• Dr. Sergio Velastín, professor at the Department of Informatics Engineering of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, gave a talk on the use of data fusion in computer vision at the 17th Conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), held at Salamanca, Spain. Around 400 officials from the Ministries of Defense of different countries and members of the NATO attended the conference.

International experts on data management gathered last week in Salamanca, Spain, at the 17th version of the International Conference on Information Fusion (Fusion 2014) supported by the IEEE. Universidad the Santiago de Chile was represented by Dr. Sergio Velastín, full professor at the Department of Informatics Engineering, who gave a presentation during the activity.

He gave his presentation “The potential of fusion in computer vision application” to more than 400 people, many of them members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and representatives of Ministries of Defense of different countries, who attended the conference to learn about the progress in this field.

Dr. Velastín talked about computer vision, the branch of artificial intelligence that is concerned with finding artificial means to interpret the visual information of the surrounding world. Human beings have specialized in this interpretation and use a significant part of their brains to do it. “Most of what we do every day (getting around, driving, interacting with others, enjoying sports, teaching our children, learning, reading information, among others) requires interpreting what we see. If machines were able to emulate these abilities, we could potentially enrich our lives and empower mentally or motor- handicapped people. We could also make our public spaces safer,” the academic said.

Data processing in the digital era

According to the researcher, more than 40 years ago, a revolution started in human development that would potentially transform what up to then were physical quantities (images, printed letters, vital signs like blood pressure, sounds, among others) into digital data (numbers) that could be processed by a computer. “This digital era in which we live has surrounded us to such a degree that we almost do not realize how extended the generation, transmission and processing of data are. A routine telephone call occurs thanks to the processing of these numbers. Everything can be more easily filed and humankind is generating more data than ever in its existence,” professor Velastín said.

The academic explained that although many technologies- like data fusion- initially arose due to military needs, especially during the Cold War, “the use of this data involves large potential benefits, but they undoubtedly depend on how societies and governments use it. Europe, with a more egalitarian and socially inclusive model, is achieving great progress benefiting people, for example, through the so-called intelligent cities and environmentally assisted life.”

Professor Velastín thinks that in societies with more individualistic models, like Chile or even the United States, benefits could turn into danger, mainly because these contributions are not well distributed and are not used for social inclusion. “How many municipal schools do usually use tablets or smart boards?” The risk posed by disparity in the access to technology increases inequality, particularly, in future generations,” he said.

Security cameras

At present, Dr. Velastín is conducting a study in London on people’s behavior on public transportation, by recording and interpreting digital images captured by security cameras. In his opinion, the use of cameras in public spaces is a complex issue that depends on the balance between the right to security and the right to privacy. “In an ideal society, nobody is arrested at random unless he/she is a suspect or has put other people’s security at risk. What is important is to have clear regulations that are transparently respected by everyone who is responsible for a security camera, both in the government and in the private sector.

Professor Velastín has worked for several years in the United Kingdom, the country with more cameras per capita in the world, but also with very strong regulations for protecting data. He went to Spain in the context of a visiting professorship at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, through its Chairs of Excellence program, funded by Banco Santander.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The First Higher Education Inclusion Congress at our University gathered together international experts in this field, calling the attention of representatives of different universities, like professor and Co-director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, Estela Mara Bensimon, who valued the “courage” that Universidad de Santiago de Chile has had to drive “transforming and exemplary” initiatives as the Propedéutico Program and the Grade Ranking, among others.
• The activity sponsored by the Embassy of the United States in Chile included presentations and workshops and concluded with a plenary session at the Enrique Fröemel auditorium.
• During this activity, Universidad de Santiago introduced its new inclusion initiative “Cupo Ranking 850” that will benefit “top one” students who take part in the Admission Process to Chilean Universities 2015.

With the purpose of promoting the development of innovative models for higher education access and retention and the generation of inclusive public policies that may be replicated in other universities, the First Higher Education Inclusion Congress was started at our University on November 06th.

The activity organized by Fundación Équitas, Universidad de Chile, Universidad Diego Portales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad Católica de Temuco and Universidad de Santiago de Chile was held at the auditorium of the Department of Mathematics and concluded on November 07th. The program included presentations and workshops to promote equal opportunities.

