The University of Antioqua (UdeA) is one of the top research institutions in Colombia, and a crucial potential partner in the development and implementation of this project. Its importance demanded several days of learning, talking and making contacts.
As mentioned in my UNC-M post, UdeA has a lot of research going on in the theoretical realm. Some of this research extends beyond the reading of journals or manipulating open-source data to come up with new ideas. Many researchers at UdeA use local resources and external collaborations to publish internationally recognized work.
Professors Carlos Duque of the Solid State research group, and Professor Diego Restrepo of the High Energy/Particle Physics research group, helped guide me through the well-advanced techniques of their respective groups.
Professor Duque has collaborations with professors in several countries (though principally in Brazil, Mexico and Cuba), utilizes both pregrad and postgrad students in research activities, and his sub-group (primarily focused on semi-conductors) has around 140 international publications within the past 10 years.
Professor Restrepo utilizes contacts throughout Colombia, foreign institutions, students, and modern technological resources, to publish high-level ideas and results. Professor Restrepo showed me some open-source platforms and software that he uses, like MathJax and GitHub, that have obvious direct application to this project.
Research at UdeA is not without it's severe limitations, however. Funding for research is better at UdeA, as it relies not only on ColCiencias, UdeA itself, and foreign collaborators, but money from the state of Antioqua as well, but is still lacking in several key areas. Scholarships for postgrads, money for visiting conferences, and tangible resources like computer clusters and some basic experimental potential for testing local ideas, are still essentially nonexistent. There is also a somewhat troubling system in place for paying salaries directly based upon number of publications (almost regardless of what the research or results are..."publish or perish" is certainly an issue everywhere, but this policy implies innately lower standards) that arguably helps breed less respectable research (this is speculation, but maybe this is one of many reasons why Professors at UdeA have trouble forming lasting collaborations with "first-world" institutions; the majority of collaborating foreign institutions are either in Latin America, the former Soviet Bloc, or the Middle East). In addition, many professors lack the ability to get recently published international articles in a timely fashion, as the University has not paid for access to many of the reviews. Professors either have to pay out-of-pocket or email the authors in hopes of a prompt response with the full-text article.
Professors Pablo Cuartas and Jorge Zuluaga, both of whom work in AstroPhysics theory, helped articulate some of the limitations that the less-fortified research groups at UdeA suffer from, and offered some directly applicable ideas for my proposed platform. Professor Zuluaga, for example, stressed the need for software centralization, in addition to idea and data sharing that I'd been focusing on. What this means is that with a centralized investigation platform, not only would researchers make research topics and certain results more accessible, but the tools for getting those results as well. With a centralization of the software and access to resources capable of handling them (again, computer clusters), researchers from established research institutions that lack access to these costly resources could send their "job" into this centralized interface and get it processed more efficiently. This idea opens possibilities that I previously hadn't considered.
There were also many informal chats with a large number of students, pregrad and postgrad, extending from physics to math and chemistry. The interest shown by the students, along with the one-on-one talks with professors, and a meeting with the physics faculty director Professor Johans Restrepo (this one was more like a job interview; it reminded me why I'm out of the standard job market and formal academia for the time being!), coagulated into the scheduling of an official "seminar."
This was a good chance to get more serious and organized about exactly what it is that I'm trying to accomplish here, and to speak in a more formal way (in Spanish) in front of an audience of potential collaborators.
It wasn't exactly a sold-out crowd, but nonetheless was fantastic practice as to how to best present this concept. The response was positive, and when I returned two days later, word of my mission had spread, and there were numerous people who wanted to talk about the project and find out how to get involved.
Overall, UdeA impressed and encouraged me, and was a big step on this steep climb.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana
Visiting UPB was an opportunity to see how private Universities function in Colombia, and to expand my horizons beyond pure science research.
Research at UPB is almost exclusively focused on Engineering, and heavily relies upon ColCiencias and foreign institutions for funding. Large projects are in the works, however, and the utilization of technology for higher learning is actively being considered.
I met with Emiro and Andres Diez, a father/son team within the Electrical Engineering department. Through them, I was introduced to the director of the Electrical Engineering department, the head of technological development for the entire University, various researchers and developers within the school of Engineering, and with the director of the Engineering school himself.
Andres took me around to see labs and equipment, and an impressive electrical trolley project he works on, which utilizes French funds and Belarusian vehicles. The hope is that in the coming years, this energy efficient initiative will have a strong-hold in Medellin and Bogota.
There was a lot of interest in what I was doing, and I felt a little overwhelmed by how applicable all I've been working on is to these branches of research as well. They suffer from many of the same limitations I'd become familiar with, but already have structures in place for better sharing experimental resources. Utilizing technology to make resource-sharing more efficient, and to better prepare prospective researchers, could be a huge step for engineering Universities. It will be interesting to explore the best ways to extend and connect pure science research and upper-level classwork to more applied, experimentally oriented research and instruction.
Research at UPB is almost exclusively focused on Engineering, and heavily relies upon ColCiencias and foreign institutions for funding. Large projects are in the works, however, and the utilization of technology for higher learning is actively being considered.
I met with Emiro and Andres Diez, a father/son team within the Electrical Engineering department. Through them, I was introduced to the director of the Electrical Engineering department, the head of technological development for the entire University, various researchers and developers within the school of Engineering, and with the director of the Engineering school himself.
Andres took me around to see labs and equipment, and an impressive electrical trolley project he works on, which utilizes French funds and Belarusian vehicles. The hope is that in the coming years, this energy efficient initiative will have a strong-hold in Medellin and Bogota.
There was a lot of interest in what I was doing, and I felt a little overwhelmed by how applicable all I've been working on is to these branches of research as well. They suffer from many of the same limitations I'd become familiar with, but already have structures in place for better sharing experimental resources. Utilizing technology to make resource-sharing more efficient, and to better prepare prospective researchers, could be a huge step for engineering Universities. It will be interesting to explore the best ways to extend and connect pure science research and upper-level classwork to more applied, experimentally oriented research and instruction.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Medellin
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.
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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