ALMA and the Universidad Técnica Fedrico Santa Maria

Sergio Cabezon

ALMA and the Universidad Técnica Fedrico Santa Maria

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If one examines the statistics of local personnel hired by AUI/NRAO for the ALMA project in Chile, one is quickly struck by the fact that nearly a quarter of the engineers and fully half of all ALMA technicians had their professional degrees conferred by the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria (UTFSM) in Valparaiso, Chile.

The visionary businessman Federico Santa Maria, who wanted to transform how science and technology were taught in Chile, founded this excellent University in 1931.

On 27 June 2008, Eduardo Hardy, the AUI-NRAO representative in Chile and Assistant Director for Chilean Affairs was invited by the Centre of Innovation and Technology Transfer of the UTFSM to give a presentation on ALMA to students and faculty.

The purpose of this presentation was to detail the numerous scientific, professional, and technical opportunities offered by ALMA, and also to foster the interest of the University in developing astrophysics as a career.

Among the attendants was the University president as well as the Deans of academic departments, professors and students from the Engineering and Physics schools of this University. A collaborative agreement between NRAO and the UTFSM is now under development.