30 July 2026 to 5 August 2026
Natal, Brazil
America/Sao_Paulo timezone

Bridging the HECAP Training Gap in Latin America

Not scheduled
20m
Natal, Brazil

Natal, Brazil

Via Costeira Sen. Dinarte Medeiros Mariz, 6664-6704 - Ponta Negra, Natal - RN, 59090-002
Talk Education & Outreach

Speaker

Prof. José Ocariz (Université Paris Cité, France)

Description

High-energy and astroparticle physics require long, integrated training that combines theory, advanced computing, detector instrumentation, and collaboration within large international experiments. Effective education, therefore, must connect graduate training to real research tasks, strong mentorship, and transferable skills such as software development, data analysis, electronics, and reproducible workflows, all of which are valuable beyond academia.
Although Latin American universities host strong research groups, the region faces major inequalities in access to funding, infrastructure, laboratories, and stable early-career positions. These limitations fragment training, reduce research time, and contribute to brain drain, particularly where instrumentation-intensive education and international mobility are scarce. As a result, scalable and cost-effective cross-border training models are needed that can operate under heterogeneous connectivity conditions while still providing hands-on experience.
The ERASMUS+ projects LA-CoNGA Physics and EL-BONGÓ Physics address some of these challenges by integrating open e-learning resources, shared code and data repositories, and remote laboratories accessible via low-bandwidth connections. They also include a formal research apprenticeship stage that links training to vocational outcomes. Building on LA-CoNGA, EL-BONGÓ (launched in 2025) expands to Central America, develops four research-learning communities, and adds research-driven courses and a FABLab network to strengthen sustainability, local autonomy, and employability.

I read the instructions above Yes

Authors

Prof. Beatriz Cosenza (Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, Guatemala) Prof. Camilo Ruiz (Universidad de Salamanca, Spain) Prof. Carlos Barrios-Hernandez (Universidad Industrial de Santander, Colombia) Prof. Christian Sarmiento-Cano (Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Colombia) Prof. Dennis Cazar-Ramírez (Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador) Prof. Gabriela Navarro (Universidad Antonio Narino, Colombia) Prof. Jorge Stephany (Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela) Prof. José A. López-Rodríguez (Universidad Central de Venezuela, Venezuela) Prof. José Ocariz (Université Paris Cité, France) Prof. José Sanabria-Gomez (Universidad Industrial de Santander) Prof. Justo Ospino (Universidad de Salamanca, Spain) Prof. Lucio Villanueva Castillo (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Honduras) Prof. Luis Nunez (Universidad Industrial de Santander, Colombia) Prof. Mario Audelo (Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Ecuador) Prof. Mario Rafael Ruiz (Universidad Francisco Gavidia, El Salvador) Prof. Melissa Cruz-Torres (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Honduras) Prof. Oscar Baltuano (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Perú) Prof. Oscar Carrillo (CPE Lyon, France) Prof. Pierre Pujol (Université de Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, France) Prof. Raúl Henriquez (Universidad de El Salvador, El Salvador) Prof. Rodrigo Sacahui (Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, Guatemala) Prof. Teofilo Vargas (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) Prof. Ysabel Briceno (Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Colombia) Prof. Yvelice Castillo-Rosales (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Honduras)

Presentation materials

There are no materials yet.