• In a ceremony held on December 21st, at the Aula Magna, young students from 14 low-income schools of the Metropolitan Region were awarded diplomas after successfully completing the Propedéutico-Unesco Program “New Hope, Better Future”. This educational inclusion initiative is offered since 2007 by our University, what makes it a pioneer in this field. A total of 66 students were granted scholarships to enter the Bachelor’s Program in Science and Humanities. The Academic Vice President, Fernanda Kri, pointed out the University’s commitment when facing the challenges posed by equity, funding and quality. María Galaz, one of the program graduate students, expressed her thanks to Universidad de Santiago for the opportunity given to youngsters.

On December 21st, with the presence of their families, friends, teachers and commune authorities, 91 high-school students were awarded their diplomas for graduating from the Propedéutico-Unesco Program “New Hope, Better Future”, the University’s Preparatory Program.

Among the attendees to the ceremony were the Academic Vice President, Fernanda Kri, on behalf of the University’s President; the Director of the Unesco Chair Program, Francisco Javier Gil; the Program Coordinator of the Unesco Regional Bureau for Education, Paz Portales; the Mayor of San Francisco de Mostazal, Sergio Medel; the Mayor of Graneros, Claudio Segovia; the Director of the Preparatory Program at Universidad de Santiago, Máximo González, the Executive Director of the Preparatory Program, Lorna Figueroa and the Director of the Bachelor’s Program in Science and Humanities, Marcela Orellana.

During its seventh version, the Preparatory Program brought together 146 prominent students from low-income schools. Providing the students with tools and academic contents to face in a better way the challenge posed by higher education is one of the goals of the program. Although some students were not able to complete the program, 91 of them did.

More inclusion

The young students showed themselves happy and grateful for the opportunity that they were offered. María Galaz Molina, a student at Liceo Profesor Misael Lobos, in Graneros, referred to the support that students received from the program’s authorities at all times and to the comprehensive learning program that should facilitate them accessing higher education.

Nayareth Bascuñán agreed with María. Nayareth is a student at Cardenal Oviedo School, in Maipú, who was distinguished by her academic performance during the program. “It has been an unforgettable experience, not only academically: I have also developed myself as a person,” she said.

One innovation in this version of the program was the number of schools. In relation to the previous year, it increased by three schools, by virtue of the work done directly with the municipalities of San Francisco de Mostazal and Graneros. “Due to this initiative, we were able to extend the Propedéutico Program experience to other schools that usually do not have students accessing higher education,” Máximo González, Director of the Program said.

Regarding the above, the Mayor of San Francisco de Mostazal, Sergio Medel, said to U. de Santiago al Día: “This project has been very beneficial to our youngsters, both the ones who participated and the ones who will. It is a measure of justice.”

For his part, the Mayor of Graneros, Claudio Segovia, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity Universidad de Santiago gave to nine families of that locality, where 50 per cent of the people work as seasonal workers. These families now have new hopes that are changing their lives.

Vice President Kri said that thanks to the inclusion of good students in this kind of program, the results obtained and the student follow up during the seven years of the program have supported the decision to continue with this integration line. Regarding our University’s commitment to improve equity, funding, and teaching quality, “They deserve this opportunity and they earned it,” she said.

Vice President Kri added that this kind of policies, together with mechanisms like the School Grades Ranking (Ranking de Notas, in Spanish), “are going to make changes in the country, because good students coming from any school of Chile will have a real possibility of entering the university. Two years ago, this was unthinkable.”

She referred to the project’s renewal, with the clear intention of reaching earlier stages in high- school education.

Scholarships and opportunities

On Saturday 21st, the names of the students who were benefited with entering Universidad de Santiago’s Bachelor’s Program in Science and Humanities via Propedéutico, without the required University Selection Test (PSU, its acronym in Chile) were known.

