(UIS), Professor Hernán Porras Díaz, three new school directors were officially sworn in, who will be responsible for leading the academic, research and social projection processes in strategic areas for institutional development.
The new directors who take office are:
– Professor Björn Reu, appointed as the new director of the School of Biology.
– Professor Luis Miguel Sosa, who will assume the direction of the School of Medicine.
– Professor Ronald Eduardo Paternina Salguedo, who will head the School of Mathematics.
During his speech, Rector Porras Diaz highlighted the fundamental role played by the Schools as academic nuclei responsible for guaranteeing the quality of professional training, the generation of knowledge through research and the link with society through university extension. In this sense, he emphasized that the directors, as leaders of these processes, have a decisive role in institutional strengthening.
For Luis Miguel Sosa Avila, director of the School of Medicine “we are taking on the internal challenge of strengthening the school, taking into account the processes we are experiencing with the pandemic and post-pandemic, as well as the construction of the new headquarters of the Faculty of Health, so it is necessary to re-unify a whole program and dynamism within the school”. He also assured that “it is important to continue guaranteeing that the school has visibility, that it has a process of internationalization and that there is a process of articulation with society and with the different actors where we can have an impact from the academy and from research”.
For his part, Professor Björn Reu expressed that “it is an interesting challenge because we are undergoing major changes, such as accreditation and the expansion of coverage; likewise, the mission of strengthening ourselves as a school both inside and outside”. He emphasized the importance of generating ties with society through spaces such as the recently inaugurated Museum of Natural History.
“It is an important task because the School of Mathematics has four programs, all of which are in the process of reform and expansion of programs, which is a great challenge and a work with great challenges,” said Ronald Eduardo Paternina, director of the School of Mathematics.
Academic Profiles
Professor Björn Reu is a biologist and researcher with a distinguished career in tropical ecology and biodiversity analysis. He did his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. D. in Natural Sciences at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry and at the University of Bonn (Germany). He will lead the School of Biology, an academic space that trains professionals committed to environmental conservation, scientific research and ecosystem sustainability.
Luis Miguel Sosa, M.D., is a pediatric specialist with studies in infectious diseases, master in HIV infection and specialist in university teaching. He is linked to the Department of Pediatrics of the School of Medicine since August 2005 to support undergraduate and graduate academic activities related to pediatric infectology, and assumes the direction of the School of Medicine, a unit that has historically contributed to the training of highly trained health professionals, as well as the development of research and innovation projects in the biomedical area.
Ronald Eduardo Paternina Salguedo, Ph.D., is a professor and outstanding member of the School of Mathematics at the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS). His academic background includes a PhD in Science obtained at the University of Sao Paulo in 2011, a Master’s degree in Mathematics obtained at IMPA-Rio de Janeiro in 2005, and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics obtained at the University of Cartagena in 2002. Professor Paternina Salguedo specializes in the field of mathematical analysis and will be responsible for leading the School of Mathematics, in charge of promoting logical and analytical thinking and the development of fundamental scientific knowledge.
Institutional projection and commitment
The appointment of these new directors responds to the ongoing commitment of the Universidad Industrial de Santander to strengthen its management team, ensuring the renewal of leadership that will allow progress in the consolidation of the UIS Institutional Project 2030, guided by principles of academic excellence, social responsibility, internationalization and sustainability.
The university community welcomes the new directors with enthusiasm and augurs a fruitful management at the service of the integral formation of students, the development of science and innovation, and the active contribution to the welfare of Colombian society.
