Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) moved from the 12th to the 9th position in the Latin America University Rankings 2020, published by Times Higher Education (THE). Among the top 10 universities in Latin America, UFSC was ranked the 3rd best Brazilian federal university, behind the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), both tied at the 5th position.

In this year’s edition of the ranking, Brazil has seven out of the top 10 universities in Latin America. In 2019, it had six. Among the Brazilian institutions, UFSC is the only one from the South region.

“Since the beginning of our administration, our work has always been focused on improving the quality of UFSC. And this is being done in an environment of budget restrictions and reductions and attacks on public universities. I have never had doubts about the capacity of our faculty, the dedication of our staff and the competence of UFSC in research, teaching and outreach. We are all very proud of this growth”, said the Rector Ubaldo Cesar Balthazar.

The top 10 Universities in Latin America

1 – Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
2 – Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil
3 – Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil
4 – Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico
5 – Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil *
5 – Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), Brazil *
7 – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Brazil
8 – Universidad de Chile, Chile
9 – Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil
10 – Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Brazil
*Both universities are ranked 5th.

Times Higher Education uses 13 performance indicators to evaluate the universities, including teaching (learning environment), internationalization, innovation, research volume and citations (research influence). The methodology is the same used in the THE World University Rankings, but the weightings have been recalibrated to reflect the characteristics of Latin America’s universities.

Further information:
Latin America University Rankings 2020
UFSC performance in the Times Higher Education Rankings

Translated by SINTER

Read the original article here.

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), aware of Ordinance no. 447/2020 enacted by the State Health Department (SES), announces that on-campus learning will not be resumed in 2020, while there are still no adequate sanitary and epidemiological conditions that can guarantee the safety of the university community.

Bearing in mind the university autonomy, guaranteed by the Constitution, as well the Ordinance no. 544/2020 enacted by the Ministry of Education, and based on current studies carried out by its scientific community, UFSC will be favoring remote learning, which will be regulated according to the University Council’s decision scheduled for 17 July.

Any resumption will be done gradually, cautiously and respectfully. The university will not resume in-classroom learning before an effective vaccine or medication is available to everyone. We are more than 40 million people at UFSC, a population that would certainly have a major impact on public health systems if on-campus classes were resumed without the proper epidemiological indications. Therefore, there is no expected date for on-campus return.

UFSC Central Administration

Read the original announcement here. 

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) was ranked 15th overall among the 30 Brazilian Universities which participated in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2020. The Impact Rankings assess universities against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. This was the first time that UFSC participated in the ranking, and it was ranked 301-400th worldwide.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings uses carefully calibrated indicators to provide comparisons across three broad areas: research, outreach and stewardship. In 2020, the list includes 768 universities from 85 countries. In the Overall Ranking, the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, had the best performance, followed by the University of Sydney and the Western Sydney University, both in Australia. Among the Brazilian universities, the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) had the best performance.

Score

A university’s final score in the overall ranking is calculated by combining its score in SDG 17 with the score in three other SDGs selected by the institution. The SDG 17 ‒ Partnerships for the Goals looks at the broader ways in which universities support the SDGs through collaboration with other countries, the promotion of best practices and the publication of data. It accounts for 22% of the overall score, while the other SDGs carry a weight of 26% each. This means that different universities are scored based on a different set of SDGs.

Among Brazilian Universities, regarding performance against SDG 17, UFSC was ranked 17th. In the SDG 3 ‒ Good Health and Well-Being, it was ranked 10th; in the SDG 4 ‒ Quality Education, it got the 7th place; and in the SDG 12 ‒ Responsible Consumption and Production, it had the 5th best performance in the country.

See the complete ranking results here.

For further information about UFSC’s participation, access the UFSC Sustentável website.

Last Friday, 29 May, the Central Administration of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) has announced that the university’s in-person academic and administrative activities will remain suspended. According to the Normative Ordinance no. 364/2020/GR, the suspension is now for an indefinite period, but a deadline of 30 days has been set for the university to decide on the continuity of the 2020-1 semester and on the rearrangement of the academic activities.

“Our intention is to act in accordance with the state and federal decrees, which is why the extension is for an indefinite period”, explains the Rector Ubaldo Cesar Balthazar. “However, we have urgency in making decisions about the academic calendar, as our community waits for answers, so we have set a 30-day deadline for the University Council to reach an agreement, and I hope that these decisions will come out before that deadline.”

Until 30 June, the university will complete diagnostics, collect data and produce indicators that shall demonstrate full conditions for the implementation of alternatives to the regular teaching activities, at all levels and of all types, on all UFSC campuses, based on the work of committees and subcommittees, and will produce a regulation to be evaluated by the relevant bodies and approved by the University Council.

According to the Ordinance no. 364/2020, teaching activities at all levels and of all types are suspended indefinitely, except for those which were already carried out remotely (full-time distance learning courses). Any other in-person academic activities, such as defenses, recruitment examinations and meetings, as well as the in-person technical and administrative activities, except for health, security and other urgent and essential services, remain suspended on all UFSC campuses.

