Back on the ball after a substantial misadventure, Colombia's "second city," Medellin, offered multiple opportunities to further fortify this project.
It began with a chat with pregrad and postgrad physics and engineering students at the Medellin branch of Colombia's National University (UNC-M). This informal gathering, in addition to subsequent meetings I had over the next two weeks at UNC-M, was set up and attended by a new friend, Jorge Yukio, who also helped connect me with students at other Universities, and with some formal Spanish translating.
UNC-M is part of an eight-campus public National University system centralized in Bogota. While overall considered to have a wealth of resources, there appears to be a substantial disconnect between Bogota and its satellite campuses when it comes to collaboration and resource allocation.
The students explained their interests and limitations to me, echoing many things I'd heard previously, but with an added hint of frustration. This frustration I think stems from their belief that there is no reasonable excuse for many of the problems (student displeasure and activism is outwardly present at Colombia's public Universities, and they go on strike with alarming frequency).
At UNC-M, almost all research and course-work in science is focused upon direct application, so those hoping to work in the pure sciences are forced to look elsewhere. Applied science research is also limited due to lacking collaboration and resources. The University and the government funding organization, ColCiencias, are typically uninterested in supporting initiatives without immediate application, and even then are slow to act. This theme would repeat itself at other Universities.
There is an established masters program in physics at UNC-M, with strong core courses (statistics, electromagnetism, mechanics and quantum mechanics), but specialization after the core is extremely limited. I met only one masters student that focused on theory, working in conjunction with the one-and-only theoretical physics faculty member.
The students, overall, grudgingly accept the fact that they either have to go into industry or study at foreign Universities. Some accept the possibility of staying and doing research at UNC-M, but none enthusiastically.
Over the next couple of weeks, meetings with some administrators, professors and developers, made me think that the obstacles presented by the students need not be permanent.
There was a meeting with Dr. Ramon Castaneda, the former head of physics investigation, and current wealth of knowledge as to how research is done and funded at UNC-M. He presented UNC-M's lack of basic science research as a choice rather than a limitation. He said that because the nearby University of Antioqua focused so much on theory, UNC-M, instead of competing, focused on application. Professor Castaneda also emphasized the historic precedence that the physics department itself originated as a branch of the engineering department, so naturally applied physics became the focus.
He was supportive to the idea of better connecting UNC-M and U of Antioqua, providing more opportunities for students with a wide spectrum of interests, and helping fortify each others' weaknesses with the others' strengths. This general idea was also talked about for the National University system as a whole.
Professor Castaneda provided me with some contacts, and a meeting was set up with the director of virtual instruction, Professor Diego Aristizabal.
While all forms of virtual interactive learning are in very early stages within the UNC system, the mentality encountered between Professor Aristizabal and his two young partners in development, Alejandro Piedrahita and Tatiana Munoz, was inspiring. Utilizing UNC-M's already established "Moodle" platform (online course platform, similar to those encountered at US institutions), they want to implement newer technology that extends the classroom environment to less accessible areas, via internet.
They're looking to do many of the same things I am, though themselves focused upon more basic learning for University students in all subjects throughout Colombia (as opposed to more high-level science instruction and research collaboration). Some of the tools that they're trying to implement made me think some of the things I've been envisioning are even more accessible than I'd imagined.
Their goal suffers from such irritating limitations as lack of band-width and allocation by the University, and the inevitable backlash they'll experience from "seasoned" professors unlikely to accept anything that seems to tinker with their already established curriculum's. These three know, however, that the technology is there to make big changes, and were very excited with some of my ideas and the prospect of doing more with it in the near future.
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