View source for National Polytechnic School (Ecuador)

{{Short description|Public university in Quito, Ecuador}}
{{About|the Ecuadorian school|eponymous Algerian school|National Polytechnic School (Algeria)|other uses|List of institutions using the term "institute of technology" or "polytechnic"{{!}}Polytechnic}}
{{Infobox university
|name           = National Polytechnic School
|native_name    = ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Escuela Politécnica Nacional'')
|image          =
|image_alt      =
|caption        = EPN (National Polytechnic University)
|motto          = ''{{lang|la|"E scientia hominis salus"}}'' (in [[Latin language|Latin]])
|mottoeng       =
|established    = 1869
|type           = [[Public university]]
|coor           = {{coord|0|12|38|S|78|29|20|W|source:eswiki_region:EC|display=inline,title}}
|vice rector      =
|rector     = Florinella Muñoz, PhD
|provost        =
|city           = [[Quito]]
|state          = [[Pichincha Province|Pichincha]]
|country        = [[Ecuador]]
|undergrad      = 10,000
|postgrad       = 2,500
|other_students            = 7,000
|faculty        =
|campus         = [[Urban Area|Urban]], {{convert|152000|m2|acre}}
|mascot         = [[Owl]]
|free_label     =
|free           =
|nobel_laureates =
|website        = [http://www.epn.edu.ec/ epn.edu.ec] (in 5 languages)
|colors         =
|endowment      =
}}
The '''National Polytechnic School''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: '''''Escuela Politécnica Nacional'''''), also known as '''EPN''', is a [[public university]] in [[Quito]], [[Ecuador]]. The campus, named after José Rubén Orellana, is located in the east-central part of Quito. It occupies an area of 15.2 [[hectare]]s and has a built area of around 62,000 metres<sup>2</sup>. Its student body numbers approximately 10,000, of which thirty percent are women. The main campus encompasses ten teaching and research faculties, in addition to four technical and specialized institutes. EPN was founded in 1869 with the aim of becoming the first technical and technological center in the country. Since its beginnings, EPN adopted the [[History of European research universities|polytechnic university model]], which stresses laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. At the campus, there are some libraries with content primarily oriented to engineering and scientific topics.
== History ==
The National Polytechnic School was founded on August 27, 1869, by the National Convention of Ecuador and the former [[President of Ecuador|Ecuadorian President]] [[Gabriel García Moreno]]. EPN is the second-oldest public university in Ecuador, after [[Central University of Ecuador]].
For this purpose, García Moreno hired members of a [[Germans|German]] [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] [[religious order]] to manage the university and the [[Quito Astronomical Observatory]]. Juan Bautista Menten, Louis Dressel, [[Theodor Wolf]], Joseph Kolberg and [[Luis Sodiro]] were among the first scientists who taught at the EPN. It received the name of "Instituto Superior Politecnico", and Menten was its first director; some other notable professors included Emilio Muellendorf, Armando Wenzel, Cristian Boetzkes, José Epping, Eduardo Brugier, Luis Heiss, Alberto Claessen, P. Clemente Faller; and Joseph Honshteter. The newborn institution was conceived as the first research center of Ecuador and was created with the purpose of contributing to the scientific and technological development of the country. These academics excelled in several fields such as cartography and mineralogy (Wolf), Chemistry (Dressel), Botany (Sodiro), Architecture (Kolberg), and other fields of engineering. The advent of electricity to the city of Quito was in part the work of Kolberg and Brugier.
