El artículo explica la importancia de apoyar las carreras de vanguardia en ciencia y tecnología, puesto que constituyen uno de los eslabones que permitirán el logro de las metas de desarrollo planteadas para nuestro país. Carreras profesionales impartidas desde hace poco más de una década por la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Chile, tales como Química Ambiental, Biología

Abstract

The importance of supporting front-line study programs in science and technology is explained in this article. These programs are one of the links that will allow our country to achieve its proposed development goals. Professional university programs that have been taught for slightly over a decade at the Universidad de Chile´s School of Science –such as Environmental Chemistry, Biology majoring in Environmental Matters, and Molecular Biotechnology– and the promotion of research and graduate studies in these areas and other disciplines will help Chile to overcome its current situation characterized by a shortage of researchers and, consequently, low impact in the application of knowledge to the broadest range of productive areas. Supporting applications to the study programs named above by providing adequate information on employment prospects for graduates will contribute –in the medium and the long term– to grant economic and environmental sustainability in a country whose basic weakness stems essentially from the fact that it exports its natural resources in the form of raw materials.