The Director of the Unesco Chair on Inclusion in Higher Education of Universidad de Santiago, Francisco Javier Gil, welcomed the international experts and representatives of different universities meeting at the congress and then described the goals of the activity to our institutional newsletter.

“During these two days, we seek to strengthen the network of universities committed to inclusion and to promote it in those institutions that have not understood yet the importance of generating inclusive systems. We also aim to train new young professionals so that they continue with this task, because the challenge posed by inclusion in higher education will not be solved in one day,” he said.

Professor Gil said that once this network of universities becomes consolidated, they will try to change the academic requirements that are currently used in the country to award scholarships, loans and other benefits. “Today, the Ministry of Education awards scholarships and loans considering the PSU admission test results only and this should not continue to happen,” he said.

Regarding the high number of national and international institutions participating at this First Higher Education Inclusion Congress, Francisco Javier Gil showed himself very pleased and he specified that “inclusion should be a cross-cutting concern involving all universities, without distinctions.”

Exemplary initiatives

One of the keynote speakers at the congress was professor and Co-director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, Estela Mara Bensimon. After her presentation, she valued the “courage” that Universidad de Santiago de Chile has had to drive “transforming and exemplary” initiatives, like the Propedéutico Program and the Grade Ranking.

“Universidad de Santiago has particularly done a transforming, revolutionary work regarding educational inclusion matters. In Chile and the United States, we need more initiatives, like promoting the Grade Ranking or the Propedéutico program experience of Universidad de Santiago,” she said, adding that “this university has become a model to follow for other institutions.”

Universidad de Santiago’s leading role

Another participant in this congress was Alberto Vásquez, Director of the Social Inclusion program of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile that has the purpose of implementing the new inclusion policy enacted at that institution a few weeks ago.

“We expect to empirically demonstrate that the students’ entry to higher education through ways other than the regular system does not affect the academic quality of institutions; on the contrary, it contributes to better and more inclusive universities, Vásquez said.

He added that he “has been aware for a long time of the experience and leading role of Universidad de Santiago regarding inclusion matters.”

“This University has probably pioneered these matters in the country and I believe that it has persuaded all the other institutions to find ways to access higher education different from the PSU,” he concluded.

For further information on the First Higher Education Inclusion Congress sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the Embassy of the United States in Chile, check http://fundacionequitas.org/congreso2014/


Translated by Marcela Contreras

Universidad de Santiago was awarded 900 million Chilean pesos in the V version of the Contest Anillos Research Projects in Science and Technology. The contest was announced by the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research.

Universidad de Santiago was awarded 900 million Chilean pesos for the execution of two projects in the context of the V version of the Contest Anillos Research project in Science and Technology 2014.

Thanks to the Associative Research Program (PIA, in Spanish), 17 projects will be funded nationwide, all of them top-class studies with international scope.

Dr Óscar Bustos Castillo, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation, said that he was very pleased with the results, adding that “this type of project allows developing cutting-edge research that goes beyond our borders, and this is highly significant to contribute to our university’s internationalization.”

Dr Bustos highlighted that two of the projects that were awarded funding belong to consolidated research groups that, in the short term, could become research centers.

“These study projects will be executed over three years and will allow us to face issues of national interest and global challenges, restating the role we play as a state and public university,” he said.

The projects

One of the projects is led by Dr Maritza Páez and Dr María Victoria Encinas, researchers at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, and Dr Jenny Blamey, researcher at Fundación Biociencia, who will address the problems generated by the spontaneous and undesirable damage of materials, known as corrosion or biocorrosion. The name of the study is “Functionalized surfaces: protection against corrosion and biocorrosion.”

They have the goal of replacing the anti corrosion procedures that involve chemical compounds of high toxicity, like chromates, and provide effective and eco-friendly solutions.

Dr Francisco Melo (surface mechanics), Dr José Zagal (electrochemistry) and Dr Manuel Azocar (bioinorganic chemistry) will participate in the project.

