Portal U de A

By: Margarita Rivera Motato, journalist at UdeA Communications Department 

The UdeA Puerto Berrío Campus has new facilities to enhance the university’s educational and athletic activities in the Magdalena Medio region of Antioquia. From now on, the community in this area can enjoy an astronomical observatory, the first in the department outside of Medellín. Additionally, the campus will include a classroom building and a covered sports field with bleachers, locker rooms, and restrooms. These projects will allow the Campus to grow as both an academic and a cultural and social hub. 

 
The new observatory has its telescope installed and is ready to welcome the port community on August 22. Photo: UdeA Communications Department / Antonio Marenco 

The UdeA Puerto Berrío Campus is now in its second infrastructure expansion and improvement phase. This intervention involved creating significant spaces to strengthen access to higher education in the Magdalena Medio region. According to the study Caracterización y perfil del sector educativo Antioquia 2020-2023 (Characterization and Profile of the Antioquia Education Sector 2020-2023), by the Departmental Education Secretariat, the region has an undergraduate enrollment rate of 22.6%, below the departmental average of 56.4%. 

"The Puerto Berrío Campus second phase project includes new academic facilities, such as a building of three classrooms —Block C— with a capacity for 40 people each, a 647-square-meter covered multi-sport area with bleachers, public restrooms, and locker rooms, and an astronomical observatory. A total of 1,026 square meters were renovated, which expands higher education coverage in the Magdalena Medio area," said William Hincapié Quintero, attached to Infrastructure Development, a process within UdeA’s Infrastructure and Logistics Division. 

To watch the sky from Puerto Berrío 

The design of the new building emphasizes the astronomical observatory, which, due to its function, rises above the other structures and becomes a symbol of this Campus.  

The observatory was preceded by a donation of a telescope to UdeA from the Mayor's Office of Puerto Berrío, along with an initiative by a group of professors and researchers from the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, who aimed to establish an astronomical observatory at one of the institution's regional campuses. This proposal also aligns with a dream of the Eridanus Astronomy Club, formalized in 2016 and active on the Puerto Berrío Campus since 2003 as a promotional effort for the library.  

The Club, which currently has 35 members, has become a school of astronomical knowledge for professors, school students, and residents of Puerto Berrío. Students from various undergraduate programs at the University have been part of this group, which has inspired those curious about astronomy, literature, science, climate, and mythology, among other topics, which have come together in the exploration of the sky.  

The new astronomical observatory not only encourages scientific curiosity and understanding of the skies and weather phenomena but also promotes active involvement of students, faculty, and the community in outreach events and workshops. In these spaces, students explore the sun, moon, and stars through observation supported by literature and origami.  

"This observatory is very important to the University and the region, as it provides a space for the dissemination and appropriation of knowledge, as well as the teaching of different areas, not just astronomy," emphasized Pablo Cuartas Restrepo, professor at the UdeA Physics Institute. He also noted that the observatory will offer fields such as engineering, mathematics, astrophysics, environmental engineering, didactics, robotics, and other fields of knowledge. "In addition, we will be able to strengthen outreach activities through the Astronomy Club that the Campus already has," said Cuartas Restrepo.  

Pedro José Cataño, librarian at the Puerto Berrío Campus, is also the coordinator of the Erinadus Club. "I have many requests to visit the observatory, including one from Remedios in northeastern Antioquia. This new space will provide us with more tools for our activities. The idea is that each visit program will include a workshop that offers an interactive experience and serves as a learning space," he stated.  

Thanks to the Club's work, the University is participating in the competition "Colombia: Destino Astroturístico," sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, which will select the 10 best locations for astronomical observation. According to Cataño, "there is great enthusiasm about being chosen, not only because of the academic support for the observation, but also because we’re close to the Magdalena River, which inspired the Club's name."  
 
Students from the various engineering programs offered in the region support the Astronomy Club's outreach activities and those of the Campus. These students have been instrumental in promoting the Club and sparking interest in astronomical observation in the port community.  
 
Although the University has offered an undergraduate program in astronomy for 17 years, it did not have an observatory on any of its campuses. This new facility will enable students to practice and enhance their skills in using instruments for astronomical observation. 

Engineering students are working on a degree project to automate both the telescope and the dome. This will allow observations to be controlled and accessed from any UdeA campus and even anywhere in the world.  
 
The Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences is also seeking to install a meteorological station to better understand the climate and enhance the network of stations that monitor atmospheric conditions across the various UdeA campuses. 

This new project on the Puerto Berrío Campus included a 647-square-meter covered sports complex with bleachers, locker rooms, and public restrooms. Photo: UdeA Communications Department / Antonio Marenco 

Alliance to strengthen regional education 

With the project’s feasibility formulated by UdeA and submitted to the Sistema General de Regalías (SGR) (General Royalties System), the Government of Antioquia and the Municipality of Puerto Berrío allocated direct SGR funds to co-finance the 6,100 million pesos invested in the Campus. The contributions were distributed as follows: 4,410 million pesos from the Government of Antioquia, 150 million pesos from the Puerto Berrío Mayor’s Office, and 1,540 million pesos from UdeA’s Estampilla funds and Cree UdeA resources. The project prioritized hiring local labor, which generated 82 direct jobs. 

This investment will strengthen the University's presence in the Magdalena Medio subregion by offering spaces for hundreds of young people to enjoy the university experience as they dream of pursuing an academic program and continuing their professional development. 

Opening activities 

This Friday, August 22nd, the astronomy observatory will be put into operation, which marks the formal opening by UdeA of all the spaces included in this second phase of campus infrastructure. The event includes astronomy workshops for children in conjunction with the Erinadus Club (with prior registration), and free-entry activities for solar observation, lectures, and nighttime astronomical observation. 

About the Campus 

The Puerto Berrío Campus was inaugurated on December 17, 1997, on a plot of land donated to UdeA by the Government of Antioquia.  
 
In 2023, the Ministry of National Education (MEN) renewed Universidad de Antioquia's high-quality institutional accreditation, this time in the multi-campus modality, thereby recognizing the campus category for the institution's then-named headquarters and branch offices. 

That year, the first stage of the Puerto Berrío Campus project was completed. It included works to stabilize the exterior slopes and the renovation of the main building to house the library, administrative area, faculty lounge, counseling office, restrooms, and a rack room to guarantee internet access throughout the Campus. Likewise, the construction of a 100-seat auditorium and the installation of a water tank and electrical substation were also completed. 

Currently, the campus has 416 students and eight academic programs, including law, a bachelor's degree in mathematics, and technical programs in agricultural input management and pharmacy administration.