Dr Lara Rodrigues
Team Contact Person, NAEC team - Chile
Department of Physics - Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE)
lara.rodrigues​atumce.cl


Lara Rodrigues is a full-time professor at the Physics Department at the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE) in Santiago, the capital city of Chile. She does research in Astronomy Education, teaches astronomy to future science teachers, and participates in public engagement projects.
Lara is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she got her BSc in Astronomy (UFRJ). She moved to Chile in 2009, attracted by the large telescopes, and has been living there since then. She holds an MSc in Astrophysics (2011), a BA in Physics Education (2015), and a PhD in Education (2023) from PUC-Chile.
Her research interests in astronomy education include pre-and in-service teacher training, school curricula, and interdisciplinary teaching methods. Her former working experience comprises teaching high school physics, organizing and teaching various astronomy workshops, guiding observatory visits, and researching stellar astrophysics.
Lara is a mother of two kids, Martin and Nina, who remind her daily about the beauty of learning and being connected to nature.

Appointed as NAEC until: Aug. 1, 2027

Prof Guillermo Avello
Team Member, NAEC team - Chile


His studies were carried out at: - Universidad Austral de Chile: Bachelor of Science in Physics - University of Chile – Faculty of Cs. Physics and Mathematics – School of Engineering Universidad de Concepción: Graduate and Professor of Physics and Mathematics -Universidad del Biobío: Postgraduate in Exact Sciences Mention in Physics Master © Science Education Mention in Physics -International Internships in: STEM - Wright State University and Bellbrook High School- Ohio USA STEM - Harbor High School. Santa Cruz – California USA ASTRONOMY - The house of Astronomy – University of Heidelberg Germany -Work developed at the Universidad de Concepción FID and Secondary Education training centers.
Virginio Gomez Institute Los Angeles

Appointed as NAEC until: Aug. 1, 2027

Patricio Castro
Team Member, NAEC team - Chile


Patricio Castro is a Physics and Natural Science secondary school teacher (UMCE), a graduate in Industrial Engineering (UTEM), and a diploma holder in ABP collaborative work, with international internships at the House of Astronomy. He has worked in different educational settings and led competitive funds in alternative energies, carbon footprint projects, and scientific fairs. Patricio is a founding member of the “Red AstroProfesores” (Chilean Astro Teachers Network). He has participated in several astronomy teacher training programs across Chile as part of the project “Universo en el Aula,” led by Dr. Olaf Fischer (HdA, DAAD) in collaboration with Chilean universities. Currently, he is the president of the “Red AstroProfesores” Foundation. In parallel, he works as a Physics teacher at Liceo Chiloé de Bajos de Mena, in Santiago, where he leads a group of “Astrofantastics” (students from grades 7 to 11), with whom he has created a school magazine to disseminate astronomy.

Appointed as NAEC until: Aug. 1, 2027

Dr Irma Fuentes-Morales
Team Member, NAEC team - Chile
Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) and Ruta Sustentable Environmental Foundation, Chile


Irma Fuentes is a Dr in Astrophysics and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy education at the Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons (YEMS) at the University of Santiago of Chile (USACH). Her research areas include nova explosions in cataclysmic variable stars and astronomical education research, with a focus on developing classroom activities that utilize astronomy to teach scientific subjects, primarily aligned with the Chilean educational reality. Additionally, she is the founder of an environmental Foundation called “Ruta Sustentable” that contributes to environmental and scientific education outside the classroom in her country.

Appointed as NAEC until: Aug. 1, 2027

Vilma Tapia
Team Member, NAEC team - Chile


Vilma Tapia is a state primary education teacher. She holds a B.A. degree in Education, postgraduate studies in Science and Technology, and a master’s in Educational Sciences. She complemented her training with international internship programs in Astronomy Education at the House of Astronomy and Science Active Methodologies at the University of Northern Iowa. She has also received the academic degree “Dama de Lazo,” granted by the Chilean Ministry of Education. Her passion for astronomy has caused her to dedicate much of her professional career to promoting it at the school level. Since 2008, she has coordinated the National Astronomy School Congress, a platform that allows students and teachers to share their research and learn with one another. She has also coordinated eight astronomy camps. Moreover, as a National Coordinator of the “Astro Teachers Network,” she has led initiatives to foster astronomy in teachers from different regions of Chile and collaborated with extracurricular programs that have given access to advanced knowledge and significant astronomy learning experiences for students with fewer opportunities.

Appointed as NAEC until: Aug. 1, 2027