Academia Panamericana de Ingeniería
Academia Pan-Americana de Engenharia
Pan American Academy of Engineering
Activities 2008
The beginnings of the eighth year of life of the Academy found to the institution firmly consolidated in the field of the world of engineering organizations.
Call for the appointment of new Members
From the headquarters of the President the Member Organizations of UPADI and the Members of the Academy were summoned to participate in the selection process of new Members, nominating Candidates that meet the ethical and academic qualifications with a personal career in the service of the engineering and his country.
Also, were invited the Member Organizations of WFEO to nominate Candidates for Associate Members (before Corresponding Members), which may also be nominated by two Members of the Academy.
When the time limit for submission of Nominations was ended, a significant number of proposals had been received in the Headquarters of the President and at the Secretariat: 32 nominations to Member and one for Associate Member representing the following countries: Bolivia 2, Brazil 6; Canada 1; Colombia 4; Costa Rica 2; Mexico 2; Panama 1; Paraguay 1; Peru 1, Puerto Rico 5, USA 7; Spain 1.
The process continued with the revision of the backgrounds of the Nominated by the Election Committee Members: Dr. Vladimir Yackovlev (Chairman) and the Academicians Helio Guerra Vieira ( Brazil ) and Reginald Vachon ( USA ). This Committee presented a duly justified opinion in relationship to the acceptance or rejection of nominations.
Finally the Secretariat of the Academy proceeded to send the CV of persons nominated with the opinion of the Election Committee by e-mail to all the Members in advance of Ninety (90) days from the date of the Incorporation Ceremony. Members voted for the acceptance of all the nominations, sending its decision to the Secretary.
All Candidates, and who were their nominators, received a communication from the President inviting them to participate in the Solemn Ceremony of Incorporation that took place in the Conventions Center Ulysses Guimaraes in Brasilia on December 2 th , 2008.
Several Candidates were unable to attend, and at the Ceremony were incorporated only 22 Members and one Associate Member:
Bolivia
Dr. Eng. Arturo J. J. Dubravcic Alaiza.
Dr. Eng. Alberto Benítez Reynoso
Brazil
Eng. Heloi Jose Fernandes Moreira
Eng. Francis Bogossian
Eng. Cyro Laurenza Filho
Dr. Fernando Cosme Rizzo Assuncao
Dr. Mauricio Nogueira Frota
Eng. Walter Pinto Costa
Canada
Eng. Darrel Danyluk
Colombia
Eng. Jaime Santamaría Serrano
Costa Rica
Eng. Pedro Pablo Quirós Cortés
Paraguay
Eng. Maria Teresa Pino Rodriguez
Peru
Eng. Carlos Morelli
Puerto Rico
Dr. Emilio Colón
Eng. José Domingo Pérez
Eng. Benjamín Colucci Ríos, P.E.
Dr. Eng. Edgar Hernández Patiño
Eng. Efraín Echandi Otero
United States
Patrick J. Natale, PE, F.ASCE
Dr. Kris R. Nielsen
Dr. Daniel A. Marcek, Jr.
Spain
Dr. J. Javier Diez González .
In accordance with Article 18.10 of the By Laws, the Candidates Elected may incorporate within the four subsequent years to the Plenary Ordinary Session that approved the Selection Process. They may do so, until 2012.
Reform of the By Laws
The Focus Session, held in Aruba 2005, analyzed the possibility of introducing amendments to the By Laws of greater depth than the introduced at the Plenary Extraordinary Session held in Mexico 2004 that only improved the wording and several parts of its text.
A Commission headed by Secretary Ernesto Bendinger (Deceased) sought to interpret the proposals arising in Aruba introducing these changes:
• Renew the Board of Directors by halves, every two years, instead of the total renewal established.
• To create the functions of President Elect and Past President integrating the Board of Directors (BD).
• The Members of the Board of Directors may be re-elected by a single period.
There was a lack of prior discussions via Internet, which involves the opinion of a greater number of Members and for this reason the participants to the Plenary Extraordinary Session convened in Atlanta , 2006, decided to defer any modification.
The following Focus Session (second) carried out in San José , Costa Rica emphasized the desirability of introducing these reforms, and the decision was adopted by the Board of Directors one day after. The Board delegated in the President the constitution of a Commission that give continuity to the task started by the Bendinger Commission.