Dr Marcela Urzúa (polymers) and Dr Marco Flores (surface physics), both researchers at Universidad de Chile, will take part in the project too, as well as Dr Jenny Blamey and Dr Freddy Boehmwald (microbiology), of Fundación Biociencia, and Dr Mamie Sancy (corrosion-electrochemistry), of the Chilean Air Force.

The second project is led by Dr Raúl Cordero, researcher at the Department of Physics. This is the second time that he leads an Anillo Project (the first time was in 2010). This time, he seeks to better understand the effects of black carbon at the Andean cryosphere. 

Black carbon or soot is a pollutant generated by the use of fossil fuels in the cities that is carried by the wind over the Andean snow, changing its reflectivity and its melting speed. 

According to Dr Cordero, the study “is mainly focused on measuring the content of black carbon in the snow on the west side of the Andes.” For this purpose, they will conduct campaigns to collect samples and analyze their carbon content across the country, from Putre to the Patagonia.

With this data, “we expect to generate a map that shows the black-carbon content in the Andean cryosphere, highlighting the areas of impact. This information will be useful to evaluate the effect of black carbon on glaciers melting,” the researcher explained.

The project is really important, because the country’s long-term sustainability depends on the availability of water resources coming from the Andean snows. However, just like many cold regions of the planet, the Andean cryosphere has doubled the global warming rate. “Although green-house gas emissions seem to be the main cause of this problem, black carbon may be playing a role too,” he added.

“Universidad de Santiago is a leader in interdisciplinary studies that address different aspects of sustainability, what largely explains the successful results of our applications. This project involves an interdisciplinary team of physicists, chemists, glaciologists and engineers of six renowned Chilean universities. Besides, ten international institutions will collaborate with the project, like the German Aerospace Center (DLR, in German) and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC),” Dr Cordero concluded.

Nationwide results

The other 15 projects that were awarded funds belong to the following universities: five to Universidad Católica de Chile; four to Universidad de Chile; two to Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María and one to Universidad de La Frontera, one to Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, one to Universidad Andrés Bello and one to Universidad Autónoma de Chile.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• With an open-air performance in front of the Casa Central building, the Universidad de Santiago Orchestra and Chorus closed the 2016 season. The show conquered the audience with a repertoire of classical and baroque pieces, Chilean songs and Christmas carols.

The Universidad de Santiago Classical Orchestra, accompanied by the Universidad de Santiago Chorus, closed its 2016 season with an impeccable performance that delighted an audience of more than 600 people. The Christmas concert was held on a stage specially assembled for the occasion in front of the Casa Central building.

During the concert, the Orchestra preformed a mix of a classical repertoire, including works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Christoph Willibald Gluck, and national works by Vicente Bianchi (awardee of the National Prize of Music 2016) and Los Jaivas. The show was closed by the renowned baritone Ramiro Maturana, singing Christmas carols together with the Chorus. 

According to Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, the activity had the goal of strengthening even more the links between the University and the community. “This is a dream come true. The concert was aimed at all the University community and at all the community around it, particularly the Villa Portales. We are ready to repeat it next year, and even more eagerly,” he said.

A concert for the family

After more than twenty free concerts given by the Classical Orchestra in the 2016 season, the Extension Department of the Vice Presidency of Outreach and Engagement, informed that in 2017, the Orchestra will offer open-air concerts in different communes of the Metropolitan Region.

Jorge Montealegre, director of this Department, said that “this was a very special occasion, as it was the first time that the Orchestra offered an open-air show at the University yards where our students walk every day. It was like a preview of what we will do in several communes next year. We are even going to celebrate the centenary of Violeta Parra’s birth. On this occasion, we gather together the Orchestra and the Chorus, which do not always perform together, and the result was magnificent.”

The University authorities considered the concert as an end-of-year celebration aimed at families and the community that recovers the yard in front of the Casa Central building as an artistic and cultural space. In this yard, Fidel Castro and Salvador Allende gave their speeches when they visited Universidad de Santiago in the past.

“We wanted to share with everybody the beautiful Orchestra that we have. We wanted our neighbors to enjoy this activity,” Dr Karina Arias, Vice President of Outreach and Engagement, said.

