Preface

Abstract

Abstract The XVIII Encuentro de Física was successfully held at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional in Quito, Ecuador, from October 16th to 20th, 2023. The organizing committee would like to express sincere gratitude to all participants, including keynote speakers, session chairs, authors, and presenters, the international scientific committee, and the local organizing committee, for contributing to the success of this conference. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to CEDIA and PhET for their generous financial support, which enabled us to cover the expenses of our keynote speakers. Additionally, we extend our thanks to Cooperativa Politécnica for sponsoring the coffee breaks during the event. The conference featured 10 keynote speeches, over 70 technical presentations and posters distributed across 2 sessions, and the IV workshop of Astronomy from the Andean Regional Office of Astronomy for Development. Additionally, two discussion panels were organized covering two relevant topics: Research policies and coherence with national realities and Teaching physics in Ecuador. The week before the main event, we held three workshops for students and teachers of the Ministry of Education of Ecuador. These workshops focused on introducing particle physics to undergraduate students and science teaching methodologies, integrating astronomy, and designing active learning activities using PhET for teachers. The XVIII Encuentro de Física gathered 200 participants from 10 countries attending the conference. As in previous editions, the conference proved to be a significant event for research in Physics, providing a discussion forum for the Ecuadorian scientific community. The conference served as a space where innovative ideas, breakthrough concepts, and disruptive technologies were presented and discussed, enabling new research partnerships and potential synergies to be established. On behalf of the Organizing Committee and the Department of Physics, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito – Ecuador. Nicolás Vásquez P. Chair of the XVIII Encuentro de Física List of Local Organizing Committee and Scientific Organizing Committee are available in this pdf.