52 students were awarded full tuition fee scholarships, while 14 will have their tuition fees covered by their municipalities, at least for a year. However, for the rest of the students, the journey does not end here: Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez and Universidad Alberto Hurtado invited them to become their students.

Francisco Javier Gil, Director of the Unesco Chair Program, agreed that the good results obtained by students, together with mechanisms like the School Grades Ranking, have highlighted the need of reconsidering the higher-education access systems. And although he showed himself very pleased by the seven years of program and by the expansion of the network of universities that are offering these Preparatory Programs (16, from Antofagasta, in the North, to Punta Arenas, in the South), he thinks that there are still challenges to face, like modifying the awarding of PSU- related scholarships. “We only have one thousand admission vacancies in the country, and there are youngsters that make their best efforts and study hard; they want to access higher education, but they cannot. So, there still a long way to say that in Chile, if you want it, you get it.”

The schools participating in 2013 were: Centro Educacional Dr. Armando Neghme, Liceo Polivalente Guillermo Feliú, Complejo Educacional Pedro Prado, Centro Educacional Pudahuel, Liceo Polivalente A-19, in Talagante, Liceo Industrial Pedro Aguirre Cerda, Liceo Poeta Federico García Lorca, Cardenal Carlos Oviedo School, Instituto Femenino Superior de Comercio Eliodoro Domínguez, Centro Educacional Técnico Profesional, Liceo Santiago Bueras, Liceo Profesional Misael Lobos, Liceo Alberto Hurtado and Liceo Elvira Sánchez

Finally, the Director of the Program at Universidad de Santiago, Máximo González, recognized that he hopes that, in the future, Preparatory Programs will not be needed for talented and skilled youngsters to access higher education.

• The classes given every Friday by IDEA to students who wish to participate in the Model United Nations Conference next year, in New York, will continue until January. The training workshop is addressed to future professionals of the programs of the Faculty of Administration and Economics and the Faculty of Humanities and its purpose is to equal or exceed the performance level reached in the 2015 conference, in which our university’s delegation had an outstanding performance.

Students who will participate in the Model United Nations Conference debates at the UN headquarters (New York), in 2016, are being trained in different workshops held at the facilities of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, in Spanish) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

The cost-free workshop that is being held every Friday at the IDEA facilities will continue until January 2016, and they train the students in different topics, like international policy, leadership skills, negotiating, and English language. All this has the purpose of maintaining the outstanding performance that our university’s delegations have had in this international activity in which the operating model of different UN bodies, like the Security Council or Unicef, is simulated. Every year, this conference gathers more than 5,000 students from all over the world. 

During the third session of the workshop, students were visited by the Director of the Department of History, Dr Igor Goicovic; the Deputy Director of the Department of Administration, Héctor Toledo, and the Head of the International Studies program, Dr Nelson Paulus. They committed themselves to back the efforts to institutionalize the support to this activity in which our university has had an outstanding performance for three consecutive years.

In this regard, Dr Goicovic said that, in the meetings with future and former participants and with the professors in charge of the activity, he has been able to appreciate “The willingness, motivation and academic level to continue participating in this international conference.”

“The students who have already participated in this Model UN debates have gained considerable experience, which was reflected in their achievements during the conference. When they came back to Chile, they officially reported the very positive results of their participation. What they learned, in turn, has had a deep impact on their professional training, and this impact has clearly replicated as experience in their programs,” professor Goicovic said.

“It is essential that the University gradually but systematically takes responsibility for the funding process of this activity, so this Department commits to help in creating these conditions,” he added.

Total commitment

Sofía Schuster, professor at the Bachelor’s Program in International Studies and coordinator of the Model UN workshop, highlighted the high commitment shown by the students of the Public Administration, Translation and International Studies programs who are interested in participating in this activity in 2016.

“During the first session, we asked the students to write a commitment letter. There, we were able to see their willingness to participate in this activity and we learned about their interests and motivation,” she explained.

