Federico Santa María Technical University

The main UTFSM campus (or Casa Central) is located in Valparaíso, covering most of the front area of Los Placeres hill, on the grounds of the former Pudeto fort. The site faces the Pacific coast and it is visible from many parts of the bay of Valparaíso.

Main Campus in Valparaíso, 1949

The building was designed by Josué Smith Solar, one of the most respected Chilean architects of the 20th century, and his son José Smith Miller. The American Neo-Gothic style campus is considered one of the foremost works of Chilean architecture. The campus is also recognised for its beautiful gardening, with native and exotic species.[18]

In 2001, the illumination of the university frontis was renewed through a contest organised by the Chilean branch of Philips.

The main campus has a gothic scholastic architecture with a privileged view to the Pacific Ocean. This campus includes more than 3 hectares of green areas making it the biggest urban park in Valparaiso, despite it being closed to the public.[19] In 2008 it was chosen as one of the most remarkable national architectural works of the 20th century.[20]

In the 1960s, the University formulated an expansion plan. With financial assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the support of the Ford Foundation, advice from Dunwoody Industrial Institute in the US, and a donation of land by Chile's Agricultural Development Institute INDAP (from the Spanish "Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario"), a fully furnished building was constructed in 1971 in Viña del Mar, and it was named the "Jose Miguel Carrera" branch campus, following the testamentary vision of the University founder, the philanthropist Federico Santa María.

This branch is located on the border between the communes of Vina del Mar and Quilpué in Chile.

By the mid-1960s, the University planned to install six schools in different parts of the country.

In October 1965, the Kings of Belgium, Baudouin I and Fabiola de Mora y Aragon visited the University headquarters in Valparaíso, were introduced to its educational project and as a result initiated conversations for the construction of a branch campus in the city of Concepción.

Meanwhile, our country strengthens their contributions: the government facilitates the exchange of funds provided by Belgium; local businesses such as the San Pedro Sawmills, Cementos Bio Bio, Pacific Steel Company, Fanaloza, Inchalam, Pizarreño, Glasses Lirquén, among others, also contributed in its construction. Additionally, a donation of Archbishop of Concepción provided the land needed for the building construction. Its construction began in 1969.

Academic activities started on April 26, 1971, offering the careers of Electronics, Electrical, Structural Mechanics, Maintenance Mechanics, and Chemistry. On February 14, 1972, the campus branch was inaugurated solemnly in the presence of the President of Chile, Salvador Allende Gossens, and the University rector, Jaime Chiang Acosta.

• Chilean National Accreditation commission CNA: 6 years until December 2022[32]

The current president of the UTFSM Academic Council is Mr. Roberto Medina Cantariño. The following table summarizes the different presidents the UTFSM has had in its history.

The current rector is Professor Darcy Fuenzalida O'Shee, for the Period 2014 - 2022. Some notable events:

• Two rectors died at the time of having the role, i.e., Armando Quezada in 1936, and Commander Juan Naylor in 1977. They were replaced by Interim Rectors until a new rector was chosen through a vote.
• One rector have had to resign due to protests within the University,i.e., Carlos Cerutti in 1968.
• Three "delegate" rectors were designated by a military junta. During the Military regime of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) the university rector was designated by the military junta instead of a normal voting process. Three "delegate rectors", retired military men, had this role during the period: Commander Juan Naylor (1973-1977), Vice-admiral Ismael Huerta (1977-1985) and Commander Arturo Niño de Zepeda (1985-1989).
• Two of the rectors were siblings, i.e., Jaime Chiang Acosta (1968-1972), and Gustavo Chiang Acosta (1989-1993).[34]
• Jaime Chiang Acosta (1969-1972) was the first rector chosen through a voting process in the university community.[34]
• Jaime Chiang Acosta (1969-1972) was the first rector that was also a UTFSM alumnus, a Civil Chemical Engineering graduate (1952) with a PhD from the University of Louisiana.[34]
• 

  Darcy Fuenzalida, UTFSM Rector 2014-2022
  Gustavo Chiang Acosta (1989-1993), a UTFSM civil mechanical engineer graduated in 1949, was also the first rector chosen by popular vote of the university community after the end of the Pinochet military regime.[35]

Due to the focused nature of the university, its organisation currently does not include different faculties, only different academic departments, which carry out research and graduate/undergraduate educational programs. Originally, faculties had been considered in the University organization, with the founding of the first three faculties in 1944, Chemical, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. Faculties were subsequently abolished under Adolfo Arata's period as rector.

