The University in the World

Since that moment, the Insitution set the foundations of education in Colombia with the openiong of six faculties, Arts and Crafts, Literature, Pholosophy, Engineering, Medicine, Law and Natural Sciences, which with time has increase to 21 among all 8 Campuses. To them has been affiliated a large number of illustrous names that helped to build the global perspective of UNAL.

From Germany are highlighted the names of Leopoldo Rother and Fritz Karsen, architects and pedagogists that in 1935 led carefully the building of the University City; also the geographer Ernesto Guhl Nimtz. big reformer of the way of teach and research Geography, authority in a study of tropical wet moorlands and promoter of environmental conscience in the country; and the physicist Juan Herkrath Müller, who led the creation of the UNAL Physics Department in the 50's and, later, was dean of Sciences Faculty.

Mathematics in the country were not conceived without the influence of the italian physicist Carlo Federicci,, founder of the Mathematics Faculty on 1957. His knowledge in the discipline has incorporated in medicine, art, psychology and didactics. In the same line, the japanese professor Yu Takeuchi boosted the teaching of matehematics in Colombia and in 1988 received from the Institution the Honoris Causa Doctorate.

Arts were strengthened by the argentinean critic Marta Traba, who opened the space for art and modern thought in Colombia. In the meantime the estonian composer Olav Roots was the promoter of colombian music and the creation by part of the national composers; besides was director of the Music Conservatory of UNAL.

The foreigners' list is also integrated by the spanish architect Fernando Martínez Sanabria, who changed the architecture history in Colombia adding to the architrectural integration the place and the landscape; the canadian economist Lauchlin Currie, developer of housing construction in Colombia with the plan The four strategies, within the Misael Pastrana's presidency in 1971. In addition, Currie distinguishes himself  by leading the departmets of Economics, managementa and Accounting od UNAL, and the creation of the Development Research Center (CID) in 1966.

Linkage of UNAL and today's world

The international vision of the Institution has maintained along its more than 150 years of history and it has shown the leadership of opening Pstgraduate programs (masters and doctorates), as a form to join in a globalized world and bring solutions to the population's needs. With the creation of the Doctorate in Philosophy in 1978, which were followed by Sciences-Physics, Sciences-Mathematics, Sciences-Chemistry in 1986, UNAL made itself pioneer in this kind of programs in Colombia.

To this date, has 329 postgraduate programs: 56 doctorates, 152 masters, 38 specializations and 38 medical specializations. Also has 30 research institutes and 29 research centers.

Insititution's scientific production is consolidated with 41 research groups with international projection and 433 current agreements signeted with other countries. In the meantime, it keeps connections with 125 countries through agreements, extension and research projects (that leads academic mobilization of professors, researchers and students) and coautorships in papers in databases like ISI and Scopus (7,551 registered papers). In addition to this, counts with 11 current patents.

Teaching and student capital

UNAL has been the acedemic destination by excellence, of students from other countries. Currently forms 183 foreigners in its Undergraduate and Postgraduate programs. On the same way, 363 national students travelled recently to other nations to do research, internships and taking subjects.

The Institution has the largest and most qualified teaching staff of the country, who guarrantees the education quality that is taught: 1,169 with Doctor's Degree, 1,118 with Master's Degree and 217 medical specialists. All of them with degrees obtained in the 5 continents.

Taking into account the importance in languages formation, offers to its students and public community 535 of English, Mandarin, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Farsi among others. Besides is the only insittution that carries exams and certifies translators in Colombia.

It should be noted that UNAL is the only university in the country that takes its admission exam at 52 consulates on 5 continents.

Scientific input to the Mankind

Universidad Nacional de Colombia is the main scientific research center of the country. Some of its developemnts has been valuable inputs for Mankind, among of them are:

• Hakim Valve, created in 1966 by the UNAL's doctor Salomón Hakim, whom after discovering normal pressure hydrocephalus (increase if CSF fluid in the brain), designed this mechanism that regulates the drainage of such fluid.
• Kangaroo Mother's Program, created in 1978 at San Juan de Dios Hospital, got the acknoledgement of several international funds as UNICEF for promoting, prevent and recover the premature babies' health in the world.
• Malaria's vaccine, the first synthetic in the world, developed in 1987 by UNAL's doctor Manuel Elkin Patarroyo.
• Among the social transformation, is relevant the implmentation of the method Participative Investigative Action (IAP), by de social scientist Orlando Fals Borda. IAP made a breakthrouh and boost the collective construction of knowledge in the 70's decade.
• From the UNAL's Astronomic Obsevatory the scientist Julio Garavito researched the lunar fluctuations and its influence in the climatic,temporary and hydric behaviors of the polar ice,  among other subjects. International Astronomic Union honored him by naming a lunar crater with his name.

Border integration

UNAL's Borders Campuses, located in strategic country's zones such as the Pacific, the Caribbean, Orinoquia and Amazonia, besides of being border integration points with neighboring nations, promotes the joint development of research and cooperative projects.

Caribbean Campus specializes in studies and analysis of the insular and continental Caribbean Region's problems, in the Greater Caribbean basin. Hence its research focuses on marine biology and coastal issues, and has scientific spaces such as the Sea Sciences Studies Center (Cecimar)  and the Botanical Garden, tese places are oriented to the conservation, knowledge, valuation and use of the vegetal diversity of the San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina Archipelago, where UNAL actually develops a vicinity strategy and border integration.

Orinoquia Campus stands out for its agricultural studies, fish farming, plant nurseries, frutal and transitory crops, and by having a complete soil laboratory and a experiemntal farm. In the zone, has been established as an educational entity focused into productive capacity improvement, forging itself as pioneer in the department. With Venezuelan Collaboration realizes various workshops about regional problems and advances on the signing of international technical cooperation agreements.

Amazonia Campus has among its objectives stand out the geostrategic and environmental importance of this region to contribute on Nation's consolidation, leading border integration processes with international reach. For this produces, systemize and projects amazonian studies.

Finally Tumaco Campus is orientes to acknowledge of the forgotten Pacific's region of Tumaco. through the construction of the Pacific Studies Insitute; projects the creation of a technologic center of sea products, a cultural center of indigenous and afro-colombian population, a palafitic architecture laboratory and a forestal restoration laboratory. With Ecuador has created the Binational Fishing Technical Committee and leads a border integration policy.