Faculty of Sciences: Graduate students were welcomed with a talk about science in the era of fake news

On the occasion, the director highlighted that this academic unit currently has six master’s programs and four doctorates, nine of them certified by the National Accreditation Commission (CNA) and one is starting this process.

“We have a wide and varied offer, for example, there is the Master of Science in Microbiology which is historical, created in 1995 and which celebrates 28 years of existence. We also have programs in very conjunctural areas such as Master of Science mention in Water Resources, dedicated to addressing the dynamics of surface waters. Along the same lines and in the context of the climate crisis, we have the Master in Applied Ecologywhich allows us to acquire the tools to mitigate and manage the effects of this crisis and our resources in general”, indicated Dr. Pardo.

In the same way, he highlighted the master’s programs in Sciences mention Genetics and biochemistry biotechnologyboth focused on providing solutions to emerging problems, and the Master in Paleontologywhich is beginning a process of restructuring and expanding its faculty and lines of research.

“In the field of doctorates, our programs are in different stages. He PhD in Marine Biology It is also undergoing a restructuring process, in order to expand the study environments and open the spectrum to other aquatic sciences. For his part, he PhD in Ecology and Evolutionhe PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology They are mature programs that are characterized by excellence and by the stabilization of their income and expenses.”, highlighted the Director of the Graduate School.

On the other hand, the Graduate School of the Faculty of Sciences teaches the PhD in Earth System Sciencesrecently opened and that this year has its first cohort made up of four students, who have received scholarships, in a show of support for the development of this program.

“Finally, as a milestone, this Graduate School and Faculty of Sciences had not had active graduates until now; today we have the Diploma in Characterization and Management of Wetlands and Diploma in Innovation and Management in the Teaching of Chemical and Biological Sciences. Both are realized thanks to the strategic association with the UACh Continuing Education Center“added Luis Miguel Pardo.

It is worth mentioning that this activity was also attended by the academic and student community of the Graduate School, as well as authorities from the Faculty of Sciences and the UACh.

opening talk

Pascale Fuentes, journalist and content editor at TVN, was in charge of the central talk «The role of scientific dissemination in the era of fake news». In his presentation, he reflected on the phenomenon of fake news from various perspectives, commenting on its impact, scope and the elements that make it up, including confirmation and information bias.

In this line and by way of example, the journalist recalled the episodes of the 2016 elections in the United States and the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House, as well as when the South African President Thabo Mbeki affirmed in 2000 that AIDS did not cause it a virus, among others.

In the same way, he emphasized that science plays a preponderant role in a context of numerous false and misleading information that responds to special interests, and it is necessary to know its limits in order to face the problem.

“Scientists should not see themselves as specialists, but as citizens aware that the values ​​that underpin their profession, namely respect for truth, the value of exchange, the need to doubt and challenge, must be shared with all. the citizens. This is key to winning your power struggle in its different forms.”, commented the editor during her presentation.

Finally, regarding the importance of facing this threat, Fuentes indicated that it is a challenge to be addressed jointly between communication and science. “Joint efforts to combat fake news they must multiply. It will be a daunting task, but at least we have already identified the common enemy. It is very valuable to have these spaces to discuss and think. And if the University and access to knowledge is not about this, what then?”.

Pascale Fuentes has 17 years of experience in television. She has been editor of “True Lies”, “True Culture”, “El informante” and “Estado Nacional”, and host of segments and programs such as “Cazadores de fakes”, “El especialista responde”, “Lo que se sabe”, «24 Afternoon» and «Avances 24: Expedición Antártica», among others.

The welcome to new and new students of the Graduate School of the Faculty of Sciences concluded with the presentation of the rock bands Perros Diablos and La Multa, both made up of members of the academic and student community.