Camilo Araya Bernales

Protecting Chilean Salmon: Usach Leads Key Research Against Viral Threats

A severe ISAV outbreak plunged the Chilean salmon industry into crisis in 2007. With mortality rates up to 90% across hundreds of farms, 60% of operations halted production. This led to widespread layoffs and losses, directly and indirectly affecting more than 100,000 people.

Facing Climate Change: New Tool to Bolster National Electricity System

Climate change and public policies to reduce carbon emissions are rapidly transforming Chile’s electricity system. This challenging shift involves a gradual move away from fossil fuel technologies like coal, diesel, and natural gas power plants, towards renewable sources such as wind and solar power.

Unlike conventional power plants, which operators could dispatch based on demand, these new renewable sources depend directly on climatic factors like solar radiation and wind intensity. This introduces a new level of variability and uncertainty into the electricity grid.

Usach Approves Regulations on Open Access and Research Data Management

The University of Santiago, Chile, has officially approved its new Open Access and Research Data Management Regulations via Exempt Resolution No. 1661. This instrument sets forth specific guidelines to make institutionally-generated knowledge, financed by public funds, open, accessible, and reusable by society.

Chilean wine industry: researcher bets on more efficient yeasts to combat climate change

The wine industry is currently facing a silent but constant challenge: climate change, which has altered the way wine is produced, as grapes exposed to higher temperatures ripen faster and concentrate more sugar than normal, resulting in high alcohol levels.

New Study: Understanding the Invisible Rules of Matter and the Universe

For over a century, physics studies have sought to decode the fundamental laws governing the universe, from subatomic particles to the vast structures of space-time. Central to this effort is quantum mechanics, which reveals that matter follows non-intuitive rules determining physical phenomena.

Modernizing the Electrical System: Research Explores Autonomy and Local Generation

Historically, Chile’s electrical system has depended on large, distant power plants that transmit energy across long lines to urban consumers. This model, however, is now under considerable strain. The increasing adoption of renewable energies, residential solar panels, domestic batteries, and electric vehicles highlights the urgent need for modernization.

Green Chemistry for Clean Water: Biosorbents to Detect Agricultural Pesticides

In Chile, various bodies of water, such as the Mapocho River, receive agricultural and industrial waste, including organochlorine pesticides, chemical compounds used for pest control but which accumulate in the environment and affect health and biodiversity.

Clean Energy from Waste: Producing Hydrogen and Green Methane from Algae and Manure

For years, green hydrogen has emerged as a leading contender for driving the global energy transition. Its ability to generate clean energy without emitting pollutants has ignited worldwide interest in decarbonizing production and energy sectors. In this context, Chile has become an international leader in developing this technology, leveraging its abundant solar and wind resources and a strong national commitment to clean energy production.

Neuro-Inspired AI: The Path to Sustainable Intelligence

Today's AI advancements, from ChatGPT to facial recognition, rely on massive, energy-intensive data centers that process millions of calculations per second. This model, however, incurs high costs and significant environmental impact, while the ability to further increase AI's processing power is starting to stagnate.

Investigating the Seismic Resistance of Chilean Pine Wood for High-Rise Construction

Cross-laminated timber (CLT), often referred to as “superwood,” is at the forefront of a new construction trend. In recent years, countries such as the United States, Canada, and several European nations have begun promoting its use in high-rise buildings. This system’s exceptional strength and stability come from its manufacturing process, which involves joining layers of wood at cross angles.