page_title: University of Chile
section_title: Significant facts
hierarchical_section_title: University of Chile / Significant facts
caption_attribution_description: Español: BIBLIOTECA PABLO NERUDA, Colección Caracolas CASA CENTRAL DE LA U. DE CHILE, Archivo Central Andrés Bello DICIEMBRE-2000
context_page_description: The University of Chile is a public university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842 and inaugurated on September 17, 1843. It is the oldest and the most prestigious in the country. It was established as the continuation of the former colonial Royal University of San Felipe, and has a rich history in academic, scientific and social outreach. The university seeks to solve national and regional issues and to contribute to the development of Chile. It is recognized as one of the best universities Latin America for its leadership and innovation in science, technology, social sciences, and arts through the functions of creation, extension, teaching, and research.
  Its five campuses comprise more than 3.1 square kilometres of research buildings, health care centers, museums, theaters, observatories, and sports infrastructure. The institution has more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, offering more than 60 different bachelor and professional degrees, 38 doctoral programs and 116 master programs.
  Notable alumni include Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, and twenty Chilean presidents.
context_section_description: It is the oldest institution of higher education in Chile, and was founded in 1842.
  The first woman to attend university in the country and in South America did it at the University of Chile: Eloísa Díaz Insunza, who graduated as a doctor in 1887.
  The first woman lawyer, Matilde Throup, graduated in 1892; the first woman pharmaceutical chemist, Griselda Hinojosa in 1899; the first woman engineer, Justicia Espada in 1919; the first woman agronomist, Victoria Tagle in 1922. All them in University of Chile.
  In 1906 the first and oldest student organization in the country was founded: The University of Chile Student Federation (FECH).
  In this institution was named the first woman academician: Amanda Labarca in 1922 was appointed like extraordinary professor at the Faculty of Humanities. She was 36 years old.
  The two national Nobel prizes are linked to this University: despite not having formally studied in this college, in 1923 the University decided to award the title of Spanish Teacher to Gabriela Mistral and in 1954 received the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa. After her death in January 1957, her remains were veiled for three days in the Hall of Honor of the Main House; Pablo Neruda meanwhile entered to study in 1921 the Pedagogical Institute and in 1962 the Faculty of Education granted him the quality of academic Member "in recognition of his vast poetic work of universal category". The poet donated a library of about 3,500 works and his collection of Caracolas to the University of Chile.
  In the Clinical Hospital was realized in 1966 the first surgery of renal transplantation.
  The group of Meteorology, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Mathematics obtained the first weather satellite image of Chile in 1966.
  From the U. of Chile came out the first email in 1985. Researchers at the Department of Computer Science sent the text "If this email reaches you, we open a bottle of champagne" to peers Department of Computer Engineering of the University of Santiago.
  In 1987 the University signed the first domain in Chile (.cl). It was www.uchile.cl.
  It is the first university to have a senate, which has worked since 2006.
  In 2007 a group of students of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences built the first Chilean solar car: the Eolian.
  A study of supernovae of the Department of Astronomy was the basis for the research who in 2011 allowed Brian P. Schmidt be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
  172 of the 207 National Awards for Science, Literature, Arts, History, Humanities, Journalism, Theatre, Education and Music, were graduates, teachers or students of the University of Chile.
  The University of Chile had the highest accreditation possible according to the National Accreditation Commission (CNA-Chile), together with the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Both are the only institutions of higher education that have reached this certification.
  It is responsible for the 37% of Chilean scientific journals according to ISI standard.
caption: Caracolas (shells) collection donated by Pablo Neruda in the Central Archive Andrés Bello
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