The Mayor’s Office of Santa Marta highlighted the contribution that higher education institutions based in the District make to the development of scientific research and the training of future professionals for the region and the country.
This was indicated by the Secretary of District Education, Verónica Meléndez Charris, delegate of the mayor Virna Johnson, during the opening ceremony of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Cooperative University of Colombia, Santa Marta headquarters, an event that was attended by Tito Crissien, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation; Adolfo Bula Ramírez, governor (e) of Magdalena and directors of the UCC.
This laboratory has state-of-the-art equipment and a strengthened human capital, which will make it possible to carry out research on endemic and infectious diseases that affect the population of the Caribbean Region.
During her speech at the opening ceremony of this laboratory, the District Education Secretary, Verónica Meléndez, emphasized the usefulness it represents for the training of medical and nursing students, as well as to carry out diagnoses and control, for example, of Covid- 19, and other effects on public health in the country. “In recent years, a pedagogical approach has been strengthened that includes four STEM knowledge, for its acronym in English (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). STEM education is a significant area of attention for departmental and district governments and their educational policy, ”said the district official.
The importance of having this type of tools comes from the direct relationship between the development of the territorial economy and the development of education in the four STEM knowledge.
He added that “Mayor Virna Johnson’s proposal represents a change towards a multidisciplinary commitment and scientific knowledge in the educational institutions of the Santa Marta District. We know that these improvements not only point to the advancement of education itself, but also to improve the quality of life of people that make it possible to overcome inequality gaps, particularly in a country like Colombia ”.
Finally, he highlighted the contribution made by the Cooperative University of Colombia with the implementation of this tool for students, as well as for the educational and scientific community of the city, the department and the region.