Within the Chilean campus level, there are 17 different academic departments, though not all of them are in every campus location, and not all degree levels are offered at every location, as the following table shows:

UTFSM is the only Chilean engineering school where sports is an obligatory course in the curriculum during the first three semesters of all its study lines at its Valparaiso and Santiago Campuses.[42]

The university offers careers of Commercial Pilot and Aeronautical Engineering in its Academia de Ciencias Aeronáuticas in a joint venture with Chilean airline Lan Chile.

The engineering degrees at UTFSM (and throughout Chile) are offered in different degrees of difficulty.

The Chemical Engineering School at UTFSM was founded together with the foundation of the School of Engineers in 1935, being one of the oldest degrees offered by the university. The first Chilean and Latin American doctorate degree in chemical engineering was given to Walter Gaete Castro in 1962, with a cooperation between UTFSM and University of Pittsburgh, USA.[10] Nowadays, the chemical engineering department has the name of Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (IQA, in Spanish), where Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering degrees are offered. The research topics at IQA are:

• Design of industrial processes
• Environmental Engineering
• Food Science and Bioprocesses
• Minerals Processing
• Automation and process control

The Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering has 12 associate professors, 11 with PhD degrees (92%). The department offers the graduate programs of Master of Science and PhD in Chemical Engineering.

The Mechanical Engineering School at UTFSM was founded together with the foundation of the School of Engineers in 1935, being one of the oldest degrees offered by the university. Its first four mechanical engineers graduated in 1939. The mechanical engineering department was also among the first to offer a PhD program in 1964 (along with Chemical and Electrical Engineering Departments).

The mechanical engineering department has the following research areas:

• Thermodynamics
• Energy and Renewable energies
• Process engineering

The department has 20 full-time professors (2016 data), 17 with PhD degrees (85%). Additional to the Bachelor of Sciences in mechanical engineering (BSc.), the department offers the graduate programs of Master of Science (BSc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in mechanical engineering. The department has also made substantive efforts to connect with its alumni. A comprehensive list of the graduates of the department can be found online.

The UTFSM graduate school started its activities on the 1st of August, 1960, as a response to the increasing requirements for deeper and applied research in the country. The project was directed by Leroy Stutzman of the University of Pittsburgh, and doctors G.R. Fitterer and John F. Calver, who audited study programs and teaching methods for the project. The first director of the UTFSM graduate school was Herbert Appel, during the period 1960–1964.[43] The school initially offered PhD study lines in chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering. The first UTFSM PhD graduate was Walter Gaete Castro, with a PhD degree in chemical engineering, becoming the first PhD graduate in Latin America.[44]

The "Doctor Honoris Causa" honorary degree is the highest distinction that UTFSM can bestow. Only seven people[45] have been awarded this honor by UTFSM:

• Georges Mikenberg in 2019, physicist, for his work in particle physics and support of the UTFSM participation in CERN research programs.[45]
• Raul Zurita in 2015, and first UTFSM alumnus to obtain it, for his successful career in literature[46]
• Wolfgang Riesenkönig in 2014, for his achievements advancements in computer science in Chile[47][48]
• Michelle Bachelet in 2007, president of Chile at the time[49]
• Frederik Hayek in 1977, Austrian economist[50][51]
• Francisco Cereceda in 1964, for his contribution to society and to the university as its former Rector[52]
• (Missing Honoris causa recipient)

The Federico Santa Maria University radio was created on the 7th of April, 1937, and it is the oldest university radio in Latin America.[65] It can be heard on 1450 kHz in the AM spectrum, on 99.7 MHz in the FM spectrum, and online.[14]

The Chamber Choir of the Federico Santa María Technical University was founded on August 4, 1951 in its Valparaiso Campus. It is the second oldest choir in Chile with continuous activity. During the choir's over 60 years of existence, it has interpreted an extensive repertoire, including all manifestations of choral western music, from the Middle Ages to the present day. The choir's first performance was at the closing ceremony of the academic year in December 1951, in the Aula Magna, main hall of events in the "A" building of the University's Main Valparaíso campus.

Demosthenes Penna, engineering student of this campus, was its founder and first director until 1954. From March 1955, the choir was directed by Silvio Olate Valenzuela for over 28 years until March 1983. From 1983 to 1987, it was directed by Mauricio Pergelier Hernandez. For the next 23 years, from 1987 to 2010, the choir was conducted by Eduardo Silva Cerda. From 2010, the choir has been conducted by Felipe Molina Lavandera.[66][67]

The Guayaquil campus in Ecuador also has formed a Choir in 2015, directed by Charles Sampertegui.