Professor Schuster also said that they have already submitted a Teaching Innovation Project proposal for 2016 that seeks to have more students of Universidad de Santiago participating in other models’ debates, similar to de Model UN, for example, in the Organization of American States (OAS).

Interested students

Johann Golsworthy, a fourth-year student of the Public Administration program, showed himself very interested in completing his preparation and then participating in the Model UN Conference.

“I read the invitation on the Internet and I got immediately interested in attending the workshops to improve my knowledge on how international policy works in the UN and how international conflicts develop. Now I have to complete my program, but I am really willing to go (to New York),” the student said.

Likewise, Javiera Díaz, a fifth-year student of the English-Portuguese Translation program, said that she has been interested in participating in such an activity for a long time.

“I have always wanted to know more about the international relations field and, in the future, I would like to pursue a Master’s degree related to it. For this reason, I believe this is a great opportunity that should have all the possible support,” she finally said.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

     A total of 129 students from different countries like Mexico, Germany, France; Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Brazil, Canada, Bolivia, Uruguay and Belgium spent this semester at Universidad de Santiago through its student exchange program. They all agree that the academic excellence and social responsibility are the university’s hallmarks.

Every semester, the Department of International and Inter-University Relations of Universidad de Santiago de Chile receives foreign students to promote, strengthen and expand its national and international links and contribute to the university’s positioning and its work in different fields.

During the second semester of 2016 (August-December), a total of 129 students from different countries like Mexico, Germany, France; Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Brazil, Canada, Bolivia, Uruguay and Belgium participated in the student exchange program. They selected one of the 68 programs available at Universidad de Santiago and enrolled as students, researchers or interns. 

An internationally renowned university

Karin Chavarría, a student at the Bachelor’s Degree in Literature program of Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, the leading public university in Bolivia, was awarded a scholarship to spend one academic semester at Universidad de Santiago.

“I had never seen a university this large, with all the schools together. That was the first thing that surprised me. The study program has been really complete,” she says.

She adds that she came to Chile through a program of the Montevideo Group Association of Universities. “They provided everything while we were here: accommodation, food and impeccable training, with very good professors. Our classmates received us very well and we made many friends. I recommend Universidad de Santiago for it is one of the best universities in Latin America and worldwide,” she says.

A human and professional network

José Fernando Aguayo, student at the Bachelor’s in Artistic and Industrial Ceramics of Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, enrolled in the Bachelor’s in History program of Universidad de Santiago this semester. His experience was so rewarding that he decided to apply for another semester.

“I am applying for another semester at the university, particularly for its environment, for my classmates and the human network between students and professors in which you can interact as equals,” he says.

Jasmine Morgan, a student at the Medicine program of Universidad de Alcalá, Spain, completed an internship at Universidad de Santiago. “This is the best thing that has happened to me. I feel very identified with this university. I think its students have a higher level of training, because they have a higher contact with patients and a closer follow up,” she says.

Human quality and comradeship

Among the best things of this semester abroad, these foreign students highlight the sense of comradeship at Universidad de Santiago. Kevin Moreno, a student at the Elementary Teaching Program of Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Mexico, confirms this fact. He applied to Universidad de Santiago on the recommendation of a friend of him who had already spent a semester here.

“The truth is that I had no information about the educational system in Santiago, but once I got here I realized that the system is excellent. There are very good professors, good classmates, good people and there is a nice environment inside and outside the university,” he says.

Myia Newton, a student at the Modern Languages and Spanish program of the University of Windsor, Canada, says that during her stay at Universidad de Santiago, she remembered why she had decided to study languages and, particularly, Spanish.

“My professors are the best and I have learned so much. Some of my classmates are the best people I have met in my five years of university. I am very lucky for having this opportunity. The friends I have made here have inspired me to come back and live here once I finish the university,” she says.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Among the different speakers that took part in the Colloquium “Water: a renewable resource?”, one of them, Alfredo Zolezzi, founder of the Advanced Innovation Center, considers that the contrast between technology progress and the poverty and shortage of sanitary resources affecting millions of people is “dramatic”. He says that the solution to this problem is to make sure that innovation reaches people who need it.

