How can we promote and enhance international cooperation between Chile and the U.S.? With that question as a prism, the Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Subra Suresh, toured main agencies and research centers in the country, visiting organizations where the NSF has worked for years, and others where there is real potential to generate new relations. The FCFM meets both conditions, and therefore, on his first visit to Chile chose to devote an afternoon to know the faculty.
After a lunch with the Dean Francisco Brieva, Surech and his entourage attended a presentation of the Center for Mathematical Modeling, where its Director, Alejandro Jofré presented outstanding CMM's projects, as well as national and international links, which is just one of the Suresh main interests, always searching for new ways to bolster or create links between research groups: “More and more teams are interacting with each other, from different areas and countries. That is the path science should take and I think it is achieving. Universities have a big responsibility to build and maintain these ties,” he said.
Hours before visiting the CMM, the NSF's Director and the Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Edward Seidel, had participated in a joint activity with the CMM, a breakfast organized by Fundación Chile, AURA and the Center for Mathematical Modeling. In the opportunity, Seidel underlined the importance of Chile take advantage of what the U.S. has invested in infrastructure, specifically in telescopes and seismographs. “NSF is putting nearly US $500 million, and they would like that Chile do the same for the environment of this investment to be conducive as possible, with good science and connectivity,” said Eduardo Vera, Executive Director of the National Laboratory of High Performance Computing (NLHPC) of CMM.
The visit of Dr. Suresh to the country began to develop from the realization of ActivaChile Conference 2011, organized by Fundación Chile and the NSF and had, among others, the support of CMM. “Since this activity took place, there was always the intention that he visits as, doing it so is a successful result of the conference in which we participate,” said Vera.
To close his visit, the NSF Director met with Sergio Barrientos, Director of the Seismological Service of the University of Chile, who introduced the laboratories. Since 2010, the organizations run by Barrientos and Surech began a collaboration that resulted in the installation of 10 instruments (“perhaps the most modern in the world” – says Barrientos) throughout Chile. “Today I understand earthquakes a bit better than yesterday,” said Dr. Surech laughing after knowing the instrumentation of this Service and testing the usefulness of the application he has in his iphone (compels his busy schedule to bring two), which simulates the work of a seismograph.
What is NSF?
The National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the United States with over 60 years, which aims to promote the development of science, health, prosperity and welfare. With an annual budget, of almost 7 billion dollars funds about 20% of basic research from U.S. universities.
Dr. Subra Suresh directs the agency since 2010 nominated by President Barack Obama. The visit Suresh performed between 8 and 13 of this month, is his first visit to the country, and the only place in the South American region: “It was very important for us to meet in person a country with whom we work for over 50 years subjects as diverse as astronomy, seismology and Antarctic research, among others, “he said during his visit.