The Orchestra was conducted by Sebastián Camaño, as guest conductor. During the performance, he invited the audience to celebrate Christmas with a world without borders and open doors for immigrants. 

“I love that people come to this University and enjoy its wonderful campus and the music. The audience that comes to this University is not the audience that usually hears other orchestras, so the purpose of this concert is beautiful: It contributes to create community,” he said.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• The Apollo II, the photovoltaic car developed by the Solar Car Team (Esus) of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, showed an outstanding performance during the eco- rally across the desert, covering the route in a little more than 22 hours and being one of the four cars in its category that managed to reach the finish line.
• The Esus Team received recognition for its fourth place in the competence. The Japanese team of Tokai University won the first place; the team of Minera Los Pelambres mining company and Universidad de La Serena, won the second the place, and the team representing Universidad de Concepción, won the third place.
• The Esus Team students and collaborators valued the work done, and the knowledge applied, but above all, the experience they gained. Likewise, they expect to continue with this project, as “the performance and positioning of the team was clearly the best,” Gonzalo Pacheco, Executive Director of Esus, said.

 
The Universidad de Santiago’s Esus Solar Car Team members described the Apollo II’s performance during the Atacama Solar Challenge as absolutely positive. The prize awarding ceremony was held on November 18th, at Humberstone Saltpeter Works, in the Tarapacá Region.

The Challenge, one of the five solar car races held around the world, finished on November 17th, after the twenty teams coming from Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile, completed five days travelling a route across the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile. The teams were mainly made up of university students and professors.

The Apollo II managed to cover the 1,082 kilometer route planned for the race- just like other three cars did, out of the eight that competed in the Evolution category- in 22 hours and 9 minutes, according to the official records. The Esus Team received recognition for being one of the finalists and achieving the fourth position, after the team of Universidad de Concepción (third position), the team of Minera Los Pelambres mining company and Universidad de La Serena (second position), and the team of Tokai University, from Japan, that won the first position with only a nine-minute gap over the second place.

In this category, the teams of Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Pontificia Universidad Católica, and the cars Sköll and Eolian, could not finish the Challenge.

Experience and growth

For the Esus Team members, this fourth place means an important progress in their evolution as a group, because many of them took part in the previous race (2012), in which the Apolo I had to be towed to complete the route, what led to penalizations that affected the final result.

This time, the Apollo II completed the required kilometers and route and followed the control protocols. Although it had some problems, they were solved, showing and optimal performance of the car, that in some stretches reached 100 km/h, the maximum speed allowed by the Challenge organization

“The solar car team had a significant progress in experience and knowledge. Overcoming difficulties and reaching the finish line were our challenge and we made it,” Pablo Fernández, head of management of Esus Team, said. “We were able to prove that the level of the competition was higher, because four of the cars that run on this occasion in the Evolution category finished the route, so all of the teams have progressed a lot,” he added.

For this reason, Pablo Fernández said that in terms of disseminating the advantages of solar energy- one of the goals of the Atacama Solar Challenge- “Universidad de Santiago is very well positioned, because all the students taking part in this project learn about renewable energies and how to use solar energy, regardless of the discipline or the program they study.”

Keeping talent at the university

Although they were satisfied with the performance of the car, Pablo Fernández explained that, according to his evaluation, they “did not have enough time to test the car and check some issues,” because importing some parts and getting some resources took too long and this affected the work management and the assembly of the Apolo II. “It gave us a test period of about a week, and during the race, we realized that with more test time we would have been able to prevent some problems. However, we were prepared and had spare parts for everything. Thanks to this and to our planning and inventiveness, we adapted to the situation and kept on going.”

According to Gonzalo Pacheco, Executive Director of Esus, “the performance and positioning of the team was clearly the best.” This was recognized by other teams, like the Japanese team, for example, that valued the Esus Team’s high level of organization. Particularly because it was “the only solar car team totally made up of students and unpaid collaborators that completed the challenge.” 

Pablo Fernández explained that teams from other universities hire graduates and professionals for direct expert advice.