The recent celebration of the World Water Day brought again to the national and international agenda the importance of promoting sustainable practices for the good use of water resources in the planet. The Colloquium “Water: a renewable resource?” was held in this context and it was led by the Association of Researchers for Development and Interdisciplinarity (INDI, its Spanish acronym), that groups researchers from the different faculties of Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

The activity brought together three speakers that approached the implications and significance of this strategic resource from very different points of view.

Leyla Noriega, journalist of Red Mi Voz*, who has experience in working with indigenous communities in the north of Chile, gave the presentation “Between the Andean world view and the community’s political core”. She explains that “our philosophy understands water like a living being. The resource is distributed according to its ancestral use by common law; that is to say, based on customs or natural rights.”

However, this expert in communications says that this approach is little respected, as a consequence of a series of processes that have affected the native peoples of the north of the country, like “Chileanization and the disassembly of ancestral authorities.”

Then, Alfredo Zolezzi, founder of the Advanced Innovation Center spoke about “Meaningful innovation”, considering it like a concept that has always been present in the history of humankind. “We have never had as much technology available as we do now, but it is dramatic to see this progress without recognizing that there are millions of people living in poverty, without basic sanitary services,” he says.

Effective solutions

In light of this situation that accounts for a complex reality, specific answers are required. According to Zolezzi, the solution lies in changing the way of doing things and he suggests “doing activism with proposals that make sure that innovation will reach people who need it.”
 
In his case, innovation became socially meaningful through the creation of the Plasma Water Sanitation System (PWSS), a water purification system that allows transforming polluted water particles into plasma, making it potable.

This system was implemented in 2011, in Fundo San José, a shanty town in Cerrillos, Santiago, thanks to a partnership with Un Techo Para Mi País**. It is worth to mention that this shanty town’s residents were resettled in June, 2013.

The last presentation was given by Dr. Silvio Montalvo, professor at the Department of Chemistry Engineering of our University, who spoke about his research regarding water resources.

At present, he is working on the treatment of sludge generated at sewage water treatment plants, in order to develop technologies to optimize the anaerobic digestion process that allows breaking down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen.

“If we are able to preserve the water that we already have and keep it less polluted, we will be contributing to this matter,” the researcher says.

Translator’s notes: *Red Mi Voz is a digital network that promotes the practice of citizen journalism. **Un Techo Para Mi País is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes youth volunteers to fight extreme poverty in Latin America, by constructing transitional housing and implementing social inclusion programs.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

•  The karate teams of Universidad de Santiago won the first places in women and men categories in the championship coordinated by the University National Federation of Sports, a sports organization that depends on the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities.
• The complete victory of the students who competed became an unprecedented milestone in this type of sports competition, as this is the sixth consecutive time that Universidad de Santiago wins the first place, something that no other higher education institution has done before.
• The karatekas accomplished this unprecedented feat after prevailing over renowned institutions with a strong tradition in sports, like Universidad de Chile, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María and Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, among others.
• According to Mario González, the coach of the karate branch of Universidad de Santiago, the key is the excellence of those who make up the team. “They are strong-willed. They are 100% Universidad de Santiago.”

On October 11^th, the University National Championship of Karate for women and men, FENAUDE 2015, took place at Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. The best specialists in this sporting discipline representing the universities of the National Council of Rectors (Cruch), gathered together at this competition.

The women and men teams of Universidad de Santiago won eight gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze ones, showing their excellence and the importance of sports as part of student training.

In the men category, the team of Universidad de Santiago got 40 points, far from the closest competitor, Universidad de Chile, on 26 points.

Women, for their part, won the first place with 44 points, with a difference of 29 points over Universidad de Chile.

