With the goal of strengthening higher education in the regions through collaborative work, researchers, professors, and representatives from institutions across the country are participating in the National Meeting “Academic Communities that Transform Territories”, focused on the areas of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Statistics.
The event, held on October 27 and 28 at the Bombardino Auditorium of the GHL Hotel in Montería, is led by the Ministry of National Education, the Industrial University of Santander (UIS), and the University of Córdoba. Over two days, participants share experiences, reflections, and proposals to build strong academic communities that promote a scientific education with territorial relevance and social impact.
Representing the UIS are Professor Alexandra Cortés Aguilar, Director of Planning and leader of the Academic Communities that Transform Territories project; Professor Sandra Judith García Vergara, Dean of the Faculty of Physicochemical Engineering; and Professor José David Sanabria Gómez, expert advisor for the area of knowledge and full professor at the School of Physics.
During the opening session, Professor Sanabria invited participants to rethink the teaching of sciences in today’s context:
“Today, after a pandemic and with artificial intelligence breathing down our necks, we must ask ourselves how we want education to reach the most remote areas. The offer of higher education in natural sciences is concentrated in just a few cities; that’s a responsibility we must take on as a community.”
The meeting includes lectures, idea labs, co-creation workshops, and dialogue spaces addressing the challenges of curricular relevance, educational inclusion, and the territorialization of scientific knowledge.
Professor Sanabria also emphasized the role of academia in the collective construction of the country: “Building community is never easy, but if we look at Colombia’s intellectual elite, we’re right there. Who else could take on this responsibility if not those of us who believe in the power of science, education, and collaboration?” The event will conclude with the reading of the Declaration of the Academic Community in Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Statistics, a document that will consolidate the main agreements and guidelines for a more inclusive, collaborative, and territorially connected higher education.