The university was closed by President Borrero in 1876 and remained closed for some decades. In February 1935, President [[José María Velasco Ibarra]] re-opened it and in 1946 the name was changed to Escuela Politecnica Nacional. In 1964, the university moved from its old campus near the La Alameda park to its current campus in El Giron, which was named after former Rector José Rubén Orellana Ricaurte.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.epn.edu.ec/institucion/sintesis-historica/|title=Síntesis Histórica|last=Nacional|first=Escuela Politécnica|date=2010-08-21|newspaper=Escuela Politécnica Nacional|language=es-ES|access-date=2016-11-02}}</ref> EPN offers many degrees in engineering and science including civil engineering, electric and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, power electronics, petroleum engineering, chemical engineering, bio-agricultural engineering, food technology, geology, informatics engineering, mathematics and physics. In addition to science and engineering degrees, EPN also started offering technical and technological degrees, with the School of Information and Technology being founded in 1967.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://esfot.epn.edu.ec/esfot30/anuncios/Malla%20Tecnolog%C3%ADa%20en%20Agua%20y%20Saneamiento%20Ambiental.pdf |title=ESCUELA DE FORMACIÓN TECNOLÓGICA |accessdate=2015-04-24 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100522/http://esfot.epn.edu.ec/esfot30/anuncios/Malla%20Tecnolog%C3%ADa%20en%20Agua%20y%20Saneamiento%20Ambiental.pdf |archivedate=2016-03-04 }} In 1967, the School of Information and Technology was founded</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/politecnica-nacional-conteo-rapido-elecciones.html | title=Politécnica Nacional se encargará del conteo rápido del CNE en las elecciones}}</ref>
After the Covid 19 Pandemic no native teachers could teach the English Classes. So there are classes for English but no natvie teachers to teach them.<ref>https://www.cec-epn.edu.ec/preguntas-frecuentes-cec-epn/</ref>
Losing accreditation due to a lack of native English-speaking teachers can occur in educational institutions where such teachers are considered essential to meet certain standards, especially for English language programs. Accreditation bodies often evaluate factors like teaching quality, curriculum design, and staff qualifications to ensure the institution meets its educational goals.
==Faculties<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.epn.edu.ec/carreras/oferta-academica/|title=Oferta Académica|last=Nacional|first=Escuela Politécnica|date=2010-08-31|newspaper=Escuela Politécnica Nacional|language=es-ES|access-date=2016-11-02}}</ref>==
[[File:EPN - FIEE FIQ.jpg|thumb|Faculty of Electrical Engineering.]]
The university has 8 faculties that house 24 professional undergraduate schools, 18 master's degrees and 6 postgraduate doctorates. These specialties belong to the field of knowledge of science, engineering and technical training school (ESFOT). All professional faculties, except the Technical Training School, offer masters and doctorates in various fields of specialization.
* Administrative Sciences
* Chemical Engineering and Agro-Industry<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.science.org/content/article/mathematician-finds-his-way-through-adversity | title=A mathematician finds his way through adversity| date=2016-02-02}}</ref>
* Civil and Environmental Engineering
* Computer Science Engineering
* Electrical and Electronics Engineering
* Geology and Petroleum
* Mechanical Engineering
* Exact Sciences: Mathematics, Physics
=== Technical Training School ===
The Technical Training School (ESFOT) has been in operation since 1967 and has a focus on [[computer network|Computer Networking]], [[Telecommunications network]]ing and teaching all about [[Computer programming]] and how [[computer]]s exchange [[Data (computing)|data]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://esfot.epn.edu.ec/esfot30/ |title=Esfot-Epn |accessdate=2015-04-24 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417010649/http://esfot.epn.edu.ec/esfot30/ |archivedate=2015-04-17 }} School of Information and Technology at EPN</ref>
== Volcanic monitoring ==
{{Main|List of volcanoes in Ecuador}}
[[File:19991102 Tung large.jpg|thumb|Tungurahua spewing hot lava and ash at night (1999)]]
In Ecuador, the National Polytechnic School department provides monitoring of volcanic activity in this mountainous Andean nation. [[Cotopaxi]] is a [[stratovolcano]] in the [[Andes|Andes Mountains]], located about {{convert|50|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south of [[Quito]], [[Ecuador]], [[South America]].<ref name="Distance from Quito to Cotopaxi">{{cite web|url=http://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/Ecuador_Distance_Result.asp?fromplace=Quito%20(Pichincha)&toplace=Cotopaxi%20()&fromlat=-0.2166667&tolat=-0.6666667&fromlng=-78.5&tolng=-78.4333333|title=Distance from Quito to Cotopaxi|publisher=distancecalculator.globefeed.com}}</ref> It is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of {{convert|5897|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Some consider it the world's highest active volcano,<ref name="Cotopaxi">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139756/Cotopaxi|title=Cotopaxi|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> while others give this status to the considerably higher [[Llullaillaco]], which most recently erupted in 1877 and is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes. Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times, resulting in the creation of numerous valleys formed by [[lahar]]s (mudflows) around the volcano.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/universidadcentral-politecnicanacional-cupos-carreras-universitarios.html |title = Universidad Central y Politécnica Nacional se preparan para otorgar cupos}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oaq.epn.edu.ec|title=Inicio – Observatorio Astronómico de Quito – OAQ}}</ref>
In October 1999, the Pichincha volcano erupted in Quito and covered the city with several inches of [[Volcanic ash|ash]]. Prior to that, the last major eruptions were in 1553<ref name="Weather, Kington 2010">Climate and Weather, Kington, J. Collins London,(2010)</ref> and in 1660, when about 30&nbsp;cm of ash fell on the city.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/28/world/ecuadoreans-wait-uneasily-on-volcanoes.html|title=Ecuadoreans Wait Uneasily On Volcanoes|date=28 November 1999|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>
[[Reventador]] is an active stratovolcano that lies in the eastern Andes of Ecuador. Since 1541 it has erupted over 25 times with most recent eruption in 2009,<ref name="news.yahoo.com">[https://web.archive.org/web/20160503085808/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A1-D94C87UO0.html Reventador volcano spews lava near Ecuador capital – AP Online ]</ref> but the largest historical eruption occurred in 2002. During that eruption the plume from the volcano reached a height of 17&nbsp;km and [[pyroclastic flow]]s went up to 7&nbsp;km from the cone. On March 30, 2007, the mountain spewed ash again. The ash reached a height of about {{convert|2|mi|km ft|spell=in}}.
[[Cotopaxi]], outside of [[Quito]], began activity in April 2015; the volcano began to show signs of unrest, and came back to life. There was a large increase in earthquakes (including harmonic tremors) and [[sulfur dioxide|SO<sub>2</sub>]] emissions. IGPEN reported slight deformation of the edifice, suggesting an intrusion of magma under the volcano. As of 25 July, the unrest continued, and the most recent major eruption was an ash and steam eruption that occurred on August 14 and 15, 2015.<ref name=wired>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/06/restless-volcano-puts-ecuador-edge/|title=A Restless Volcano Puts Ecuador on Edge Once More|date=17 June 2015|magazine=WIRED}}</ref><ref name=poly>[http://www.igepn.edu.ec/cotopaxi National Polytechnic School Geophysics Institute is constantly monitoring Cotopaxi]</ref><ref name=bbc>{{cite news|title=Ecuador declares state of emergency over volcano|publisher=BBC.com|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-33951065|work=BBC News|date=2015-08-16}}</ref><ref name=volcanodiscovery>volcanodiscovery.com/cotopaxi/news/53218/Cotopaxi-volcano-Ecuador-increased-seismic-activity-volcanic-unrest.html</ref><ref>elcomercio.com/actualidad/volcan-cotopaxi-erupcion-actividad-seguros.html</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/sociedad/4/la-investigacion-ubico-a-la-politecnica-nacional-entre-las-mejores-de-la-region | title=La investigación ubicó a la Politécnica Nacional entre las mejores de la región| date=2017-07-22}}</ref>
[[File:Observatorio Astronómico de Quito, concepción artística.jpg|thumb|250px|right|QUITO OBSERVATORY. Artistic conception of the observatory, according to Ludwig Dressel (1873).]]
== Gustavo Orcés V. Natural History Museum ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2023}}
The [[Gustavo Orcés V. Natural History Museum]] is part of the Life Sciences Institute on the campus of the National Polytechnic School. The main focus is conducting research on Ecuadorian fauna in the fields of biodiversity, ecology, zoology, and environmental impact assessments, and contributing to national environmental culture through the Gustavo Orces Natural History Museum.
The museum has the remains of the only complete mammoth found in Ecuador.
==See also==
* [[List of astronomical observatories]]
* [[List of universities in Ecuador]]
{{clear}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
* [http://www.epn.edu.ec/  National Polytechnic School official website] {{in lang|es}}
{{Portal bar|Ecuador|Astronomy|Stars|Spaceflight|Outer space|Solar System|Education|Science}}
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[[Category:1869 establishments in Ecuador]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1869]]
[[Category:Public universities]]
[[Category:Technical universities and colleges]]
[[Category:Universities in Quito]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in Ecuador]]
[[Category:Museums in Quito]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Quito]]