The new Commission was integrated as well:
Eng. Gonzalo Jiménez Escobar (Colombia)
Eng. Alfredo Leiter ( Argentina )
Dr. Robert D. Kersten ( USA )
Eng. Miguel Ángel Yadarola – Coordinator
The Commission's work was focused on the different proposals submitted by the Academicians who participated in the Costa Rica 2007 meetings and those proposals received at headquarters of the Presidency during the first months of 2008.
An important contribution meant to include reforms studied by the Bendinger Commission in 2005-2006 whose project was presented at the Extraordinary Plenary Session of Atlanta 2006, without success.
The Commission prepared in schematic form, a SYNTHETIC REPORT of the statutory reforms that is reproduced in this space and that allowed a quick view of the main modified aspects and the consequences and effects that such amendments would have on the future organization of the Academy.
Thus, the Commission was fulfilling with the objective of informing the Members in an agile, quick and easy way, the modified aspects, to generate discussions, ask clarifications and receive new suggestions, to avoid that the lack of prior discussion could determine a new failure.
Finally, on 18 February 2008 , it was requested to the Members to respond to the inquiry which is reproduced in this space:
|
Art. |
Síntesis of the By Laws on matter to modify |
Modification Proposed by some Members |
Consequences in case modification is accepted |
YES/NO |
|
7 |
Charter and Corresponding Members. Charter Members only from countries of the Americas . Corresponding from any country. |
• Only one category for Members from countries of the Americas . Member or Charter Member. The category of Corresponding is eliminated. • Change denomination of Corresponding to Associate or Overseas Member. |
Corresponding Members from countries of America are not obliged to attend Plenary Sessions. Charter Members are.
All Corresponding Members of America will become Members.
The reform will only obly the Members to participate in different activities organized or sponsored by the Academy. |
|
|
8 |
Maximum number of Charter Members: 175 |
• Eliminate the maximum of 175
• That the maximum number be fixed periodically by the Board of Directors. The same for the maximum number per country. |
|
|
|
8 |
Maximum age at the date of nomination of Charter Members: 75 years old |
Eliminate maximum age. |
|
|
|
13 |
Rights and Obligations: • The Charter Members are obliged to attend the Plenary Sessions • Submit a paper at the Ceremony of Inception |
None of these obligations has been complied with: Eliminate them. |
Submit an Incorporation paper. The title and an abstract will be read at the Incorporation Ceremony. The complete paper will be included in the Web Site. |
|
|
33 |
Board of Directors: One President, two Vice Presidents, one Secretary, one Treasurer, Two Directors and two Alternate. Renewed totally every two years. Are re-elected without limits. |
• Create the function of President Elect to be appoint two years ahead of time. Create the function of Past President. Both shall be on the Board of Directors (with a right to vote YES/NO). • Renew only half of the BD every two years. • The members of the BD can be re-elected for one period of two years. |
At the next Plenary Ordinary Session in Brasilia 2008 the entire BD should be renewed. If a partial renewal is accepted, in Brasilia it must be decided which of the members will be elected for one year. |
|
|
33 |
If necessary the Plenary Session can modify the number of members on the BD and elect an Assistant Secretary and an Assistant Treasurer. |
Incorporate both functions to the BD (with a right to vote YES/NO) |
The number of members of the BD is increased with two functions that have proved to be necessary during the last period. |
|
3 rd Plenary Extraordinary Session
As it was scheduled in December 2008, it was summoned this 3 rd Plenary Extraordinary Session with a single theme: Reform of the By Laws. Participated 28 Academicians.
The Chairman made a thorough story of the matters that are subject of reform and its consequences. The Academicians present requested clarification to the single Member of the Commission in the Sessions: the President, and expressed the desirability of carefully revising the texts proposed prior to approval. It was then formed a Committee ad-hoc composed of Academician Leizer Lerner, Manuel Torres Parra, Vladimir Mendizábal and Vladimir Yackovlev.
The Committee ad-hoc worked at lunch time and at 3:30 pm joined the Session with a report which included some aspects unanticipated, and introduced a minimum changes, improving the texts and accepting most of the amendments proposed by the Commission.
You can view the full text here: Minute N ° 3 - Third Plenary Extraordinary Session (word doc... kb)
5 th Plenary Ordinary Session
At the Conventions Center Ulysses Guimaraes of Brasilia, met the 5 th Plenary Ordinary Session of the Academy to consider an extensive agenda proposed by the President, among whose matters were include:
• To approve the process of Selection of new Members 2008.
