As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, Universidad de Tarapacá awarded an Honorary Doctorate to CEDENNA’s director, Dr. Dora Altbir Drullinsky, “in recognition of her valuable contribution to national and international scientific research in the field of Nanoscience.”
The ceremony took place at the main campus in the presence of the members of the Board of Directors and faculty of the university. It was led by Emilio Rodríguez Ponce, rector of UTA, and was also attended by the rector of Universidad Católica del Norte, Rodrigo Alda Varas.
In his presentation, Rector Rodríguez recalled that Dr. Altbir completed her primary and secondary education in Arica and then outlined her academic career up to receiving the National Prize in Exact Sciences in 2019. “We are in the presence of one of the most relevant scientists in the country, but also a very committed and dedicated person, who contributes to the development of science as well as to optimizing the contribution of these disciplines to the country, seeking greater development and improving people’s lives,” he said.
He also listed her participation in additional roles, such as chairing Fondecyt’s Higher Science Council, the National Accreditation Commission for Higher Education (CNA), the Institute of Physical Sciences and Astronomy, and the National Academy of Sciences, “activities that go beyond her work as a scientific researcher and academic and demonstrate her generosity towards the country.”
“It is a privilege for us to award her our university’s highest distinction,” Rector Rodríguez concluded, then presenting CEDENNA’s director with the diploma, sash and medal certifying this distinction.
Better education and support for scientific development
In her speech, Dr. Altbir accepted the honor on behalf of everyone who does research in Chile and stressed that “science is not only a great cultural adventure that allows us to understand the universe: it also gives us practical results that transform the world, creating and adapting new technologies. (…) Science allowed many countries to become developed, educated and self-sufficient nations. And that is what Chilean scientists want to happen in our country. We want to be a thinking society in order to be masters of our destiny,” said the director and academic at the Department of Physics of Universidad de Santiago.
She also highlighted the role of state universities: “academics come to the University to teach, but also to develop new knowledge, contribute to building a better and more equitable society, but above all to train people who will transform our country. Issues such as the relevance and impact of our activities, and many others, must be in our DNA, with seriousness and responsibility, excellence and humility. Only then can we open the best opportunities to our students and make them better professionals for today’s Chile and world.”
Finally, she called for improving the institutional framework for scientific development: “as humanity, we face enormous global challenges: water scarcity, growing energy needs, scarcer natural resources, and now COVID. To solve them we will have to work in a multidisciplinary way, physics, biology, engineering and medicine together, to approach problems differently from how we have until today. The social sciences are also increasingly relevant, as we have to understand how new technologies will impact our lives. We are facing a period of great change, not only in nature but also in the way we will live and the kind of jobs we will have in the future. Only by working with all disciplines together can we aspire to many more years of humanity,” she concluded.
