After ten editions held in the Metropolitan Region, the ProNano program begins a new stage. For the first time, this initiative of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, CEDENNA, will take place outside Santiago, bringing nanoscience and nanotechnology directly to the regions.
The first regional experience will take place on July 30 at the Universidad de Talca, where secondary school science teachers from Maule will take part in a free refresher and training session, including talks, laboratory tours and hands-on activities.
Since its beginnings, ProNano has brought together teachers from different parts of the country, who traveled to Santiago to take part in the sessions organized by CEDENNA. Today, the challenge is different: to take these experiences directly to the regions and strengthen the link between scientific research and regional educational communities.
“The idea is to decentralize this experience and bring nanoscience to the regions, allowing more teachers to access knowledge and tools that they can later pass on to their students,” explains Dr. Dora Altbir, 2019 National Prize for Exact Sciences winner and director of CEDENNA.
The initiative is especially relevant because nanotechnology is part of the content included in the secondary school science curriculum, which makes it necessary for teachers to have up-to-date tools and experiences to address these topics in the classroom.
The session, organized together with the Universidad de Talca and the Universidad Católica del Maule, will feature two National Prize for Exact Sciences winners: Dr. Dora Altbir and Dr. Miguel Kiwi. Also taking part will be Dr. Cristian Vilos, dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Talca, and Dr. Samuel Baltazar, CEDENNA researcher and science outreach specialist.
The program will begin at the Main Auditorium of the Faculty of Economics and Business on the Lircay Campus of the Universidad de Talca and includes, in addition to lectures, laboratory tours and a hands-on workshop specially designed for the attending teachers.
The experience in Maule marks the beginning of a territorial expansion strategy for ProNano, which already includes new editions in the Valparaíso and Antofagasta regions.
Registration is free and places are limited. Registration open until July 17, 2026.