• Situation of Members owing two or more membership fees.
• To approve the Annual Balance of the fiscal years 2006 and 2007.
• Election of the new Board of Directors.
The election by halves was not applied. It was decided to apply it from the year 2010.
• Policy Forum on "Global warming". Cancellation in Brasilia and transfer to Mexico in 2009
• Report of the T ask Groups created in the 2 nd Focus Session.
• Meetings of the Academy in 2009 and 2010.
The full text here: Minutes N°. 5 Plenary Ordinary Session (Word doc ….)
ACTIVITIES OF THE MEMBERS
• Academician Russell Jones and the challenge of Masdar Institute.
Masdar City in Abu Dhabi could be a utopia. The $ 22 billion, eight-year project launched in 2006 by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nabyan is constructing an entire town focused on engineering solutions to problems in energy, security, climate change, and sustainable human development. The “green” city, designed by Foster + Partners to be entirely solar – and wind-powered with zero carbon emissions, will be anchored by a major new scientific engineering university, the Masdar Institute, to welcome its first students in September 2009.
The institute's founding president, Russell Jones, former president of the University of Delaware, says three things persuaded him to move with his wife to Abu Dhabi to take the helm: A strategic decision had been made by the government to build a cluster, the graduate-level-only university is being staffed through a partnership with MIT; and research there will focus on solving one of the world's most important problems – alternative energy.
Jones says the state-funded Masdar Initiative has a $ 15 billion seed fund (projected to increase to $ 80 billion) to bring alternative energy companies to the region. His university “is the human capital piece” of the knowledge economy equation, training the scientists and engineers who will staff an startup the alternative energy companies that will fuel the Masdar City economy.
• Academician Member Elected Vice Chair of USA National Science Foundation
Dr. Patricia D. Galloway, CEO of the international consulting firm The Nielsen-Wurster Group, Inc., was elected to serve as Vice Chair of the National Science Board (NSB). Dr. Galloway replaces outgoing Vice Chair Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan.
This Board has a very important mission as responsible for establishing the policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and also serving as advisor to the President and Congress on national policies issues related to science and engineering research and education. The President of the Academy and many other Academicians congratulated Dr. Galloway on this new commitment at the service of her country.
• The Future of Engineering in Latin America
Was the subject of the presentation that the President of the Academy made at the Global Summit on the Future of Mechanical Engineering that was held on April 16 to 18 in the Headquarters of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. summoned by ASME, American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Eng. Yadarola shared the tribune and the Working Sessions with prestigious Speakers representing different scientific and professional areas from several Continents, among them the President Elect of WFEO Eng. María Ponce Laffargue. Only Speaker for Latin America our President presentation revalued the role of the Engineering Organizations of the American Continent and the role of the Engineering Schools in the task of receiving the new demands of the sectors of production and services. These Institutions are responsible for molding the engineers of the future, with attributes, competences and abilities that will allow them to be protagonists of the changes in the social environment of their countries and to leader these changes because they will have been trained as strategic thinkers and decision makers capable of planning and also being formers of public opinion. See Program of the Summit : www.asmeconferences.org/asmeglobalsummit .
• Academician Past Vice President of the Academy assumes the presidency of UMAI.
The Mexican Federation of Engineering Societies , UMAI is one of the oldest national federations in Latin America, a contemporary creation with other similar organizations in the Region that were formed to represent the different national engineers associations in the Pan American Federation of Engineering Societies (UPADI).
In the act of election on May 27, 2008 Eng. Pablo Realpozo del Castillo Member Academician of API and Vice President between 2004 and 2008 was elected President of UMAI:
Eng. Realpozo is at present coordinating the organization of the traditional Forum the Pan American Academy will hold in September 2009 at The “Palacio de Minería” in México DF, simultaneously with an Incorporation Ceremony for Candidates Elected in 2008 that couldn't participate of the Ceremony in Brasilia. The Forum will discuss the theme: “Strategies to reduce Global Warming through Engineering” and to deal with the different presentations of the Speakers at the Forum, Eng. Realpozo has prepared a Basic Document as a guide.