Besides, our university won the team women and team men categories for the sixth consecutive time, something completely unprecedented in this type of competition.

According to Mario González Faúndez, coach of the karate branch of the university, these results are “extremely positive”. He explains that, although the group of sport men and women wanted to continue with the triumphs that the university enjoyed the previous years, “This year the competition was much harder and they had to win all the matches.”

González adds that one of the merits of the group is that they have learned to adapt themselves to the changes every year, when some of the members of the team leave because they complete their academic training in our institution.

“We have won a university national championship for the sixth consecutive year, with six different teams, because they change every year,” Gonzáles says.

He says that, in this regard, their success has been based on the policies that our university has on sport matters, like the outstanding sportsmen/women special admission.

“The university showed that it has the talents and the ‘raw material’ required because of the good selection of sports talents at this special type of admission. First, they are students, and then, sportspeople, so they are even better. Their commitment is the hallmark of the team. They are strong-willed; they are 100% Universidad de Santiago.”

Fair play

Javiera González, a student at the Bachelor’s Program in Physical Activity Sciences, and Jorge Acevedo, a student at the Master’s program in Management and Public Policies of the Faculty of Administration and Economics, were awarded as the best sportsman/woman of the competition, for their uprightness and “fair play” at fighting.

Mario González highlights that “Both of them were impartially chosen by the referees. In the case of women competitors, although there were girls of Universidad de Chile and Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María who are part of the national team (of karate), Javiera stood out for her ability to apologize to others when she committed a foul.”

In the case of Jorge, “There were bouts that he won after 20 seconds, just by scoring points and without needing to hit or harm the opponent,” he added.

This way of behaving during competitions is “What happens everyday in the karate branch,” González says. “There are many youngsters who start from scratch and begin to train and to compete representing the university, and others who have a karate background, since their dojos, and know what it is about.” Therefore, “During training sessions, there is a mixture; there is a mystical relation between those who know and those who are learning.”

For example, Alejandro Mellado, a bronze medal winner in the past Santiago 2014 South American Games, is part of the university’s men team and he trains together with the new members of the karate branch and helps them to improve every day.

“Alejandro Mellado practices together with youngsters who do not know much about karate, because they have just started with this sport and he is interested in teaching them when they make mistakes,” González concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• In its third public account, the ESUS Solar Energy Team referred to the big challenges that they faced during 2016: the Atacama Solar Challenge and the high possibility that the team has of winning the Construye Solar 2017 contest with the Casa Temperie. Among the challenges for 2017, they mentioned the initiative to build solar modules in the campus and their participation in the Sasol Solar Challenge 2018, in South Africa.

   

  In its public account after almost six years of its creation, the Universidad de Santiago’s Solar Energy Team (ESUS) highlighted the big challenges that they faced during 2016: the Atacama Solar Challenge and the high possibilities that the team has of winning the Construye Solar 2017 contest with the Casa Temperie, the sustainable social housing project developed in partnership with the School of Architecture of Universidad de Santiago. The team members also referred to their initiative to build solar modules in the campus through their Sustenta ESUS Division.

  The ESUS Team is currently made up of more than 50 students at the Faculties of Engineering, Humanities, Administration and Economics, the Technological Faculty, and the School of Architecture. They have worked with more than 15 business partners during this period that have contributed with more than 125 million pesos, a 594% more than the previous year.

  Since its foundation in 2011, the projects of ESUS promote the use of solar energy as a solution to the constant energy problems that affect our country, through research and by implementing different technological developments.

  Dr Claudio Martínez Fernández, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation said that he was very proud of this young team that works for Universidad de Santiago.

  “The way in which they have approached their work -constantly looking for innovation and new projects, one of the focuses of the university- confirms that, in spite of the fact that they are undergraduate students, they can make a big difference,” he says.

  Vice President Martínez adds that “Universidad de Santiago is historically known for contributing to the knowledge and development of the country and ESUS is a clear example of this.”

