFRO, as well as students from other parts of Chile, who made use of the national mobility agreements between the universities of the Consortium of Universities of the State of Chile (CUECH). They will all spend the second semester of 2022 at UFRO.

This new generation of young people came to UFRO reactivating the student mobility that had been carried out virtually during the pandemic. “We are getting back to our mobility in-person,” explained Lorena Vieli, the director of the International Affairs Office. “Today, young people have to be able to move in intercultural contexts and to be connected with the world. In this regard, the presence of students from other countries and cultural contexts at our university enriches the teaching and learning processes,” she concluded.

The international students who join UFRO this semester will be spread across the different faculties and study programs, making use of the agreements and partnerships with leading universities all over the world. To make the arrival easier for this satisfactory number of students, the National and International Student Mobility Unit of the International Affairs Office uses a Buddy Program, which consists of volunteering national UFRO students who help the incoming students to get to know the university and the city, and to adapt.

The welcome ceremony took place at the end of the official orientation week, with participation of the university authorities, the national and international students, the volunteers of the Buddy Program, and the folkloric dance group Magia Chilena, who presented the typical Chilean Cueca dance.

	Betzabe Jimenez Alfonso, National Autonomous University of Mexico “The Chilean landscapes and the good level of education motivated me to come here. Besides, I have never been in such a cold climate, so because of all that, I wanted to come to UFRO. It also motivated me a lot when we went to see the facilities of the campus and the laboratories. I am studying Chemistry and Pharmacy and Biochemistry, and I will try to learn a lot about scientific dissemination.”
	Patricia Viela, University of Navarra, Spain “I study Agri-Food and Rural Engineering and I came to UFRO full of enthusiasm. My brother had already come here and absolutely recommended this beautiful country. My options were Santiago and Temuco, and I chose the Universidad de La Frontera in Temuco to spend a semester at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Environment. I will take some electives in environmental education transfer and restoration of degraded environments, among others.”
	Jen Van Vuuren, University of Groningen, Netherlands “I am going to sign up for subjects in different fields, such as psychology, pedagogy or social work, because the system is different here and I need to complement the credits. I study International Studies at my university and I came here to improve my Spanish and to gain positive experiences for life. Chile seemed very interesting to me.”

The 20th International Conference on Plastination and 4th International Congress on Anatomical Techniques, organized in South America for the first time by the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) and the International Society for Plastination (ISP), took place online.

Outstanding speakers came together at the scientific event, where they addressed issues related to the plastination fundamentals, education, clinical application and research, as well as classical anatomical techniques and human donation.

One of the participants at the inauguration of the conference was the renowned inventor of plastination, Dr. Gunther von Hagens, who received a recognition from the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) and the International Society for Plastination (ISP) for his outstanding career and contribution to the field of anatomy and morphological sciences and for the creation of this revolutionary technique.

The official award ceremony took place in Germany, before the congress, in presence of Dr. Nicolás Ottone, the director of the Laboratory of Plastination and Anatomical Techniques of UFRO and president of the Congress, who awarded Dr. Gunther von Hagens with this recognition.

“We were able to witness two great moments at this event. One of them was the inauguration of the conference, with the presence of Prof. Dr. Gunther von Hagens, who made possible the first International Plastination Conference in Texas (USA), in 1982. And the second one was the transmission of his recognition for the creation of plastination, a technique that has revolutionized teaching and research in anatomy, as well as the way of showing society the wonder and perfection of the human and animal body. I went to Germany to hand this recognition over to Dr. von Hagens in person, on behalf of the Universidad de La Frontera and the International Society for Plastination,” Dr. Nicolás Ottone said.

Plastination, he added, “was a great revolution in the field of morphology, because it allows preserving the samples forever and also solves the problem of the availability of bodies for teaching, studies and research in morphology. That is also why we always encourage and promote the donation of bodies to universities. This technique solves major problems and makes it possible to generate unique pieces in terms of the quality of dissection and the conservation we can obtain”.

This year, the speakers and participants came from different universities in the United States, China, Germany, Turkey, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico.

“More than 100 participants from 43 different countries on all continents attended the conference on plastination, what reflects the internationalization of the technique. I would like to stress the great participation of academics and students from South America, and from our faculty, especially in the 23 oral presentations. That confirms the great work we develop at UFRO, regarding the dissemination of plastination through our plastination workshops, our certification course in anatomical techniques and our presence in the different anatomy congresses. Our objective is to continue with this development and the application of plastination, as well as with diverse other anatomical techniques in all universities,” Dr. Ottone pointed out.