3rd
PLENARY EXTRAORDINARY
SESSION
Multipurpose
Auditorium Conventions
Center
Ulysses Guimaraes - Brasilia
Monday,
december 1, 2008
MINUTES Nº 3
In the City of Brasilia at 10:00 a.m. of
December 1st, 2008 the Plenary Extraordinary Session of the Pan
American
Academy of Engineering meets, summoned by its President,
Eng. Miguel Angel Yadarola with the purpose of analysing
and discussing the modifications made in the By Laws in force by a
Special
Committee formed by Academicians: Gonzalo
Jiménez Escobar, Robert Donavon Kersten, Alfredo Leiter and
Miguel Angel
Yadarola. In the absence of the
Secretary and at the request of the President Academician Dr.
Vladimir Yackovlev assumes the role of “ad-interim”
Secretary who
expresses that in accordance with Article 31 of the By Laws this
meeting has
the necessary quorum to deliberate with the presence of 28 Members.
ONLY THEME. Consideration
of the Project for Modification
of the By Laws
1.
INTRODUCTION BY THE PRESIDENT
The President,
The first version of the By Laws
was analysed, discussed and approved between years 1990 and 1996 at
several
meetings of the UPADI Consulting Council.
This version was approved by the International Board of UPADI in
First Modification:
In Mexico 2004 the 1st
Plenary Extraordinary Session considered and approved modifications to
the By
Laws that did not change its substantial aspects but brought about a
better
order in its dispositions. At the
suggestion of Eng. Manuel Torres Parra
the Rights and Obligations of the Members were grouped and at the
suggestion of
Secretary Eng. Bendinger the
condition of Passive Member was introduced in Article 21.
A Second Modification Fails
A suggestion of the 1st
Focus Session, held in
Aruba 2005 and approved there by the Board of Directors determined the
creation
of a Committee formed by Academicians Luiz
Scavarda, Gonzalo Jimenez Escobar, Miguel Angel Yadarola and
coordinated by
the Secretary (deceased) Academician
Ernesto Bendinger, to study the modification of the By Laws in the
following aspects:
-
Renew
half of the members of the Board of Directors every two years,
instead of the total renewal established by the present By Laws.
-
Create
the functions of President Elect and Ex President as part of the
Board. Appoint the President Elect two
years before he occupies this position.
In this manner the President would have a continuity of six
years as a
minimum.
-
The
members of the Board can be re-elected for only one period.
-
Leave
free the possibility of increasing the present maximum number of
members of 175 Academicians limiting the possibilities to do so in
six-year
periods as from the date the modifications proposed are in force.
-
Foresee
the possibility of establishing Permanent Headquarters with an
Assistant Secretary or Executive Director.
The project of modifications
prepared by the Bendinger Committee was
submitted at a 2nd Plenary Extraordinary Session in Atlanta
2006. The modifications covered only
four articles: 8, 28, 29 and 33 and the text proposed answered the
suggestions
of the Focus Session. Nevertheless, a
previous discussion by Internet was lacking, broader and involving more
Members. This Plenary Extraordinary
Session decided to postpone the modification of the By Laws.
In Costa Rica 2007 the process of
Modification is re-started
New arguments to modify the By
Laws were brought up by the Academicians that participated in the 2nd
Focus Session in Costa Rica 2007. To the
aspects studied by the Bendinger
Committee in 2005 were added proposals regarding the categories and
denominations of the Members, the maximum number of 175 Charter Members
for the
entire Continent, the demands for incorporation and the age limit (75
years). A Special Committee was
appointed by the Board of Directors formed by Academicians Gonzalo
Jimenez Escobar, Robert D. Kersten, Alfredo Leiter and Miguel Angel
Yadarola.
The Special Committee received
the task of preparing a version of the By Laws that would include the
proposals
submittet at the 2nd Focus Session and the proposals that
the
Members would be sending.
Eight thouroghly prepared
Documents were received from Dr. Robert
D. Kersten, Dr. William J. Carroll, Dr. William S. Butcher, Dr.
Yee-Cheong Lee,
Dr. Reginald Vachon, Dr. Neil Grigg, Dr. David Reyes-Guerra and Eng.
Alfredo
Leiter.
On this occasion the Presidence
made every effort to consult the Members on the modifications proposed.
In
On
·
Articles
modified
·
Aspects
modified
·
Consequences
and effects of the modifications
Finally on
Having ended this introduction,
the President states that all the
Academicians present must thank the Members
that went to the trouble of expressing their ideas, opinions and
proposals
with the purpose of having a renewed version of the By Laws that would
answer
the experiences achived during the eight years of life of the Academy.
