Fernanda Gonzalez and Clara Aracena, both high school students from the Andes School in Talca, had the opportunity to visit the Las Campanas Observatory, one of the most important astronomical centers in the world, as a prize for having won first place in the 1st School Science Workshop for Women, an initiative promoted by the “School for Future Scientists” project, funded by the ESO-Mixto Committee and directed by astronomer Dr. Caddy Cortés, a professor at the University of Talca.
The students were selected thanks to their innovative project “C&F Beauty Cosmetics”, a sustainable proposal in the cosmetics industry that seeks to reuse discarded oil to make an organic lip balm. The development of the product was supported by Professor Fabián Aros.
During their stay at the Las Campanas Observatory, the young women toured the facilities, visited the telescopes and talked with astronomers, engineers and staff members. They also visited the operating rooms of the different telescopes during the night, where they learned about the data collection process.
“It is wonderful to get to know different places and see things we never imagined existed,” said Fernanda González, who also expressed interest in studying a scientific career in the future.
Both students appreciated the visit, especially the fact of having witnessed the operation of the telescopes in their different phases of operation, highlighting especially the privilege of accessing areas with limited access, such as the tunnels that link both Magellan telescopes.