More than 30 researchers from UNR will participate in the meeting that will take place in San Miguel de Tucumán in the first week of November.

The rector of the Universidad Nacional de RosarioFranco Bartolacci met with the 31 young researchers who will represent the institution at the upcoming Young Researchers Conference of the Montevideo Group Association of Universities (AUGM). This year's conference will take place from November 5th to 7th at the National University of Tucumán, under the theme "Education and Science Transform Realities," a slogan that encourages reflection on the role of knowledge in building more just and inclusive societies.

The AUGM Conferences are one of the most significant forums for academic exchange among undergraduate and graduate students and young scientists from public universities in the region. Their main purpose is to promote early engagement among those beginning their research careers, fostering the creation of interpersonal and scientific networks that transcend institutional and national boundaries. In this way, the conferences encourage the formation of regional teams capable of addressing common problems from a collaborative perspective.

During the meeting, the rector congratulated the selected researchers for their commitment and emphasized the importance of the University having representatives in such a relevant field for science and Latin American integration. “This is always a wonderful experience, especially because of the opportunity to meet with other researchers, as these encounters are profoundly enriching and contribute to both personal and institutional growth,” Bartolacci stated. 

The rector also emphasized the importance, in the current context, of projecting the University beyond the national sphere. “It is essential that this opportunity be seized not only on an individual level, but also from an institutional perspective. We want our young researchers to integrate into the fields of knowledge production in the region and to continue developing beyond this specific experience,” he stated.

Similarly, she highlighted the value of the meeting with the researchers, which fostered dialogue and exchange among representatives from diverse disciplines. All the selected research projects address current issues of great social relevance. “One of our main objectives is to consolidate the University as a platform that produces knowledge aimed at solving present challenges and offering solutions for the future. We seek to broaden the perspective in research and work across disciplines. I am especially pleased that projects in new areas such as tourism, fashion design, and cultural management are being incorporated, which are part of the twenty degree programs we have launched in the last six years.”

The participants come from various faculties of the UNR, ensuring diverse representation across various fields of knowledge. In recognition of their effort and the importance of their participation, the University will cover accommodation, meals, and travel expenses, reaffirming its commitment to promoting science and supporting new generations of researchers.

For her part, María Cecilia Candusso, UNR's delegate to the Montevideo Group Association of Universities, highlighted the quality and academic level that the institution demonstrates year after year at these types of events. "The presentations given by the University are always of excellent quality, which reflects the enormous amount of work carried out in each of our faculties and institutes," she stated.

Candusso also emphasized the role of academic cooperation in strengthening the region: “These actions are fundamental for positioning the Latin American university system and for generating local responses to the challenges facing our societies.” In this regard, he noted that the UNR strives each year to present papers related to different thematic areas, “with the aim of offering a broad and representative view of everything produced at our University.”

Finally, he emphasized the strategic value of these meeting spaces: “These are young scientific vocations, an essential element for the growth of our University and for the future of science in our region.”

During the meeting, each of the 31 researchers briefly presented their research, and several took the opportunity to express their gratitude for the invitation and the University's support in this upcoming challenge. Mila Piazza, from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, emphasized that "it is very important to have the University's support at this stage of my development, especially in the current context." David Mendoza, from the Faculty of Humanities and Arts, commented that the work done by the directors is crucial "because it is unpaid work, done out of dedication so that we can continue to grow," adding that this would not be possible "without the University's ongoing efforts to support all its research programs." 

Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photography: Camila Casero.