2.
CONSIDERATION OF THE PROJECT OF
THE MODIFIED BY LAWS
Following, the President submits
to the consideration
of the Academicians present the version of the By Laws prepared by the
Special
Committee: Kersten, Jimenez Escobar,
Leiter, Yadarola which he expresses, represents the will of all
those Members that as from the 2nd
Focus Session and during all 2008 were interested in contributing
suggestions
and proposals through Internet.
Coinciding with this method of work used by the Special
Committee,
Vicepresident Eng. Pablo Realpozo made a call to facilitate voting by the Members by
Internet and
thus make the Academy a fundamental nucleus of Engineering in the
Continuing with the Session some Members
present expressed that they had observations to the text of
the Special Committee and as the debate prolonged the Session until
The President closed the
meeting at
The Session was re-started at
The Report includes aspects not foreseen in the new version of the By Laws, introduces changes and confirms others improving the texts. They were summarized as follows.
TITLE IV – MEMBER – CONDITIONS
Art. 6, 7, 9 and following
Category of Members:
a)
There remains
only one category
for Members of the countries of the
b) The category of Associate Member is adopted, Miembro Asociado or Membro Associado for the citizens of countries from other Continents. The category of Corresponding Member is eliminated.
TITLE V – RIGHTS AND
OBLIGATIONS OF THE MEMBERS
a) It is now called Obligations and Rights of the Members.
b) The obligation to present a Paper on the occasion of his/her Incorporation in the Academy is maintained with the following text:
13.3 Submit a Paper of which he/she is author prior to his/her incorporation in the Academy. The title and a summary of the Paper shall be read at the Incorporation Ceremony together with an extract of his/her Curriculum Vitae. The complete Paper shall be included in the Academy’s Web Site.
c) Among the obligations of the Members are included the commitment to participate that replaces the obligation of attending all the Biennial Plenary Sessions and the loss of membership for reiterated unattendance.
The text shall be included in Article 13 as
paragraph 13.4
13.4
Participate
in the activities of the Academy be it with their presence in
the biennial meetings of forming part of Committees and Task Groups or
as
speaker at Conferences sponsored by the Academy or be part of working
teleconferences coordinated by an authority of the Academy.
d)
Rights. Paragraph 13.9. Be
elected member of the Board of
Directors. Can be re-elected for two
additional periods for the same position or another position. Two years must elapse before being elected
again in any position.
TITLE IX – BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Article 33, Paragraph 33.1 the
function of President Elect and last President is included.
33.1
The
Board of Directors will be formed by a President, a First Vice
President, a Second Vice President, the last President, a President
Elect, a
Secretary, a Treasurer, two Director Members and two Alternate all of
which can
be re-elected for two additional periods.
The text of Paragraph 33.2 of the
original text of the Special Committee is maintained.
It establishes the renewal of the positions
of the Board of Directors by halves but its application is postponed
until the
next Plenary Ordinary Session. The following text of Paragraph 33.2 so
allows
it:
33.2
The Board of Directors shall be
renewed by halves at the biennial Plenary Sessions in the following
manner: at the first Plenary Session
following the coming into force of this modality and for two years
shall be
elected: President, President Elect, First Vice President, Secretary, a
Member
Director and an Alternate Member. For
one year and to start his functions immediately, and also for two years
to
commence their functions a year later, shall be chosen: the Second Vice
President, the Treasurer, a Member Director and an Alternate Member. After this first renewal, all the functions
of the Board of Directors will last two years, with the possibility of
re-election
for only two additional periods. Two
years must elapse before a Member can be elected in the same or another
position.
TITLE X – FUNCTIONS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUTHORITIES OF THE
ACADEMY
Two new articles, Articles 39 and
40 are incorporaated and the following numbers are changed.
Article 39. The duties and
responsbilities of the President Elect are:
39.1
Participate
with voice and vote in the Sessions of the Academy and the
Meetings of the Board of Directors.
39.2
Represent
the President when so requested.
39.3
Cooperate with the President in the
supervision of the activities of the Academy.
39.4 Participate with the President, the last
President, the Secretary and the Vice Presidents in the preparation of
a preliminary
Biennial Plan of Action established in paragraphs 23.1 and 42.5.
39.5 Prepare in consultation with the President,
Reports, communications and press releases for their publication or
diffusion.