“As a team, we would like to preserve the knowledge of the people with experience in this field in our university. We cannot let experienced people go; we should have strategies to keep talent here and include more professors in the team,” Fernández said.

This is why they expect the University to get involved in the project and in the innovative ideas of the Solar Car Team. “This experience left us well positioned as University. We will be remembered as a neat, disciplined and organized team. But the Solar Car Team should not continue being considered only an extra-curricular activity,” he finally said.


Translated by Marcela Contreras

• To contribute with a cleaner and safer energy source and help our country to achieve energy independence, the “Hydrogen Economy and Sustainable Development” Seminar was held at our university. The activity was organized by the Faculty of Engineering, in the context of its 100^th anniversary and it gathered national experts from the public and the academic sectors. The key lecture was delivered by the international speaker Dr Walter Theodor Czarnetzki, Vice President of Research and Technological Transfer of the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

To contribute with a cleaner and safer energy source and help Chile to achieve energy independence from other countries, the “Hydrogen Economy and Sustainable Development” Seminar was held at the Enrique Froemel Auditorium of Universidad de Santiago. The activity was organized by the Faculty of Engineering, in the context of its 100^th anniversary.

The activity was headed by Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi, President of Universidad de Santiago, who said that universities, as dynamic centers for knowledge building, cannot keep out of the important sustainability processes that our countries are undergoing today, as they are the best tool to develop the foundations for a good future for our societies.

“Hydrogen produced in a clean and economical way could be used to compensate most of the energy insufficiency that we have,” he stressed.

“Our corporation, true to its public service tradition, has committed its best research and teaching resources and infrastructure to contribute with professionals, research and developments that help in policy making and at implementing a “Hydrogen Economy” in Chile,” he said. 

“A scientific work commitment made among universities, state-run bodies and the private sector will allow to find a sustainable energy alternative to reduce the current dependence on hydrocarbons and greenhouse gas emissions,” Dr Zolezzi said.

For his part, Juan Carlos Espinoza, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering said that the activity “is an example of the constant interest that this academic unit has in the field of energy, what facilitates the reflection on the need to progress in generating technological innovations that contribute to this area.”

The seminar

The seminar was introduced by Andrés Romero Celedón, Executive Secretary of the National Energy Commission, who said, “To address climate change, we shall change from a hydrocarbon-based civilization to a hydrogen-based one. Besides, this seminar is relevant, as in Chile we are trying to make a long-term energy policy for 2050, to overcome the energy problems that our country constantly faces.”

He added that all initiatives aimed to this goal should be supported by universities and professionals of all over the country, to have more security, sustainability and independence in this matter.

Presentations and speakers

During the activity, Dr Walter Theodor Czarnetzki, Vice President of Research and Technological Transfer of the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany, gave the key lecture “Hydrogen Economy for a Sustainable Future.” Patricio Rousseau, Electrical Engineer of Universidad Católica de Chile, and Dr José Zagal Moya, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of our university gave presentations too.

The participants in the “Hydrogen Economy in Chile” panel discussion were Dr Walter Theodor Czarnetzki; Anselmo Peiñan, representative of the Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo, in Spanish); José Miguel Arriaza, Regional Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, and Professors Dr Fernando Corvalán and Patricio Rousseau. The discussion was moderated by the lawyer Gonzalo Salgado, an expert in energy regulations.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Miguel Altieri, a Chilean expert at the University of California, highlighted the strategic role that peasant agriculture plays in food security in the modern world. His presentation generated interest in the audience during the II International Seminar on Agroecology: Facing Food and Ecological Challenges. The activity was held at Universidad de Santiago and it was organized by the Department of Agricultural Management, the University Social Responsibility program and the Chilean chapter of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA-Chile).

Before an audience that crowded the Salón de Honor, Dr Miguel Altieri, a Chilean professor at the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management of the University of California, gave the opening presentation at the II International Seminar on Agroecology: Facing Food and Ecological Challenges.

The activity was held on March 26^th and it was organized by the Department of Agricultural Management, the University Social Responsibility program and the Chilean chapter of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA-Chile).

