News
Successful second robotics event in Iquique
The second Vilti Semann 2023 Robotics conference was an educational and technological display consisting of 21 stands organized by the Vilti Semann program from Universidad Católica del Norte, which has been financed by SQM since its inception. The event brought together more than 100 children and teens from the towns of Alto Hospicio, La Huayca, La Tirana, Pozo Almonte, Iquique, María Elena, Tocopilla and Antofagasta in Iquique's Plaza Prat.
For the program director, Olga Hernández, this has been a great opportunity to show the fruits of program and how children develop scientific thinking through robotics. “We are very satisfied with the turnout, with the work that was displayed at this Robotics Conference and also we are very grateful to the families of the students working with us in the program, who joined us from Tocopilla, María Elena, La Huayca and La Tirana, in addition to guests we had from Iquique, Alto Hospicio and Pozo Almonte.”
Carolina Guzmán, Head of Community Relations for SQM Tarapacá, said that this activity left them very satisfied and with great expectations for the future. “We are very pleased with the success of this event, which has brought together children, not only from La Huayca, La Tirana, Pozo Almonte, but also from Alto Hospicio and Iquique. They are working on these issues of robotics and innovation that are so relevant for our upcoming challenges.”
According to Mario Nava, a science teacher from the Iquique Polytechnic High School, this was a great opportunity to learn about the program: “I was not familiar with Vilti Semann, and although it is the first time they have come here, this is very useful because the children are quite excited, as they are thinking about continuing and seeing what can be done later.” Likewise, for teacher Gabriel Velázquez of Juan Pablo Segundo Bicentennial High School in Alto Hospicio, “sharing robotics and technology, as well as some other scientific aspects that I have seen in several projects, with the rest of the community and connecting the little ones with the world of technology is a great way to use these educational tools in today’s world.”
In the same vein, Joshua Chavez, a student from the Centenialls Group in Tocopilla commented, “I found it interesting, as people came with several things. For example, they came with different robots that we’d never seen and that impressed me as well.” The same opinion was expressed by Madeleine Garay, a student at Casa del Sol School in La Huayca, “Our expectation is to always do our best and move forward, and to gain more knowledge of many things.”
At the event, the participants took part in a surprise test, with the winning teams being awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to Antofagasta to take part in the 3rd Vilti Olympics scheduled for November 17 of this year on the esplanade of the Huanchaca Ruins. The winning teams were from Obispo Labbé Diocesan School of Iquique and Casa del Sol de la Huayca School, from the Tarapacá Region.