Article 40. The
duties and responsibilities of the last President are the same as
those of the
President Elect.
3.
VOTE FOR THE MODIFICATIONS AND
APPROVAL OF THE NEW TEXT OF THE BY LAWS
The presentation of the ad hoc
Committee having ended, the President submits the modified texts of the
By Laws
with the changes and additions to vote.
It is resolved:
1)
To
approve the new version of the By Laws which will be prepared with the
text
that was put to consideration in this Session modified with the changes
and
additions described in detail in Point 2.
2) To declare
in force, as from this
approval, the new version of the By Laws and commence its application
in the
decisions that shall be taken during the Plenary Ordinary Session that
follows.
3)
To request the President to send a copy of this new version
of the By Laws to all the Members of the Academy and that it be
included in the
Web Site.
At
5th
ORDINARY PLENARY
SESSION
Multipurpose
Auditorium –
Brasilia, Brazil
MINUTES Nº
5
In the City of
At the time of opening the Session there are
present a total of 28 Charter Academicians out of which 9 were
incorporated at
the Ceremony of this morning. Due to the
absence of the Secretary, Eng. Alfredo
Leiter Founder Academician Dr.
Vladimir Yackovlev takes over the function of
“ad-interim” Secretary who
states that according to Article 28 of the By Laws this Plenary Session
has
sufficient quorum to debate.
Participating in the Head of the Session is the
President of FEBRAE,
Also present among the participants, Eng.
Manuel Acero, President of the
The President
tnaks Eng. Moura for his words and
offers for consideration the themes included in the Agenda of the
Summons.
THEME 1. Approval
of the present Agenda
The Agenda proposed by
the President is unanimously
approved with the addition of Theme 13 in which it is proposed to
consider: 1)
Designation of the First Emeriti Academician, 2) Themes to be studied
by the
Board of Directors and 3) Academy Web Site.
THEME 2.
Consideration
of Minutes Nº 4 – Plenary Ordinary Session of Atlanta 2006
Since the text of Minutes
Nº 4 was
opportunely distributed to all Charter Members and there being no
observations
it is unaminously approved.
THEME 3.
Membership
3.1
Report of the Election Committee
In use of speech, the President of
the Election Committee Dr. Vladimir
Yackovlev reports that the Committee worked intensely on the
evaluation of
the resumes of the 33 nominated persons, 32 for Charter Members and one
for
Associate Member, decided to recommend the acceptance of all of them. He pointed out particulary the participation
of Dr. Reginald Vachon who was in
close telephone contact and via internet during the process of
evaluation of
credentials.
3.2
Candidates elected incorporated in
Brasilia
The list of Candidates that
participated in the Solemn Ceremony of Inception of December
Bolivia
Dr. Eng. Arturo J. J. Dubravcic Alaiza.
Dr. Eng. Alberto Benítez Reynoso
Brazil
Eng. Heloi Jose Fernandes Moreira
Eng. Francis Bogossian
Eng. Cyro Laurenza Filho
Dr. Fernando Cosme Rizzo Assuncao
Dr. Mauricio Nogueira Frota
Eng. Walter Pinto Costa
Canada
Eng. Darrel Danyluk
Colombia
Eng. Jaime Santamaría Serrano
Costa Rica
Eng. Jorge Badilla Pérez
Eng. Pedro Pablo Quirós Cortés
Paraguay
Eng. María Teresa Pino Rodríguez
Peru
Eng. Carlos Morelli
Puerto Rico
Dr. Emilio Colón
Eng. José Domingo Pérez
Eng. Benjamín Colucci Ríos, P.E.
Dr. Ing. Edgar Hernández Patiño
Patrick J. Natale, PE, F.ASCE
Dr. Kris R. Nielsen
Dr. Daniel A. Marcek, Jr.
Spain
Dr. J. Javier Diez González.
All the Candidates
incorporated in
It
is resolved:
1.
To
approve the 2008 Selection Process of New Members and highlight the
meritorious
work of the Members of the Election Committee Dr. Vladimir
Yackovlev and Dr.
Reginald Vachon who unaminously receive an applause.
2.
Congratulate
Dr. Vladimir Yackovlev for having
achieved an excellent design and fabrication of the new Medallions of
the
Academy and express a special acknowledgement in the name of the
Academy to
Architect Coromoto De Abreu for her inspired task and generous
cooperation. These medallions will replace
those that are
at present in the hands of the Charter Members and shall also be
delived to all
Associate Members.
