Merida, Yucatan, Mexico – Ing. Ricardo Bello Bolio and Dr. Zenón Medina-Cetina present the Yucatan Initiative to the delegations from both States, to then proceed to the ceremony of Incorporation of TEES from Texas A&M University to the System of Research, Innovation, and Technological Development of Yucatan, SIIDETEY, which was headed by the Gobernor of Yucatan, Lic. Rolando Zapata Bello.

Under the premise of using knowledge to generated well-being and regional sustaintable economic development through an innovative and sustaintable initiative that allows to count with an interests focus of regional reach, Texas A&M University through the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), is officially incorporated to the System of Research, Innovation, and Technological Development of Yucatan as the first international institution in the system.

This incorporation gives the conditions so that, jointly with the other member institutions of SIIDETEY, projects can be carried out through the integration of research, academic, and service activities, developed by faculty and researchers of an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, and bi-national form, focused on solving regional problems and encouraging the collaboration between researchers, administrators, and goverment representatives.

In this sense, the Yucatan Initiative (TAMU-SIIDETEY) currently in process, has involved, from Texas, 80 researchers, 10 global energy enterprises, and 15 students; and Yucatan has involved, 80 researchers from 15 different institutions, 15 goverment representatives, more than 50 enterprises from the Yucatan private sector, and 33 superior level students, with more than one million mexican pesos of concurrent funds investment.

Projects are being developed through the Yucatan Initiative focused on aquifers, sustaintable energy, early warning systems, logistics, and coast dynamics. And now, through the working groups sinergy, have involved topics related to climate change, internet systems development, education, and agriculture, contributing in this form to the positioning of Yucatan as a regional pole of high-level human resource formation, and scientific and technological development.

To take advantage of this visit, a meeting was held with administrators and researchers representing various institutions involved in the Tier I projects of the Yucatan Initiative. Energy Sustentability is presented by Dr. Romeo de Coss Gómez, Director of the Mérida Unit of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV), Dr. Pedro Castro Borjes, Professor-Researcher, of CINVESTAV-Mérida Unit, and Dr. Edgar Sanchez Sinencio, Professor of Electrical and Computing Engineering, TAMU. The aquifers project is presented by Dr. Felipe Sánchez Teyer, Director of the Center for Scientific Research of Yucatán (CICY), Dra. Rosa Maria Leal Bautista, Professor-Researcher of Water Sciences Unit of CICY, and Dr. Robin Autenrieth (TBC) from the Department Head of Civil Engineering, TAMU. Coastal dynamics is led by Dr. Xavier Chiappa Carrara, General Director of the Academic Unit of Sisal-UNAM and Dr. James Kaihatu, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, TAMU. Mtro. Víctor Gutiérrez Martínez , President of Grupo PLENUM, Dr. Alberto Muñoz Ubando, Director of Innovation at Grupo PLENUM, and Dr. William Fox, Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Science and Management, present the projects in early warning systems. Finally, Dr. Jose de Jesus Williams, President of the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY), Dra. Marcela Zamudio Maya, Director of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at UADY, and Dr. Jorge Leon, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, TAMU, expone the project for Logistics – Supply Chain Management.

To culminate the visit, the TAMU delegation is transported to the Scientific and Technological Park to meet with the Planning Committee of SIIDETEY as a new member. The delegation also meets with industry members present in the Scientific Park and take a tour to the different study zones: Germo, CIATEJ, energy, and seed factory.