In his lecture “Agroecology: the only path to feed a planet in crisis”, the researcher said that the world is facing several difficulties as a result of the economic model established in the past few decades that cannot be overcome using the mechanisms of the same model. This is why he suggests changing this paradigm, at least in relation to the area of food production.

“The presence of many young people here clearly evidences the interest in this issue. They are very worried about the condition of the planet and the future that awaits them. In this situation, agroecology gives room for hope, because it addresses the problem of producing healthy food and it also provides an agricultural model than can be adapted to the climate changing conditions, something that will become more and more frequent,” he said to UdeSantiago al Día.

Supported by data analysis, he said that the causes of world hunger lie in the complex food system controlled by multinationals that define what to produce, as well as the quality and the price of food.

Although the figures of agro-industrial production seem to be more effective, the expert encourages us to consider their efficiency by calculating the amount of water they need and the lack of diversity that single-crop farming offer. This is why Dr. Altieri suggests measuring the “overall” production: agroecological farmers do not produce only one thing, but many different products (beans, eggs, corn, among others) that add up to form a system.

“Agriculture needs a new philosophy according to new social movements to bridge the gap between consumers and producers. It is like a new way of organizing the society that considers peasants’ know-how and incorporates it as a source of knowledge, restoring traditions and the genetic diversity by growing native seeds,” he said.

Dr Altieri is currently working in the United States in matters related to agroecology in Latin America. But as a Chilean, he often studies the policies promoted in the country. “The agricultural model that we need should be debated at a country level,” he added.

“If Chile valued peasant agriculture for its strategic, cultural and ecological value and also for the food security it provides, then the country would be forced to protect this type of agriculture as heritage, by providing resources, markets and the required support to boost it, just like Brazil did. Brazil recognized the importance of family agriculture and created a special ministry of agriculture,” he said.

With regards to the importance that this issue has for the American society, he says that it has caught the attention mainly of the urban groups who feel marginalized, like Latinos and African Americans, in a movement called “Food Justice”. “Most of my work is based on Latin America and I feel like an agroecological ambassador, because what I have learned and what I teach is what it happens in the region,” he said.

When asked why Chile has not had a strong development in this issue like other Latin American countries, Dr Altieri says that he thinks it has to do with “the cultural blackout during the dictatorship that shockingly imposed a model by changing the economic model and the people’s way of thinking and instilling a vision of competitiveness and privatization. Going backwards has been difficult,” he said.

Nevertheless, he has confidence in new generations. “People are awakening: they realize that the food model is not equitable or democratic; that it destroys the environment and produces climate changes that are reflected in more frequent dramatic events; and that the quality of the foods we eat is bad, as they are contaminated. We have to move forward to a socially healthier and fairer agriculture that includes social and political dimensions,” he finally said.

Other participants in the activity were: Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility program, who gave the welcome speech; Dr Clara Nicholls, president of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA); Claudia Barrera, researcher at the Agroecology and Environment Research Group (GAMA, in Spanish) of Universidad de Santiago; Ximena Guzmán, director of the Unión Nacional de Agricultura Familiar (UNAF); Olga Gutiérrez, president of the Confederación Unidad Obrero Campesino (UOC); Fabiola Freire, Regional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture (Metropolitan Region); and Carlos Pino, researcher at Universidad Católica del Maule and member SOCLA-Chile.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• In order to analyze the Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) that affect thousands of people as a result of long working days using unsuitable furniture, national and international experts gathered together at the “Pensamiento Complejo, Ergonomía de Concepción y Creatividad” conference that was held at Universidad de Santiago.

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National and international experts gathered together at the “Pensamiento Complejo, Ergonomía de Concepción y Creatividad” conference held at Universidad de Santiago. Its purpose was to analyze the Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) that affect many people as a result of long working days using unsuitable furniture.

The activity was organized by the Industrial Design Technology program and the National Chair in Ergonomics of the Department of Industrial Engineering of Universidad de Santiago.

Ergonomics

Thousands of people work every day in poorly furnished physical spaces that are not always the best in relation to the number of working hours. Most of the time, they are using computers.