3.3
Incorporation Paper for new Charter
Members
The President expresses that
for this 2008 Selection Process the
Incorporation Paper established in Article 13.10 of the By Laws has not
been
demanded.
This demand is common in all
National Academies in which the Inception Sessions are usually
individual and
the presentation of an original papers is a way of expressing the
qualifications of the person incorporated.
3.4
Members that are owing two (2)
Membership Fees or more
The Treasurer Eng. Leizer Lerner
reports that according to the schedule
“Financial Situation of the Academicians” updated to
It is resolved: that the President will send
an exhortation to all those Members that are two or more years behind
the the
payment of their Membership Fees to updaate them before
THEME 5. Economic
and Financial Matters
5.1 Annual
Financial Statement for Periods
2006 and 2007
Eng. Leizer Lerner presents a breif
report and screens the general chart of the successive financial
statements as
from the foundation of the Academy in 2000, including the two periods
2006 and
2007, that have to be approved by this Plenary Session.
On the screen the Treasurer also showed,
simply as information for the Academicians, the data from the Treasury
for 2008
as at October 31. The Treasurer pointed
out that, within reasonable limits, the financial situation of the
Academy was
in order for the time being. He also
expressed that the Auditing Committee of the Academy, formed by Academician Cristiano Kok and the UPADI
representative, Eng. Aldebaran da Cunha
Naumann had already approved this report with the accounts and
financial
statements for 2006 and 2007 signed by the Accountant
Alexis Leo S. Ferreira. In the chart
are shown the sums of money deposited in the Sun Trust Bank and the
funds in
possession of the Presidency, Secretariat and Treasury.
It was also requested that the Assistant
Treasurer, Dr. Reginald Vachon
present a brief report since he keeps closely in touch with the Bank in
the
2006
Period 2007
Period 2008
Period
(as at 31/10/08)
Total Active
43.628.07
48.897.47 51.311.68
In Sun Trust Bank Account 37.493,91
43.758,91
46.411,91
In
Presidency Petty Cash 3.807.14
3.534.36
2.292,91
In
Treasury Petty Cash
2.000.00
1.604,20
2.606.86
In
Secretariat Petty Cash
327.02
--
--
It is resolved:
1)
To
approve the Financial Statements for the periods corresponding to the
years
2006 and 2007
2)
Vote
to applaud the Treasurer Eng. Leizer
Lerner and the Charter Accountant Alexis
Leo S. Ferreira.
3)
Specialy
and unanimously, give thanks and acknowledge the magnificent work of
the
Assistant Treasurer Dr. Reginald Vachon.
5.2
Value of the Annual Membership Fees
and the Incorporation Fees
It is resolved:
1)
Maintain
the Annual Membership Fee for all Members of the Academy in US$ 100
2)
Maintain
the Initial Incorporation Fee for Charter Members (Members) in US$ 200
3)
Maintain
the Initial Incorporation Fee for Associate Members in US$ 100
THEMES 6 AND 7 Election
of the Board of Directors and
Supporting Committees
The President
states that for the election of those who shall be part
of the new Board of Directors, the Academicians present should bear in
mind:
1º)
Present Vice Presidents Dr. David Reyes-Guerra and
Eng. Pablo Realpozo del Castillo have
expressed their will to not be chosen for any position in the Board of
Directors. Dr. Reyes-Guerra
for personal reasons and Eng. Realpozo because he has
compromised his task in the following
years through his candidacy to the Presidency of UPADI and also as
President of
UMAI.
2ª)
According to the modifications approved
in the By Laws an Academician has to be elected as President Elect to
take of
the Presidency for two years in 2010.
3º)
According to what was resolved in the
Plenary Extraordinary Session the modification approved that determines
the
election by halves of the Members of the Board of Directors, shall be
put in
practice in the election act of 2010.
Consequently the persons that shall cover the total sof the
positions in
the Board of Directors and the Supporting Committees has to be chosen.
Several of the Academicians present
coincide with Eng Vladimir Mendizabal on
the convenience of re-electing the present members of the Board of
Directors
for the period 2008-2010 with the exception of the Vice Presidents and
he
proposes for these positions Eng. Manuel
Torres Parra and Dr. Paulo Alcantara
Gomes.