  Challenges for 2017

  For next year, the Solar Energy Team highlighted three big challenges that they will face. First, The Apolo Team will build a new solar vehicle, the Apolo IV, a lighter version of the Apolo III, to compete in the Sasol Solar Challenge, South Africa, in September 2018. They are also evaluating the possibility of competing in the Atacama Solar Challenge 2017.

  Second, the Construye Team is ready to start building the Casa Temperie, (Temperie House), a project that was started in March by the School of Architecture. The team is among the 10 finalists in the Construye Solar 2017 contest organized by the NGO La Ruta Solar.

  The project is a new concept of social housing that involves a habitable environment in a greenhouse with renewable energies. With this project, the ESUS Team thinks that they have possibilities of winning.

  And finally, the Sustenta ESUS division has the goal of building solar modules in the campus to provide free power to charge batteries for laptops, cellphones and other electronic devices. In this way, the university community will have access to a real sustainable initiative.

  Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Patricio Flores, PhD in Biotechnology, and Yu-Wen Tang, student at the Master´s program in Technology Management- Major in Biotechnology, both from the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, were awarded a grant to develop a strategy for marketing an enzyme that has multiple benefits for diagnosing diseases.

As a result of the work they did for a doctoral dissertation and after being granted funds through the “Go To Market, de la Idea al Mercado” Contest organized by Corfo (the Chilean Economic Development Agency), the researchers will get trained in Silicon Valley, in the context of the third stage of the project “Developing a strategy for marketing a highly stable glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) enzyme.”

The project, which was developed under the guidance of Dr. Jenny Blamey, associate professor at Universidad de Santiago, proposes replacing the bovine GLDH enzyme with one from an Antarctic extremophilic microorganism (capable of resisting extreme conditions of temperature, pH, pressure, salinity, among others), which does not have the deficiencies of its predecessor. Its most common application is in the area of clinical laboratories where it is used for diagnosing hepatic and renal diseases

According to researcher Patricio Flores, “having discovered this new enzyme, glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), improves the half-life of five different types of diagnostic kits, as its thermal stability is higher than the one of the enzyme used today.” The academic stresses that “what is most important is that it also solves the problem of low half-life of the “old” diagnostic kits, preventing from discarding expired kits that have not been used, improving result reliability, lowering costs, reducing losses for companies and enabling a stock available to give a quick answer to market requirements.”

“The new enzyme is much more stable. It can be stored at room temperature, keeping more than 85% of its activity for 50 days. On the other hand, the bovine enzyme completely loses its activity under the same conditions,” Dr. Flores explains, regarding the results of this project that involves Universidad de Santiago and Fundación Científica y Cultural Biocencia.

Go To Market

“Go To Market, de la Idea al Mercado” is an initiative that seeks to identify research studies conducted at universities, technological centers and Chilean companies that have generated technologies that could potentially benefit the global market.

“The application process for the Corfo’s Go to Market Contest coincided with the last steps to finish my doctoral dissertation in which I developed the product prototype, that is to say, the GLDH enzyme from an Antarctic thermophilic microorganism,” Dr, Flores says.

At present, the project is at its third stage, which involves getting training at the Standford Research Institute (SRI), scheduling meetings with investors and interested clients and developing a marketing strategy to position the product in the market. These will be the activities that the two researchers will have while they stay in USA.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• “With this vehicle, we expect to win the 2016 Atacama Solar Challenge,” said Martín Catalán, general director of the Solar Car Team (ESUS) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, after the presentation of the Apolo III. Claudio Murúa, mechanical director of the team said that the new car can achieve 140 kilometers per hour using as little energy as a hair dryer.

“With this vehicle we expect to win the 2016 Atacama Solar Challenge. Not the second or the third, but the first place. The cars competing are very similar so the possibility of winning is very high,” said Martín Catalán, general director of the Solar Car Team (ESUS) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, after the presentation of the Apolo III.

