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| From left to right: Professor of the School of Architecture, Gerardo Castañeda, Professor of the School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics Daniel Gómez Pizano, School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics students Danny Alejandra Melo Zuluaga, Maia Catalina Insuasti Gonzales and Natalia Hernández Viedman, Professor of the School of Civil Engineering and Geomatic Sandra Villamizar, School of Electric and Electronic Engineering student Andrés Juan Maturana Velásquez and School of Architecture student David Monje. Credit: Édgar Bejarano, Communications Office, Faculty of Engineering. |
Due to its geographic location, Valle del Cauca is situated in a region with a high probability of suffering catastrophes associated with seismic movements. Aware of the latent risk faced by various communities, especially those located in hillside areas, an inter-faculty project has been conceived with the purpose of educating students in grades 10 and 11 about risk mitigation mechanisms in buildings. The primary objective of this initiative is to promote community awareness of the importance of adopting good construction practices. It is an educational process whose positive impact could translate into a better quality of life and a reduction of informal construction.
On the importance of the word "conscience"
This project arose in the year 2022 in response to an internal call, in which the Faculties of Engineering and Integrated Arts of the Universidad del Valle joined forces. With the idea of raising awareness and recognizing the contribution of science to these issues, they decided to call it "ConCiencia Sísmica" (Seismic Science). The word "ConCiencia" underlines the need for the community to understand these dangers and take measures to mitigate them.
According to Professor Daniel Gómez, from the School of Civil and Geomatics Engineering and co-investigator of the project, the idea arose from the need to establish a closer link between academia and society. "Our goal was to create a project with a direct impact on the community. We wanted to get away from the technical rigidity of classrooms and laboratories," he explains.
"The purpose is to educate young people who may not be familiar with the field of construction and engineering, and to begin to involve the community from an early age," explains Architecture professor Sandra Villamizar. The aim is to transmit the knowledge and concepts characteristic of these disciplines in a clear and didactic language which facilitates understanding. To this end, we have developed a playful workshop with a theoretical-practical approach, in the hope of capturing the attention of school students.
Teaching through playful activities
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| Monitors members of "ConCiencia Sísmica" putting together the structures twhich will be presented to school students. Credit: Édgar Bejarano, Communications Office, Faculty of Engineering. |
The theoretical component of "Seismic Science" includes a brief presentation aimed at addressing the fundamental concepts that should be considered in engineering and architecture when constructing safe buildings. Among the topics planned to be presented to the students are the tectonic plates, the effects of seismic movements and the types of structural configurations most susceptible to these hazards. In addition, the most relevant seismic events at national and local level will be highlighted, such as the Popayán earthquake in 1983, the Eje Cafetero earthquake in 1999 and the Pizarro earthquake in 2004, strongly felt in Cali.
After the theoretical phase, the project moves on to a practical stage that involves the elaboration of 3D models of buildings by the monitors who are part of the project. These models are designed using Rhino software and manufactured using polylactic acid (PLA) filaments in a 3D printer. The elements used include slabs, columns, beams and joints, among others. This hands-on exercise provides college students with the opportunity to interact with physical representations of buildings, giving them a more tangible understanding of the concepts previously covered in the theoretical part of the workshop.
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to put their acquired knowledge into practice through a playful activity that will simulate a classroom competition. Each group will be provided with a hand-held seismic simulator, along with straws, tape and scissors. Afterwards, they will be challenged to build a structure capable of resisting earthquakes with different intensities, while the models will contain structural errors that they will have to solve according to their criteria. In addition, they will have a roulette wheel that will allow them to simulate the purchase of materials and/or remove elements from their competitors. Thanks to the mechanisms developed in each simulator, the students will be able to carry out resistance tests on their own. At the end, a test will be carried out in which a higher intensity earthquake will be applied, and the winning group will be the one whose construction resists this earthquake and remains standing at the end. This practical and competitive approach not only encourages the application of the theoretical knowledge acquired, but also promotes teamwork and problem solving in a simulated real-life environment.
"This is a simple way to check if they have really understood the message. The importance of proper construction, the need for sound basic principles and how to put them into practice," summarizes Professor Daniel Gómez. He also adds that a survey will be conducted before and after the workshop to assess prior knowledge and the level of knowledge acquired.
Commitment to interdisciplinary work
As part of an approach that values the integration of knowledge from different disciplines, this research project is led by Professor Gerardo Castañeda from the School of Architecture, together with Professor Sandra Villamizar and Professor Daniel Gómez from the School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics. The team is also formed by students of Civil Engineering such as Danny Alejandra Melo Zuluaga, Maia Catalina Insuasty Gonzales, Natalia Hernández Viedman and Miguel Andrés Jiménez; David Monje from Architecture and Andrés Juan Maturana Velásquez from Electronic Engineering, who have joined the team as monitors according to the needs of the project.
The nature of this project has given students the opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary work, thus enriching their academic training, an aspect that is recognized within the research group. "Today, life is interdisciplinary. One can be a civil engineer, but when faced with a project one needs to collaborate with professionals from other disciplines to carry it out," concludes Professor Gerardo Castañeda. He adds that this opportunity translates into a rewarding experience of academic interaction, where students can learn and grow by working as a team with people who have different perspectives and knowledge.
The perspective of some students reflects the value this project has brought to their academic journey. "My experience has been extremely rewarding. I have learned a lot," expresses Danny Alejandra Melo Zuluaga. "Working with my classmates has been very enriching. During our conversations about the project, we shared ideas and proposals, and what we have achieved has been the result of the joint effort of all of us." His words highlight the importance of teamwork and collaboration to achieve meaningful goals.
The project, which began at the beginning of last year, plans to initiate the first approaches with schools during the second semester of this year. From this initial experience, it is planned to continue working in future calls to reach a larger part of the student population, including the other campuses of the Universidad del Valle. This strategic approach will allow us to expand the impact of the project and reach more students, thus promoting seismic awareness and encouraging safe construction practices among a wider public.
If interested in being in touch with the researchers or any further information about the scientific project, please write the Faculty of Engineering Communications Office: comunicaingenieria@correounivalle.edu.co
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