The UFSC Institutional Repository (RI/UFSC) is among the fifteen most viewed repositories of its kind in the world and the third in Brazil, according to the latest edition of the Ranking WEB of Repositories (April/2020). In 2019, the Repository had more than 6 million views.

Currently, RI/UFSC contains more than 120 thousand documents, including 38 thousand theses and dissertations and more than 26 thousand academic papers, in addition to other documents.

To access UFSC’s scientific production, visit our Repository.

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) has been taking an active role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To keep you updated on what we are doing, we have gathered information about our latest projects, actions and campaigns targeted at fighting COVID-19, assisting healthcare workers and minimizing the pandemic’s impacts on the local community and the greater society.

Read more here.

UFSC Ressacada Experimental Farm. Photo: Councilman “Marquito” and Edaciano Leandro Losch.

During and after the new coronavirus pandemic, social inequality in Brazil tends to increase dramatically. At this juncture, it is essential to look for alternatives and ways of producing and providing healthy and quality food, especially to the most vulnerable social groups.

The outreach project titled “Production of agroecological food for socially vulnerable families in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina: food security in times of COVID-19 pandemic” was born from an unprecedented partnership between the Agroecology Research and Outreach Center of the Ressacada Experimental Farm (FER)  at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), the Florianópolis City Council – through the office of the councilman Marcos José de Abreu (“Marquito”) – and the civil society organizations Marmitas Veganas [Vegan Lunch Boxes], Campeche Solidário (Solidary Campeche), International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON  South Brazil), Compassos Institute, Community Garden of Campeche Cultural Park (Pacuca), C0vid-19 Floripa and Grupo Comida e Vida Alegre [Happy Life and Food Group]. The meals and food baskets prepared in the project will benefit poor residents of Florianópolis and the surrounding area, as well as UFSC students and employees.

The initiative aims to strengthen existing solidarity campaigns focused on food collection. Faculty, students and staff from UFSC and external volunteers are participating in the project, which is coordinated by Patrizia Ana Bricarello, a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences and Rural Development (ZOT) at the School of Agricultural Sciences (CCA).

Methodology

The project aims to go beyond the collection and distribution of food: it aims to help building the agri-food autonomy of the segments involved. The planting of vegetables will take place in the Agroecology Research and Extension Center at the Ressacada Farm, from April to December 2020. Seedbeds of 20×1.2m each will be prepared in an initial area of 600m² (in Tapera neighborhood, Florianópolis), which can be expanded to double the size depending on the demand for food and the availability of labor.

The beds will firstly receive a fraction of limestone and will be fertilized with poultry litter and cattle and sheep manure. Afterwards, the seedlings will be planted according to the Biodynamic Calendar that governs the favorable and unfavorable days for planting flowers, fruits, leaves and seeds, as well as for pruning, grafting and harvesting.

The seedlings will be made available through the support network and solidarity campaigns that are part of the project, with the mediation of the councilman Marcos José de Abreu and his assistants, as well as with the help of volunteers who will assist in the operational tasks and in taking care of the plants.

During the autumn/winter period, vegetable species will be planted: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, beet, carrot, and herbs. Whereas in the spring/summer, annual crops such as sweet potatoes, cassava, corn, yams, leafy vegetables, among others, will be planted.

The crops will be planted with spacing according to literature recommendations, in an intercropping and alternation scheme, so that every week there is a species to be harvested. During crop development,  biodynamic preparations and homeopathic and herbal medicines will be applied for the control of insects and pathogens. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides will not be used.

Donation

The food produced will be directed to solidarity campaigns. Some items will be delivered fresh and others will be processed in community kitchens to be delivered in the form of lunch boxes and meals to the target audience.

Translated by SINTER.

Read the original article here.

The Central Administration of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) has extended the suspension of the university’s in-person academic and administrative activities until 31 May, according to the Normative Ordinance no. 359 published this Wednesday, 29 April.

The teaching activities, at all levels and of all types, remain suspended on all UFSC campuses. The Ordinance also extends the suspension of other on-campus academic activities such as defenses, recruitment examinations and meetings.

In-person technical and administrative activities, in all UFSC units, remain suspended as well, except for health, security and other urgent and essential services.

The document stresses, however, that these measures may be changed upon occurrence of new events.

Read the Normative Ordinance no. 359/2020/GR, click here.

A dermatologist analyzes a medical test. Photo: CET/SES-SC collection.

On 31 March, the Federal Senate approved the use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. The objective is to alleviate the healthcare system, especially hospitals and health centers, by using technological resources, such as videoconferences, to assist patients. The proposal now goes to the President for approval. The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) already has a telemedicine tool operating for 15 years, which is currently present in all Santa Catarina municipalities and has proven positive results. It can be an essential tool during this pandemic time.

The proposal of using the UFSC Integrated Telemedicine and Telehealth System (STT) nationally was sent to the Ministry of Health by the Santa Catarina Senator Dario Berger, as a tool to optimize and expand the triage and monitoring of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 across the country.

