Merida, Yucatan – A working meeting between SIIES and TAMUS took place on January 13-16, 2016 in Merida, Yucatan to explore and define activities that would allow collaboration for the creation of the Yucatan Polytechnic University, the first petroleum engineering university in the Southeast of Mexico.

The main points of discussion were addressed in 5 working session including the following topics:

  1. Engineering and graduate programs and degrees
  2. Program’s accreditation and recognition
  3. Intensive program for professional retraining
  4. Professional Certifications
  5. Joint research areas
  6. Strategies for technology transfer and relations with enterprises
  7. English language formation
  8. Visiting professors, and formation and research internships

The participating TAMU delegation was comprised by:

  1. Dr. Zenon Medina Cetina, Director of the Yucatan Initiative, Associate Professor, Civil & Petroleum Engineering
  2. Dr. Valerie E. Taylor, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering
  3. Dr. Mark H. Weichold, Director of International Programs, College of Engineering
  4. Dr. James Hallmark, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Texas A&M University System (TAMUS)
  5. Dr. Scott Schaefer, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science
  6. Richard Reese, Associate Professor, Engineering & Computer Science Department, Tarleton State University
  7. Adolfo Benavides, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Texas A&M University Commerce (TAMUC)
  8. Dr. Maria Ferrier, Director of Mexico and Latin America Relations, TAMUS
  9. James Webb, Instructor for the Department of Computer Information & Decision Management, West Texas A&M University (WTAMU)
  10. Frank Petzold, Professor and Dean of the College of Science & Engineering, Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) 

The local delegation was comprised by:

  1. Dr. Raul Godoy Montañez, Secretary of Research, Innovation and Higher Education for the State of Yucatan
  2. Mr. Víctor Gutiérrez Martínez, President of CANIETI
  3. Dr. Alberto Muñoz Ubando, Vicepresident of Innovation, Science, and Technology of CANIETI
  4. Mr. Adolfo Sánchez Valenzuela, CIMAT Merida Director
  5. Dr. Romeo De Coss Gómez, CINVESTAV Merida Director
  6. Dr. Ramon Peniche Mena, Director of the School of Mathmatics at UADY
  7. Mr. Ricardo Bello Bolio, Director of  Yucataan’s Higher Education Office
  8. Dr. Fernán Cetina Alonzo, Director at Instituto Tecnológico de Motul
  9. Ms. Alicia Navarrete Alonso, Coordinator for International Affairs of the Higher Education Office
  10. Mr. Fernan Cetina Alonzo, Director of the Technological Institute Motul
  11. Dr. Luis Garcia Dominguez, Graduate Projects Lead for the Higher Educación Office
  12. Ms. Angela Gamboa Avila, Foreign Languages Coordinator at the Technological Metropolitan University
  13. Mr. Jorge Solís Buenfil, Regional President of Southeast CANIETI

The work dynamics was divided into 5 sessions with specific topics addressed in presentations and space for discussion:

Session 1

  • “Context of the ICT industry in Mexico”, led by Mr. Victor Gutierrez Martinez, President of CANIETI

Session 2

  •  “Regional Context and Yucatan”, led by Mr. Jorge Solis Buenfil, Regional President of Southeast CANIETI, National Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Information Technologies;
  • “State of the Sector and the Center of Innovation and Design of the Heuristic ICT”, led by Dr. Luis Alberto Muñoz Ubando
  • “Presentation of the System of Research, Innovation, and Technological Development of the State of Yucatán (SIIDETEY)“,  led by Dr. Romeo de Coss Gomez, Director of  CINVESTAV-Merida
  • “Academic programs, registration and faculty in Yucatan” Dr. Fernan Cetina Alonzo, Director of the Technological Institute of Motul”
  • “Counseling and Pertinence”, led by Mr. Jorge Solís Buenfil, Regional President of Southeast CANIETI, and Dr. Luis Garcia Dominguez, Manager of Graduate Projects of the Higher Education Office

Sesión 3

  • “ICT Overview in the Texas A&M System”, led by TAMUS delegation
  • Presentation of the TAMUS progress and the “Offer and accreditation of the academic programs” led by Mr. Ricardo Bello Bolio and Dr. Alberto Muñoz Ubando
    • Offer for engineering and graduate academic programs
    • Accreditation and recognition of the programs
    • Intensive programs for retraining of professionists
    • Professional certification
  • “Research and tecnological transfer”, led by Dr. Ramon Peniche Mena, Director of the Mathematics Faculty, and Dr. Romeo de Coss Gomez, Director of CINVESTAV-Merida
    • Joint research areas
    • Strategy for the technological transfer and relationships with businesses

Session 4:

For the 4th session and with the objective to explore topics of collaboration between SIIES and TAMUS on:

  1. English language training
  2. Visiting professors and research and formation internships

The following topics were developed:

  • “Formation on English Language”, led by Ms. Angela Gamboa Avila, Foreign Languages Coordinator at the Technological Metropolitan University
  • “Visiting professors and research and formation internships”, led by Ms. Alicia Navarrete Alonso, Coordinator for International Affairs of the Higher Education Office

Sesión 5

A fifth session was proposed to do a summing up of the working sessions as well as to define the agreements and the next activities.

Additionally, a series of cultural activities were organized so that the honorable guests could appreciate and enjoy the cultural, architectural, historical and gastronomic wonders of Yucatan. The following activities were arranged:

  • Tour in Merida’s Historical Center
  • Light and Sound Show at the Mayan World Grand Museum
  • Visit to the Archaeological Site of UXmal and its Light and Sound entertainment
  • Typical dishes tasting of Yucatan

To conclude the first meeting SIIES-TAMUS, a series of preliminary activities were agreed which include a joint analysis of cooperation in:

  1. The participation of TAMUS English language professors for intensive courses at UPY and Higher Education Institutions (IES)
  2. The participation of TAMUS science professors in the first four-month periods of the UPY programs and eventually, for the system of Higher Education Institutions
  3. Pedagogic training for businessman that will participate in the formation of students from the UPY and Higher Education Institutions systems
  4. Participation of TAMUS professors on the intensive courses of the academic programs offered by UPY and eventually, by other IES of the system
  5. Co-building of an experience platform in the international formation of students (long and short internships, cultural and pedagogic adaptability, etc.)
  6. Structure of one or various groups of research in common interest areas for ICT
  7. Strategy that will allow UPY to offer the first joint graduate program (Masters of Science in Analytics), which is currently offered by TAMUS
  8. Co-building of an early science teaching (STEM) program

To continue the with the development of the topics engaged, it was suggested to program a second meeting at one of the campuses from the Texas A&M University System, which will call for the participation of working groups in specific topics.