Among the most remarkable features of the new model that will compete in the Evolution category (high-range cars that are only fed with solar energy), the car stands out for its low weight, 190 kilos, what makes it very competitive not only in Chile, but also at an international level.

Martín Catalán will be the team captain during the race and their goal is to have a better performance in comparison to the past challenge, where they reached the fourth place in general and the third place nationwide. This left them in the 17^th place of the International Solar Car Federation global championship table.

The ceremony

The Apolo III presentation ceremony was attended by Universidad de Santiago’s authorities, students and external guests. Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, and the ESUS team members unveiled the new car. 

Dr Zolezzi said that he appreciates the links with the private sector to develop these projects. “We expect the business world to really trust universities and contribute with resources to achieve what they want: To produce more cheaply and with better quality. In turn, this will allow us to develop science and technology.”

The car

The car is 4 and a half meters long, 1.8 meters wide and one meter high; its advanced control system allows to adapt speed to the weather conditions in route; and its flexible solar panels weigh 80% less than conventional ones to make it more competitive.

Claudio Murúa, mechanical director of the team said that the new car can achieve 140 kilometers per hour using as little energy as a hair dryer.

He highlighted that the Apolo III body shell is completely made up of carbon fiber. It took them three months to assemble it and they worked together with several companies.

“It is a very strong and reliable car that should not have any problem in completing the 2,550 kilometers of the race. This time, we have focused on the use of energy,” he added.

The group that developed the project is formed by 50 people from different programs at the university, mainly from the Faculty of Engineering.

An example in energy matters

The general director of ESUS said that his team does not only work on the car, but it also seeks to disseminate knowledge and show new technologies.

“In a few years, we would like our work to be an example in the university and position ourselves at a national level in the context of renewable energies,” he said.

During the presentation, Leandro Valencia, general director of the NGO Ruta Solar, highlighted the work done by the team of Universidad de Santiago by saying: “The ESUS team is very active in outreach activities. We are very proud of this, because the team contributes to our mission of making Chile the world capital of solar energy.”

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The activity will gather more than 5,000 university students from all over the world to replicate the debate model of the committees of diplomats from the 193 UN member states.

Twenty-two students of Universidad de Santiago are finishing their training to participate in the National Model United Nations (NMUN NY 2017) Conference that will be held between March 19^th- 23^rd at the UN headquarters, New York, USA.

For the fourth consecutive year, Universidad de Santiago will be the only Chilean institution to participate in the conference, an activity that gathers more than 5,000 university students from all over the world. During the activity, the students represent different states and simulate the debate model of the committees of diplomats from the 193 UN member states.

On this occasion, the students at Universidad de Santiago will represent Ukraine at the Security Council and Greece at the other UN organs like the General Assembly, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNEP, UNHCR, WHO, and others.

In this context, Alexandra Cabrera, student at the Translation program, and Sebastián Astudillo, student at the Public Administration program, met with the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Santiago, Alex Thiermann, to get a better understanding of the foreign policy of that country, and they also expect to meet with a representative of the Embassy of Greece.

The other members of the group are the chief delegates Javiera Díaz (Translation program) and Emanuel Arias (International Studies program) and the students Paulina Caroca, Johann Golsworthy, Kimberly Robles, Yanira Díaz, and Erika Celsi (Public Administration program); Pablo Maturana, Militza González, Daniela Campos, Antonia Soto, Gabriela Correa, and Ángela Núñez (Translation program), Federico Izaguirre, Bárbara Góngora, Florencia Vega, Fabiana Guerrero, Catalina Solar, Daniela Peñaloza, and María Paz Pardo (International Studies program). Professor Sofía Schuster, of the Department of History, will accompany the group.

“The training workshop enables students to develop academic and professional skills, like the ability for critical analysis, for research, for data collection, for identifying reliable sources and also the ability to speak English at an academic level,” professor Schuster says.

