More than 100 students from educational establishments in the Valparaíso region participated in the activity organized by the Program for Accompaniment and Effective Access to Higher Education (PACE-USM), which included the development of experiments and the presentation of engineering and research projects applied currently running.
A high call had the vocational exploration day organized by the Program of Accompaniment and Effective Access to Higher Education (PACE), of the Federico Santa María Technical University, held last Monday with third and fourth grade students from the Valparaíso region , and in which the CCTVal had an important participation.
Through talks and exhibitions, students from the schools Rebeca Fernández de Viña del Mar, Liceo de Limache, Liceo Artístico Guillermo Gronemeyer de Quilpué, Liceo de Gastronomia y Turismo de Quilpué, Liceo Matilde Brandau de Ross de Valparaíso and Liceo Parroquial Teresita de los Andes, were able to learn about specific scientific-technological initiatives as a form of support for their transition process to academic life.
For Diego González, in charge of the Preparation Component in Secondary Education of the PACE program, this type of meeting allows young people to “immerse themselves in Sansana culture”, adding that it is “valuable to provide a concrete perspective to students who may have concerns on higher education, specifically on careers related to science and engineering”.
The activities
The day began with a tour of the USM’s Central House Campus, led by the Admissions Department, and continued with the presentation of scientific experiments led by the CCTVal outreach programme, Physics in Action.
Using equipment such as the Thomson coil and the Tesla coil, the students were able to understand content related to electrical forces and electromagnetic phenomena in a didactic and participatory way.
Alfredo Navarro, academic coordinator of Physics in Action, assured that he was satisfied with the collaborative attitude of the students, valuing that the program facilitates “an experimental approach that helps to arouse curiosity, motivation and creativity from a scientific point of view. The fundamental objective of the presentation is that and it was completely covered. In addition, it allows an approach to the laboratory in a playful way and provides content from the school curriculum, also contributing to their learning process”.
Edu González, a fourth-year student at the Matilde Brandau High School in Ross, was one of the participants in this activity. “The talks were good because I was able to learn about energy, metals and engineering. The exhibitors teach and explain clearly, which is good because I think I am interested in studying something related to electricity”, commented the student.
For Estefany Araya, teacher at the same establishment, shared her satisfaction when pointing out that the workshops are “playful and entertaining, since they allow students to know what is coming to them”, assuring that it is a “good alternative approach, which it motivates them for their next steps.”
To conclude, the CCTVal engineer, Jairo González, spoke about the main lines of research and development areas of the Center, emphasizing the execution of innovation projects as a specific alternative for university and professional development. “Delivering information about what we do, what job opportunities exist and, above all, showing that science and technology are done in Chile, and specifically in Valparaíso, is extremely valuable,” said the engineer.
It is important to highlight that the PACE USM program has existed since 2014 and its objective is to allow access to Higher Education for outstanding high school students from vulnerable contexts, by carrying out preparation and permanent support actions, and ensuring quotas. of admission by the 29 Higher Education Institutions that participate in the program.
