Projects that improve lives

The proposed educational model aims to move the University of Cundinamarca beyond traditional professional models focused on the transmission of knowledge and information, in order to cultivate a transhuman individual for life—that is, to shift from an education geared towards doing and work to an education focused on being. Hence the importance of creating experiences with and for the communities where the university is present.

UCundinamarca News spoke with Luis Miguel Castañeda, coordinator of the Environmental Engineering program in Girardot, about the scope of the initiatives with the communities and their challenges.

UCundinamarca NewsWhat is the social impact assessment of the Environmental Engineering program you have been carrying out?

Luis Miguel Castañeda: In our community outreach efforts, we have carried out various activities focused on disaster risk management and environmental conservation and protection. Among these initiatives, the municipal disaster risk management plan and the municipal emergency response strategy for the municipality of Madrid stand out, thanks to our team of eight people. For this project, we engaged a student to assist us with the mapping.

We've already completed this initiative and only need to present it to the municipal disaster risk management council, which is chaired by the mayor. We also have another initiative with Icononzo to update the land-use plan and the water efficiency program, as well as one with Enel Colombia to conduct a simulation exercise for a potential dam break at the El Quimbo hydroelectric plant. They approached us to do this because of our experience in the field.

UCundinamarca News: How is the Transmodern Digital Educational Model appropriated in these works?

Luis Miguel Castañeda: Here, the Transmodern Digital Educational Model is evident through the dimensions of nature, culture, society, and people, which we develop in each of the projects mentioned above and which are part of the substantive function of UCundinamarca.

UCundinamarca News: Why is it important for a university to participate in these types of community outreach activities?

Luis Miguel Castañeda: This type of approach is key, because the university has the opportunity to put all its capacity and expertise at the service of society, while receiving an important feedback process that allows it to improve in research, teaching and university social interaction.

In this way, UCundinamarca reaffirms that the defining and differentiating characteristic of a knowledge-based organization is its focus on science, technology, research, and innovation. This paradigm is reflected in academic outputs, the integration of ICTs, and the relationship between technology and social, regional, and productive development, all while addressing the need to contribute to solving problems that affect the sustainability of non-renewable resources, as has occurred in this case.

More news from the Girardot branch at the News Agency