In the activity, the relation between furniture and physical postures was analyzed. Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs)- which involve muscle and bone problems- were the focus of the conference and the experts showed the contribution of ergonomics to designing suitable environments for people.

Poor postures while sitting on a chair, the constant contact with some tools, the effort to lift weight or repeated actions (like typing on the computer) can cause these disorders.

María José Araya, architect, ergonomist and professor at the Department of Management Technologies, explained that this is a very important matter, as “long working hours demand the use of ‘neuro-sensory motor’ energy and usually some tolerance thresholds are crossed for the lack of spaces for resting and for leisure and recuperation activities, causing CTDs, with different levels of severity.”

With this activity, “we would like to strengthen international networks with other higher education centers, like Elisava, to address disability and socio-labor inclusion issues from the “Design for all” concept in the National Chair in Ergonomics of the Department of Industrial Engineering of Universidad de Santiago.

Lecturers

In the activity, Giselle Golcovic, who is a graphic designer of Universidad de Chile and has a Master’s degree in Education from Universidad UCINF, gave the presentation “Pensamiento Complejo y Creatividad en Leonardo da Vinci”.

The architect Antonio Bustamante, ergonomist and professor at the Barcelona School of Design and Engineering (Elisava, in Spanish), the first school of design founded in Spain, presented “El hombre de Vitruvio, el de Leonardo y el de Castaño”. In his conclusions, he referred to the importance of understanding users in movement, a viewpoint that differs from conventional anthropometry, which approaches humans as static beings.

José Miguel Araya, industrial civil engineer, ergonomist and professor at Universidad de Santiago analyzed the works presented from an ergonomics point of view 

It is important to understand ergonomics as a key element at designing office and home furniture in order to help people to prevent posture-related diseases

Professor María José Araya said that this type of activity gives students at programs like Industrial Engineering, Design and Architecture the possibility of learning about these matters before they leave the university.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• On Saturday 11th, more than 600 youngsters participated in the board game convention that opened the fifth version of the Book Route organized by the Library System of Universidad de Santiago. This year the activity is devoted to Fantastic Literature, which is related to popular role-playing games
• According to Ximena Sobarzo, Director of the Library System, SiB, “There is a direct relation among movies, literature and role-playing games, which are so widespread among youngsters. Therefore, focusing on this topic is a good way of promoting reading in our community, as this is our main challenge.” 
• The activity program includes conferences, film screenings, reading guidance and role-playing games and it will last until April 23rd, when the World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated.
• As part of its outreach activities, the SiB has also organized a tribute to the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, who died on April 13th.

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Ximena Sobarzo, Director of the Library System of Universidad de Santiago (SiB U. de Santiago), described the TerraCon board game convention as “a complete success”. The TerraCon was held on April 11th to open the Book Route 2015 of our University.

This opening convention drew more than 600 attendees- youngsters mostly – who visited the Central Library of Universidad de Santiago to participate in role-playing game tournaments, trade collectible cards and see striking miniature figure exhibitions.

In its fifth version, the traditional Book Route organized by the SiB U. de Santiago has a varied schedule of activities focused on Fantastic Literature that includes film screenings, role-playing game tournaments, conferences and others related to this genre.

The Book Route cultural schedule will continue until April 23rd, when the World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated, and it offers other free-of charge events, like the lecture “La fantasía olvidada: clásicos olvidados de literatura infantil de fantasía”, given by Paula Rivera, BA in Hispanic Letters, on April 15th, at 16:00, at the Central Library auditorium.

Likewise, on April 17th, at 16:00, the translator Danilo Jarlaz will give the lecture “La construcción del mundo fantástico a partir de lo ordinario” at the same auditorium

The Book Route involves both scheduled visits to different places in the campus and the promotion of library circulation services. It is being held between April 13th and 23rd, from 10:30 to 14:00.

Classic films and fantastic film premieres are being screened at the Central Library multimedia room, since April 14th to April 22nd, from 10:00 to 16:00.

On April 23rd, from 12:00 to 17:00, at the plaza beside the Central Library, a closure activity called “Taberna Medieval” (Medieval Tavern) has been scheduled. The Chilean Tolkien Society, a group that has specially been invited for the occasion, will be in charge of this activity and will provide music, dance performances, food and medieval decorations. 