According to Aldo von Wangenheim, a faculty member of the UFSC Department of Informatics and Statistics, who is one of the creators and the current scientific coordinator of the system, the STT is a compilation of technologies, medical work processes, test protocols and clinical procedures for large-scale remote diagnosis and monitoring of patients in the context of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).

“The STT represents more than 15 years of continuous operation and improvement. Many obstacles placed by ‘real-life’ challenges were already overcome, and we keep offering full and continuous coverage in the state of Santa Catarina”, remarks the professor.

The Integrated Telemedicine and Telehealth System developed by UFSC has been executed uninterruptedly and continuously in partnership  with the Santa Catarina State Health Department since May 2005, receiving support of the Pan American Health Organization, the Ministry of Health, the Santa Catarina State Foundation for the Support of Research and Innovation (FAPESC), and the Funding Authority for Studies and Projects (FINEP). The system consolidates basic research technologies and results, adapting and testing them in a large practical real-world environment.

Currently, more than 80,000 medical tests and telemedicine appointments are carried out per month. See below some of the STT numbers:

• More than 650 health institutions connected in Santa Catarina, from health centers to high-complexity hospitals;
• More than 100 health institutions connected in the states of Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and Tocantins, for which STT offers a few services;
• More than 55,000 healthcare workers using the system, of which 35,000 live in Santa Catarina;
• All the 295 Santa Catarina municipalities assisted;
• More than 80,000 tests carried out per month, totaling 9,5 million tests since 2005.

Telemedicine in the Unified Health System (SUS)

Professor Aldo von Wangenheim explains that the technology and many of the processes and protocols used in the system were developed from scratch, since large-scale telemedicine in the public health sector is a technological area still unexplored internationally. UFSC has been conducting research in this area since 1999. In the STT, it is possible to store and send imaging tests of various types, manage communication between healthcare workers, and accommodate a network with a central cloud storage.

“Since the beginning, the STT was designed to assist the public health system; it is developed using free software and does not require licenses or great operational costs”, highlights the professor.

“At the moment, we have the system installed in the University Hospital at UFSC (HU/UFSC), where we are developing an integration with the University Hospital Management App (AGHU), which operates there. In addition, we have experience regarding the integration of our system into electronic record systems: currently, the system is integrated into the MICROMED electronic record systems used in all public hospitals in Santa Catarina, through a standardized and transparent integration via DICOM Worklist, as well as into the legacy record systems of the HU/UFSC. An integration with e-SUS was also designed and it is in its planning stage”, informs the researcher.

Further information

UFSC Telemedicine/Telehealth website

Tools integrated into STT

Explanatory videos about STT

With information from Agência Senado, UFSC Telemedicine/Telehealth  | Translated by SINTER

Read the original article here.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Administration of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) has extended the suspension of all academic and administrative in-person activities at the university until 30 April, according to the Normative Ordinance no. 357, published this Tuesday, 7 April. This measure unifies the suspension period, once classes in the State of Santa Catarina were suspended until 19 April and the UFSC administrative activities were being suspended for 1-week periods.

“The decision is supported by all indicators developed by specialists, which show that the contagion ‘peak’ in the outbreak curve shall occur around 20 April”, explains the Rector, Ubaldo Cesar Balthazar. Since UFSC suspended the classes initially from 16 March and later, after the State Decree, extended the suspension until 19 April, there was a significant movement of students going back to their hometowns. More than 30% of UFSC students have their families living outside the city where they study.

With this suspension, the technical and administrative activities can continue to be performed remotely – wherever possible – thus preserving social distance, which has been confirmed by health authorities as an essential strategy for preventing the mass spread of the virus. “We insist that what is most fundamental at this moment and in the following days and weeks is taking care of our health and the health of our friends and family. We should stay at home”, stressed the Rector.

Ever since the activities were first suspended, UFSC has been taking firm actions against the pandemic. Numerous research projects and investigations are presenting solutions and actions aimed at safety, testing, prevention measures, and solidarity. Moreover, since the University Restaurants are closed, the Prorectorate for Student Affairs (PRAE) has set up an emergency program to provide grants to the university’s most vulnerable students, based on their socioeconomic registration.

“We have been attentive to the students who depend on the restaurant’s meals and who, in this moment, are in need of further support”, explained the Pro-Rector for Student Affairs, Pedro Manique Barreto. In addition to the grants, which will be provided again in April, basic food baskets were offered to students in the Student Residence Hall and in the indigenous housing unit, and a ton of food has been sent to each of the four UFSC campuses outside of Florianópolis. This week, with the support of the Students’ Union (DCE), PRAE is also engaged in another action, which will distribute six more tons of food.

“As I said two weeks ago, the University hasn’t stopped. We are working, and we are working a lot, to maintain our institution focused on preserving lives, which is our most important and essential asset”, said the Rector.

To read the Normative Ordinance no. 357/2020/GR, click here.

By AGECOM/UFSC | Translated by SINTER

Read the original article here.