For the fourth consecutive year, students of the Mathematical Civil Engineering career (MCE) at the UdeC hold a stay at the Department of Mathematics of Simon Fraser University, SFU, Vancouver, Canada. The management of the Research Center in Mathematical Engineering, CI²MA, and the good experience gathered from the previous stays, made it possible that on this occasion, Cristian Inzunza and Nicolás Núñez, who were chosen according to their academic background, began at the beginning of March a visit to the Canadian university, which is expected to significantly impact the professional development of both students.

Cristian Inzunza did his undergraduate thesis under the guidance of the Director of the CI²MA, Gabriel Gatica. "I am currently at the end of my career, since I already did my thesis defense and I am waiting for my professional title, so that to be able to finish this arduous stage of my academic life with this great opportunity is a dream come true. I hope to have a good performance in this stay by applying the knowledge I gained over these years, as well as to know the research environment at SFU and achieve a better command of English", he says. His wishes for the future are varied: "On the one hand I would like to continue studying in a postgraduate program, national or international, getting deeper into a subject that calls my attention or, on the other hand, find a company that allows me to develop as a mathematical engineer, in which I could face problems that can be solved with the knowledge I acquired in the career".

In turn, Nicolás Núñez is currently entering the sixth year of his career. Regarding the stay, he says he hopes "to be able to get the most out of the academic environment, since we will have the possibility of working with renowned mathematicians, from whom I hope to receive both knowledge in the areas where they work and advices on what being a researcher means. I also hope to find some interesting research topic that I could develop in my undergraduate thesis, since I should start with it soon. All of the above, focused on my academic and professional projections, which include some doctoral program, in order to devote myself to research in the area that until now is my favorite, the numerical analysis of partial differential equations". The student also hopes that this stay will provide him with tools to improve his English, as well as that the cultural exchange will allow him "to grow as a person in order to develop as an integral professional".

In the opinion of Gabriel Gatica, "certainly, one of the main tasks of the Center for Research in Mathematical Engineering (CI²MA) is to contribute permanently to the training of human resources specialized in Applied Mathematics, which we do preferably through our active participation in the Doctoral Program in Mathematical Engineering and in the Mathematical Civil Engineering career of the UdeC, teaching fundamental and specialization subjects, and supervising the respective doctoral and undergraduate theses". In this sense, he emphasizes, "we are very clear too that another fundamental concern on our part is the way we contribute to promote the international experience that our students can acquire. In the case of the doctorate, this is achieved, for example, through the participation in congresses and research stays that the thesis students usually perform in diverse places around the world, which are financed both for their own scholarships (Conicyt and other sources) and for our joint basal project with the Center for Mathematical Modeling, CMM, of the University of Chile. In turn, the same basal project or other specific collaboration agreements, such as the one we have with SFU, allow us to enhance the international mobility of students of MCE. Through these experiences, they can strengthen their undergraduate training, broaden their vision and perspectives on Applied Mathematics in general, know new options for future postgraduate studies, and establish collaboration links with students and professors from foreign universities. "

The first of the stays at SFU was made by Ernesto Cáceres and Sebastián Domínguez, who are currently doing their doctorates at Brown University and SFU, respectively. On that occasion, financing was bipartite between SFU and UdeC. In the remaining stays, including the current one, the travel and maintenance expenses have been contributed entirely by SFU. Javier Almonacid, Juan Manuel Cárdenas and Sebastián Moraga participated in the second year, and Gonzalo Benavides in the third one. Currently, Almonacid and Cárdenas are doing doctoral studies there, while Moraga will do so starting in September this year, and Benavides is entering the sixth year of the career.