Good diplomats

Javiera Díaz, graduate in English-Portuguese Translation, says that one of the main goals of the workshop is that students behave as “good diplomats”. “A good diplomat stands before everybody, persuades and negotiates, as he/her needs to get a solution to a conflict. The most important thing at the conference is the ability to convince, to persuade,” she says.

It is worth mentioning that the only Latin American institutions participating are Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Universidad Central de Venezuela and Universidad Nacional Autónoma and Anáhuac Mayab of Mexico.

Invitation to Kobe

The participation of the students at Universidad de Santiago in the former National Model United Nations Conferences has been outstanding. Since 2013, they have received 8 awards in the categories of Outstanding Position Paper and Honorable Mention Delegation.

For receiving the Honorable Mention Delegation award in the last conference, students were invited to participate in the NMUN Japan 2016, in Kobe, to commemorate the 60 years since that country’s accession to the UN. This activity was held between November 20^th and 26^th, 2016.

A group of 14 students at the programs of Translation, International Studies and Commercial Engineering travelled to Kobe: Daniela Toledo, Diego Vidal, Arlette Leal, Marcia Pérez, Paulette Reyes, Catalina Rodríguez, Patricia González, Gabriela Albornoz, Nadine Givovich, Javiera Villarroel, Karla Acuña, Jhonatan Díaz, Marcia Muñoz, and Edgar Rodas. They were accompanied by Professor Sofía Schuster.

Since this conference, the Department of International and Inter-University Relations (DRII, in Spanish) of Universidad de Santiago included the NMUN Conference as part of its student exchange program. 

In January, the students will continue their preparation to improve their English level, develop their personal skills and get a better knowledge of the Greek and Ukrainian cultures, to travel to New York on March 15^th. 

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Universidad de Santiago’s interdisciplinary research team, led by Dr. Silvia Matiacevich from the Technological Faculty, is focused on developing an edible film that could increase the shelf life of fresh foods by 30%.

Improving the way of preserving foods has been a permanent concern in food industry. This is the reason why packaging is essential for the quality and shelf life of the product. But this packaging should be in harmony with the environment.

In light of this situation, a sustainable alternative for food packaging has been developed: food covering edible films, which are being widely used and have become a world trend nowadays. At Universidad de Santiago, an interdisciplinary research team is trying to replicate this development, giving value added to different national byproducts.

This initiative will be viable thanks to the Associative Dicyt Project called “Bioactive Coatings for Foods”, which gathers together experts from different faculties of the University.

“We will use food industry byproducts which are considered as dispensable or waste material. We are going to give them a value added by adding antioxidant and antimicrobial components to them in order to increase the shelf life of fresh food products,” Dr. Daniel López says.

Academics from three different faculties gathered for this purpose: Dr. Rubén Bustos, from the Faculty of Engineering (Department of Chemical Engineering); Dr. Diego Venegas and Dr. Marlén Gutiérrez, from the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology (Department of Materials Chemistry); and Dr. Daniel López and Dr. Silvia Matiacevich, from the Technological Faculty (Department of Food Science and Technology), being Dr. Matiacevich the leader of the project.

During the two years scheduled for the project, the researchers plan to study the synergistic effect of this combination of products and they expect to increase food shelf life by over 30%.

Interdisciplinarity

Most of the academics related to this project are part of a larger group created by the end of 2013 called Indi, Asociación de Investigadores por el Desarrollo e Interdisciplinariedad of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, a group of researchers that promotes development and interdisciplinarity at the university.

“All of us have participated in some of these initiatives at some point, seeking for this interdisciplinarity. This is how we have met other people and created contacts. What is good is that more than just admiring the work of others, we have the real possibility of conducting studies together. For this reason, we value this type of projects, as they promote the integration and interdisciplinarity that define a university,” Dr. Matiacevich says.

Translated by Marcela Contreras