The university has a long history of musical expression, in particular through its folkloric ensemble "Alimapu"

• Homero Capona, first engineer graduated at the university,[70] UTFSM electrical engineer (1939).
• Abelardo Quinteros, composer particularly known for his contributions to twelve-note composition and serialism. UTFSM industrial design graduate (1941).
• Carlos Ceruti Gardeazabal, the first Chilean to receive the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by an international institution: University of Pittsburgh, USA. Founder council member of the Chilean school of engineers (1958),[71] UTFSM rector (1958-1968). UTFSM mechanical engineer (1941).
• Mario Luxoro Mariani, First Chilean to earn a PhD degree abroad. National Sciences prize in the year 2000. UTFSM chemical engineer (1948). He later went on to receive a Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship and to earn a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1957.[72] Subsequently, he became a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile.
• Boris Rotman Arensburg, First UTFSM alumnus to become professor in an Ivy League University (Brown University). He is recognized for performing the first single molecule experiment in biology, and received the State of Rhode Island Governor's award for Scientific Excellence. UTFSM chemical engineer (1948)
• Max von Brand Kuhlmann, Vice president of the Chilean nuclear energy commission (1973-1981). UTFSM professor (1957-1984). UTFSM chemical engineer (1956).
• Sergio Contreras Navia, Bishop of Temuco (1978-2001) Directed the construction of the new Temuco Cathedral. UTFSM mechanical engineer (1957). He assisted to graduation dressed in cassock.[73]
• Miguel Kiwi, National Sciences Prize (2007).[74] UTFSM mechanical engineer (1963) and later PhD in Physics from the University of Virginia (1967).
• Eugenio Villaseca, first child of a UTFSM graduate, to also graduate from this university.[75] UTFSM Electrical Engineer (1963) and later PhD in electrical engineering from Arizona State University (1980).
• Patricia Guzman, first woman to graduate from this university.[76] UTFSM chemical technician (1964)
• Graciela Muñoz, first woman to graduate as an engineer at this university.[77][78] UTFSM chemical engineer (1965)
• Raul Zurita, Civil Engineer, Poet, National Literature Prize (2000). UTFSM civil engineer (1967). He completed the study curriculum but did deliver a thesis or graduate.[46]
• Ivan Schmidt Andrade, physicist. He developed, in cooperation with Dr. Stanley Brodsky from Stanford University, the basic theoretical aspects to create anti-hydrogen atoms in the Laboratory. Based in this methods, Swiss scientists have created the first antimatter atom in the world. He is also member of the Chilean academy of sciences (2010). UTFSM electronics engineer (1968) and later PhD from Stanford University (1977).
• José Rodríguez Pérez, National Applied Sciences and Technology Prize 2014. UTFSM rector (2006–2014). UTFSM electrical engineer (1977) and later PhD at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (1985).
• Ricardo Meruane, Comedian, UTFSM Tooling Technician (1981).
• Charles Menevau, Member of the Chilean academy of sciences (2006).[79][80] UTFSM mechanical engineer (1985), and later PhD from Yale University (1989). Professor at the Center for environmental and applied fluid mechanics at the Johns Hopkins University.

• Karl Laudien, first Rector (Chancellor) of the University (1935-1938).
• Robert Frucht, German-Chilean mathematician, known for developing the Frucht's theorem, emeritus professor 1970.[81] PhD from the University of Berlin, was a UTFSM professor (1948-1968).
• Robert Breusch, mathematician. Breusch was known for his new proof of the prime number theorem and for the many solutions he provided to problems posed in the American Mathematical Monthly.[82] PhD from the University of Berlin, was a UTFSM professor until 1939.
• Herbert Appel, National Sciences Prize 1971.[83] PhD from Leipzig University, held different roles at the UTFSM chemical engineering department and graduate school (1937 -1981).
• Agustín Edwards Mac-Clure, Executor of the will of Federico Santa María. President of the General Assembly of the League of Nations, Interior Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cult and Colonization and Plenipotentiary to Great Britain among other positions.
• Francisco CerecedaFrancisco Cereceda Cisternas, state minister during both Jorge Alessandri and Carlos Ibañez del Campo governments. UTFSM rector (1936-1958).
• Juan Garbarino, Natural Sciences National Prize (1998). UTFSM professor from 1981. Chemical Engineer PUC (1959) and later PhD from University of Lausanne (1966).[84]

• Eduardo Esteffan, Governor of Copiapo Province 2012–2014, UTFSM civil engineer
• Gaston frene Saavedra Chandia, Chilean Deputy since 2018, UTFSM mechanical maintenance technician
• Liliana Kusanovic, Governor of Magallanes and Antartica Province 2010–2011, UTFSM electronics engineer
• Marino Penna, Chilean Deputy 1969–1973, UTFSM chemical engineer (1952)
• Miodrag Marinović Solo de Zaldívar, Chilean Deputy 2010–2014, UTFSM Commercial engineer