With the presence of local authorities, universities, students and visitors from the Valparaíso Region, the exhibition “Ice Witnesses” was inaugurated in the Valparaíso Cultural Park, a project financed by the Public Science Contest of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation .
Valeska Muñoz, Journalist.- After a long period of preparation and assembly, the installation finally opened its doors to the public «Ice Witnesses» a scientific dissemination project located in the PValparaiso Cultural Arch that offers the visitor an immersive learning experience around glaciology and climate change, with an emphasis on the Valparaíso region. The initiative was awarded by the Andrés Bello University (UNAB) in 2022, within the framework of the Public Science program and will be open free of charge until the beginning of July.
The installation takes place around ice cores, which are cylindrical ice cores which are extracted by drilling deep into a glacier. This piece makes it possible to study the characteristics of the ice accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, covering different climatic cycles. Thus, the deepest levels keep records of remote events, while the most superficial sections speak of more recent phenomena.
In the launching ceremony of this project, which took place on Wednesday, May 3, participated the Seremi of the central macrozone of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Dr. Jorge Sotowho valued the “Public Science” initiative as an important instrument to bring scientific knowledge closer to society, one of the main focuses of the portfolio he represents.
For his part, the vice-rector of UNAB’s Viña del Mar Campus, Gerald Pughaddressed the outstanding contribution of the house of studies in disciplines such as glaciology, where it has prominent researchers at the headquarters, who participated in the development of the sample, and stressed that “this is the first Public Science project that we have been awarded in this category, which is also an important achievement.”
Likewise, he highlighted the importance of addressing this issue in the Valparaíso Region: «We are in an area that is being greatly affected by climate change, our region is especially sensitive to water scarcity and other problems that make this call for attention necessary the risks and how to manage an issue as complex as change”.
multidisciplinary initiative
The initiative arises from a multidisciplinary collaboration between Creative Campus, the Vice-Rector for Research and Doctorate and the Faculty of Engineering from Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB), responding to the need to transfer environmental concern to citizens, stimulating their sensitivity and interest in glaciology and its scientific practice, as a relevant field for understanding the effects of climate change on the Valparaíso region and in Chile.
In this sense, the words of the General Director of Research UNAB, Dr. María Francisca Blancoaimed to emphasize the relevance of collaboration between faculties and disciplines, this project being a great example of success.
For her part, the director of the project and coordinator of Communications of the UNAB Vice-Rector for Research and Doctorate, Victoria Martínez, maintained that the opening of this exhibition to the public is tremendously special for those behind this work: «There is a whole team of people, from different areas, who have put their dedication, commitment and effort into this project that is so relevant to this region. , because it alludes to a vital and at the same time scarce resource. We are sure that this installation will be a contribution to the community and we hope that it will invite people to reflect on the importance of knowledge in our daily lives and our environment. That is the bet of this project”.
At the end of the event, the glaciologist, researcher and director of the UNAB Isotopic Analysis Laboratory, Dr. Francisco Fernandoy, who was in charge of the contents of «Ice Witnesses» and who transmitted to the attendees the important role of glaciology in our society. “This innovative proposal arises from a multidisciplinary team of scientists, artists, architects and communicators, who came together to generate an immersive learning experience, based on sensory stimuli and information delivered in a creative and didactic way,” he explained.
For his part, the director of the ServCrea of Creative Campus and general coordinator of this project, Francisco García, delved into the design and visual commitment of the installation, describing how this initiative was born from collaboration and multidisciplinary. After the ceremony, a tour of the sample took place with the participation of all attendees.
The “Ice Witnesses” project had the support of the following collaborating institutions: Valparaíso Cultural Park, Tecnofast and the Valparaíso Natural History Museum. It should be noted that the exhibition will be part of the Artistic Education Week (SEA) that will take place between May 15 and 19. It is an international celebration, promoted by UNESCO, which seeks to sensitize the international community about the importance of artistic education, and at the same time, promote cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and social cohesion.
On the other hand, another activity associated with the exhibition will be the V Congress of the Chilean Society of the Cryosphereorganized by the Chilean Society of the Cryosphere (SOCHICRI), in conjunction with the Andrés Bello University and the Playa Ancha University.
