History of SIMAFE
The genesis of SIMAFE is the Seminar on Magnetism and Statistical Physics (originally in Spanish Seminario de Magnetismo y Física Estadística) in 1986, the year in which the Physics Department of the Universidad de Concepción and the Magnetism and Statistical Physics Group of the Universidad de La Frontera organized the First Southern Workshop on Solid State Physics (originally in Spanish I Taller Sur de Física del Estado Sólido). This successful first meeting, a testimony of a nascent scientific activity in the south of Chile, was repeated uninterruptedly until 2001, being held alternately in Concepción and Temuco. The 15th version of the Taller Sur was a consolidated meeting recognized by the national and international scientific community. However, the death of Professor Juan Rivera, an active collaborator of the Universidad de Concepción, was a tragedy that seriously affected the continuity of these events.
Four years had to pass before the urgent need to generate debate and exchange ideas led to the Intensive Seminars on Magnetism and Statistical Physics. Thus, in 2005, in an informal and unpretentious manner, scientists from the Universities of San Luis (Argentina) and La Frontera began to show the progress of their research in intensive working sessions that generally lasted two days. Little by little, this annual Seminar gained relevance, gathering an increasing number of national and foreign researchers and allowing undergraduate and graduate students to participate.
A milestone of these meetings occurred in 2016, in its 11th version. The event left the city of Temuco and took place in the captivating nature of Pucón and its surroundings. The occasion was the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Professor Eugenio E. Vogel, a pioneer in Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics research in the south of Chile. This version had a significant international presence, mainly among Latin American researchers. In addition, by this date, the event already had the annual support of the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CEDENNA).
Villarica volcano.
Pucon landscapes.
The evolution of the Seminar required that from 2019 its name was changed from "Intensive Seminar on Magnetism and Statistical Physics" to "Intensive Seminar on Condensed Matter Physics and Statistical Physics" due to the increase in the number of topics. In addition, the acronym SIMAFE began to be used.
Photo of the 10th SIMAFE at Universidad de La Frontera.
In 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic made it necessary to rethink the meeting modality, moving from the classic face-to-face activities to the virtual ones. What, at first, seemed a difficulty ended up being an opportunity. Researchers from the United States, Spain, and several Latin American countries participated, giving the Seminar unprecedented international coverage.
By 2021, SIMAFE has continued evolving. Although in previous versions some lectures were given in English, the primary language was Spanish. This version, the main language will be English to broaden the participant base. Colleagues from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany are among the invited and contributed speakers. On the other hand, to motivate the participation of South American students and young researchers, some sessions have been considered in Spanish. Consistent with this evolution, the name of our event has become: International Seminar on Condensed Matter Physics and Statistical Physics. This name reflects the growth of our scientific meeting.
Photo of the previous version of SIMAFE (virtual meeting year 2020).
Due to the COVID19 pandemic, this version will be carried out in a hybrid way, adjusting to the sanitary conditions at the date of the event.
Finally, we thank you for your interest in participating in SIMAFE, and we hope it will be a scientifically motivating and engaging activity.