This closure activity will also include discussion boards on Fantastic Literature and will have the presence of fencing, archery, and dance and Viking music groups of Universidad de Santiago.

Besides, along with the activities scheduled, “Don Cándido”, the traditional character that symbolizes the Book Route, will ride his bike all over the campus, giving books to students and bringing the library closer to the University community.

Promoting reading in the community 

Ximena Sobarzo, Director of the Library System of Universidad de Santiago, showed herself very pleased for the beginning of the activity and she said that the main goal of the Book Route continued to be promoting the interest in reading in our University community and the community around us, through diverting and creative activities

“Every year, in our Book Route we try to approach new aspects related to how literature goes across different interests and different personalities. We want to show that literature is on the movies, TV, comics, music and others. That is our challenge,” she says.

Regarding Fantastic Literature, on which the activity is focused this year, Ximena Sobarzo says: “There is a direct relation among movies, literature and role-playing games, which are so widespread among youngsters. Therefore, focusing on this topic is a good way of promoting reading in our community, as this is our main challenge.” 

 

For more information, click on https://rutadellibro2015.wordpress.com/

• Universidad de Santiago will be part of the conference that will gather international renowned experts from NGOs, governments, academic institutions and business organizations. The main goal of the meeting is to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences that could become effective solutions to different issues which are relevant to Chile and the world.

More than a hundred participants- business owners, investors, researchers and different authorities- will meet on October 26^th, 27^th and 28^th at the Historical Building of Universitat de Barcelona, Spain, for the 10^th version of the Encuentros Conference. The annual meeting of this network gathers students, researchers and entrepreneurs from Chile or related to Chile, for scientific and professional collaboration.

During three days, the participants will meet with international renowned experts from NGOs, governments, academic institutions and business organizations to discuss different issues which are relevant to Chile. The core idea of this year is “Knowledge for social equity,” one of the main challenges in Chile and the world nowadays.

The main goal of the Encuentros Barcelona 2016 Conference is to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences that could become new projects and effective solutions to the social challenges shared by Chile, Catalonia, Spain and Europe in general. During the meeting, the participants will cover issues like education, sustainability, agriculture, economy, women and science, infrastructure and health.

The Encuentros network started in 2006, in Dresde, Germany. It was organized by a group of Chilean doctoral students. Up to now, the meeting has been held in Milan, Gottingen, Cambridge, Berkeley, Paris, Boston, Santiago and Rotterdam.

This is the first time that Universidad de Santiago will participate in the Encuentros Conference and it has organized a session called “The challenges of the new social market economy,” in which the participants will analyze and evaluate the economic policies implemented in Chile in the past 25 years, particularly those which have affected fundamental rights like education and health.

Dr Gabriel Palma, professor at the Faculty of Administration and Economics of Universidad de Santiago and professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Cambridge will be one of the speakers, and Jorge Friedman, the dean of the Faculty of Administration and Economics will be in charge of moderating the session.

Participants

The following experts will participate in the conference: Ei-ichi Negishi, chemist, recipient of the Chemistry Nobel Prize (2010); Gino Casassa, glaciologist, member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that was awarded the Peace Nobel Prize in 2007; Alain Touraine, sociologist. recipient of the Prince of Asturias Award (2010) and founder of the Centro de Análisis y de Intervención Sociológicos(CADIS); Cecilia Hidalgo, recipient of the Chilean National Science Award (2006), and Cristóbal Cobo, specialist in educational technologies and Director of the CEIBAL Foundation Study Center. Other lecturers will be Adriana Delpiano, Chilean Minister of Education; Claudia Serrano, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile at the OECD, and Christian Nicolai, Executive Director of CONICYT Chile.

Universidad de Santiago will provide scholarships to students who send their proposals. Those who are selected will have the possibility of presenting their works in Barcelona.

Links:

http://redencuentros.org/encuentros-barcelona-2016/

http://www.ub.edu/web/ub/es/menu_eines/noticies/2016/07/001.html

Translated by Marcela Contreras