- Dr Dora Altbir, professor at the Department of Physics; Dr Vicente Espinoza, researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies, and Dr Jenny Blamey, associate professor, were summoned by President Michelle Bachelet Jeria to be part of the Commission for Science and Development- which is made up of 35 renowned representatives of the scientific world, public bodies and other non-scientific professional fields- to contribute from their different fields of expertise to the development of the country.
On January 26th, President Michelle Bachelet presented the new “Ciencia para el desarrollo de Chile” (Science for the development of the country) presidential commission, which is formed by 35 renowned representatives of the scientific world, public bodies and other non-scientific professional fields.
Three of the experts called by President Bachelet to contribute to the development of the country belong to Universidad de Santiago de Chile: the renowned scientist of the Department of Physics, Dora Altbir; the researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, in Spanish), Vicente Espinoza; and the associate professor Dr Jenny Blamey (Fundación Biocencia).
In the Patio de Las Camelias, at Palacio de La Moneda, President Bachelet highlighted the high level of the commission members and the significant role that sciences play in the progress of the country.
“This body has gathered together prominent scientific, academic and professional figures and young researchers; all of them with a well-deserved prestige. They embody different points of view, talents and abilities and represent the institutional and territorial diversity of Chilean science. This diversity will give the commission the opportunity for a dialogue between the scientific community and society all together,” the President said.
The “Ciencia para el desarrollo de Chile” presidential commission was created with the purpose of elaborating a proposal to give a bigger boost to basic and applied science and promote a scientific and innovation culture in the country.
“Sciences have an irreplaceable role when we reflect upon our projects and possibilities for the future. They show us the universe we belong to and the opportunities we have. They help us to anticipate new challenges and to innovate in the way we face them. And finally, in their unselfish and passionate search for truth, they remind us what we are and the humanity in all what we do,” President Bachelet added.
Promoting a scientific culture
After the presentation, in an interview with Radio Universidad de Santiago, the university’s radio station, Dr. Vicente Espinoza, a researcher at IDEA, highlighted the interest shown by the current government in promoting a scientific culture.
“Developing curiosity for knowledge in children, developing the ability to interact with evidence in youngsters and being able to discover scientific talent where it has not been found, are some aspects that are very relevant to this commission,” Vicente Espinoza said. Dr. Espinoza is a sociologist whose research lines are related to social policies, citizenship, social networks, youngsters and social mobility.
“I think that we all share the idea that science must serve to solve the problems of the country and contribute to its development. But before this happens, we need to define what we understand by development. That is, if we want to develop and grow at all costs or if we want to care for the environment, natural resources, mental health and other factors (…) we will talk about this in turn; from my point of view, this commission provides a very open atmosphere for this debate,” he said.
For her part, Professor Dora Altbir, who is currently conducting a study in California, United States, showed herself very pleased for having been called to be part of the government commission. She said that it would allow us to move forward as a better country.
Dr Altbir, a Corresponding Member of the Chilean Academy of Sciences since 2014, said that this new commission “acknowledges the role of science in the development of countries and means a great opportunity to strengthen scientific policies in Chile.”
“Examples like this allow organizing the different agents of the innovation national system for development and, therefore, making Chile a better country,” Dr Altbir said. The renowned scientist is the director of the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and director of the Núcleo Milenio de Magnetismo Básico y Aplicado research group of Universidad de Santiago, and her research lines are related to solid-state physics and magnetic nanostructures.
Translated by Marcela Contreras
