News
US students know the Second Region through the Atacama Immersion Chile Program
01-04-2019
During a month five American students lived a unique experience through the Atacama Immersion Chile Program (AIChile) of our University, in this opportunity they studied different modules to learn about the Antofagasta region from different areas.
In the first week the students of Mechanical Engineering and one of Civil Engineering of Texas Tech University (TTU) attended mining economy classes. This training module allowed them to generate an idea about the political, economic and social context in the Antofagasta region; know its dynamics and linkage around its main productive activity, such as mining, and thus measure the importance of the red metal industry for the country's economy.
The course ended with a guided tour to the former Salitrera Chacabuco Office, where they were able to place in context the nuances of Chile's economic history, during the nitrate cycle and the importance of this town during the 20th century.
In addition, the four-week internship allowed them to have an astronomy module with the purpose of knowing the basic principles of this discipline, and later to make observations in site, "La Mano del Desierto" with UCN professors, who explained to them about the astronomical cluster that is being developed in the region and the relevance it has for the area.
Volcanic geology was also one of the subjects that TTU students learnt. They made a field trip to "La Portada", where they learnt about the formation of this natural monument, then they traveled to Lascar Volcano, along with Professor Felipe Aguilera and his research team. In the opportunity, the students also visited San Pedro de Atacama and "Valle de La Luna", accompanied by a specialist guide.
During their last week in Chile, students learned about the Engie Thermoelectric Plant in Tocopilla, with the objective of learning about the process and the facilities used to generate electricity in the area, and appreciate the importance of having one of the Largest power plants in the northern macro area.
Finally, before returning to the United States, the students traveled to Santiago where they visited the Palacio de La Moneda, and then they met Viña Santa Rita.
The AIChile Program, which has the support of the UCN International Affairs Office, represents an important social component in the University; since the profits of the program are invested in mobility scholarships for UCN students.