In April 2018, a delegation from Notre Dame visited with colleagues from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Católica) in Santiago, Chile. The trip was led by Mary Galvin, William K. Warren Family Foundation Dean of the College of Science; and Peter Kilpatrick, Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of the College of Engineering, and included faculty and advisory council members. Galvin and Kilpatrick sought to engage in dialogue with peers, exchange ideas, and create pathways for collaboration between scientists and researchers at both institutions.
The group from Notre Dame was hosted by Juan Carlos de la Llera, the dean of Engineering at Católica, and met with a number of other leaders from the University, including: Academic Vice Chancellor; Vice Chancellor for Research; Deans of the Colleges of Biology, Math, Chemistry, Physics; and Directors of the Institutes of Math and Computational Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. The Católica leaders also hosted the Notre Dame contingent for a dinner at the Teaching Observatory of Santa Martina where they were welcomed by Ignacio Sánchez, the rector of Católica. Attendees participated in a night tour of the observatory, where they could observe celestial bodies through one of the telescopes on-site.
During the event, the Rector Sánchez thanked the representatives from Notre Dame for their presence. “Our relationship spans more than ten years and this is an opportunity to continue strengthening two cores of our strategic plan, interdisciplinary research and internationalization.”
Dean de la Llera added, “in these years of collaboration, this has been an extremely beneficial relationship, especially in the development of initiatives in the area of science and
technology.”
Students, both undergraduate and graduate, benefit from the Notre Dame-Católica relationship, with the two universities working together to exchange students. This exchange of students and ideas, along with collaborative work of the professors, aid both institutions in achieving research excellence.
In addition to Galvin and Kilpatrick, representatives from the University of Notre Dame included Associate Dean of Science Malgorzata Dobrowolska, Associate Dean of Science Michael Hildreth, members of the Science Advisory Council Brad Beutter, James Creighton, Deborah Frogameni, Thomas Hendrick, Tanya Kne, Robert Lee, Rebecca Marton, Barbara O’Connor, and Eleanor Walker, and Engineering Council member John Francis Gaither.
The trip was arranged by Allison Slabaugh and Eugenio Acosta, Academic Advancement Directors for the Colleges of Science and Engineering, respectively, with support from Esteban Montes and Felipe Gomez, representatives from Notre Dame International’s Global Center in Santiago. The Global Centers offer more cultural exchange opportunities and focused academic programs. Notre Dame International’s global network includes six Global Centers in Santiago, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Mumbai, São Paulo, and Kylemore Abbey (western Ireland); and five Global Gateways in Beijing, Dublin, Jerusalem, London, and Rome.
Originally published by at science.nd.edu on June 15, 2018.