Also at the proposal of Eng. Leizer
Lerner there is coincidence
in electing Dr. Vladimir Yackovlev
for the new position of President Elect.
It is resolved:
1.
To
unanimously re-elect the present members
of the Board of Directors with the exception of the Vice
Presidencies for which Eng.
Manuel Torres Parra and Dr. Paulo
Alcantara Gomes are unanimously appointed..
2.
To
unanimously elect as President Elect
to take over the Presidency in 2010, Dr.
Vladimir Yackovlev.
3.
To reelect Eng. Cristiano Kok as a members for the Academy in the Auditing
Committee. In the absence of Eng. Kok
this
appointment is pending confirmation. Request
the new Presidency of UPADI, to
maintain as a member of the Committee
4.
Elect the Electing Committee that shall be formed by the
following Academicians: Vladimir
Yackovlev – President, Reginald Vachon and Vladimir Mendizabal. As Alternate Members: Dr.
5.
Not elect in this Plenary Session
the Nominations Committee at
the request of the President. This
Committee was created at the Plenary
Session in
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2008-2010
and Supporting
Committees
Board of
Directors
President
Miguel Ángel
Yadarola
CounsellorWilliam
J. Carroll
President Elect Vladimir
Yackovlev
Vicepresident 1º
Manuel Torres Parra
Vicepresident 2º
Paulo Alcántara Gomes
Secretary Alfredo Leiter
Treasurer Leizer
Lerner
Assistant
Treasurer Reginald Vachon
Director
Gonzalo Jimenez Escobar
Director Luiz Carlos Scavarda do Carmo
Alternate Director William Butcher
Alternate Director Patricia Galloway
Election
Commitee
Vladmir Yackovlev - President
Reginald Vachon
Vladimir Mendizábal
Alternates Luiz Carlos Scavarda
Patricia
Galloway
Carlos Morelli
Auditing
Committee Cristiano Kok (for the Academy)
Aldebaran da Costa Neumann (for
UPADI)
THEME 8. API
Policy Forum on “Global Warming”
The President
presents a report on the Policy Forums of the Academy
expressing that this type of meeting has become of a high level
continental
importance in which themes of special interest for the engineering of
the
A new Forum was
programmed to be held jointly with the biennial 2008 meetings of the
Academy in
Brasilia, which were foreseen in the Plenary Sessions of 2004 (Mexico)
and 2006
(Atlanta) for the 1st and 2nd of December 2008. At the time the dates chosen did not
interfere with UPADI that had decided to hold its meetings in
Eng. Pablo Realpozo prepared a knowledgeable
Basic Document in
Spanish and English with the purpose of orienting Speakers on the scope
and
results expected. He identified and
summonted speakers of a high level as is the case of Dr.
Mario Molina, Nobel Prize of Chemistry in 1995 and other
qualified leaders from different countries of America linked to the
subject. The Forum had been programmed
for Tuesday December
During 2008, fifteen
phone conferences between the Presidency,
Eng. Pablo Realpozo in the name of UMAI proposed
to hold the Forum
in the City of Mexico, in the Headquarters of the
It is resolved:
1.
To thank and
congratulate Eng.
Pablo Realpozo for his efforts and initiatives aimed at holding the
API
Policy Forum in
2.
Accept and that Eng. Pablo
Realpozo for his offer to summon the Forum in
3. That the Board of Directors together with Eng. Realpozo study the convenience of a date for the Forum so that it is held days before or after the intermediate meeting of UPADI in Puerto Rico.
THEME 9. Report from the Task Groups created in the 2nd Focus Session
The “ad-interim” Secretary Dr. Yackovlev read a summarized version of the reports from the Task Groups formed in the Focus Session and confirmed by the Board of Directors in Costa Rica 2007.
9.1
Group
I: Sustainable Development –
Policies and Strategies for Engineering – William
Carroll, Pat Galloway, Nelson Zuanella.
9.2
Group
II: Knowledges and Competencies for
the crossborder practice of Engineering for the
9.3
Group
III. Development of
Managerial Capability in engineering. EMCI Program. Reginald
Vachon, Cristiano Kok, Mario
Guzman Urbina.
9.4
Group
IV. Common Standards in Undergraduate Studies in Engineering.
Vladimir
Yackovlev, William Butcher, Leizer Lerner.
9.5
Analysis
of the Actions to be Implemented
The President expresses that these reports were sent during 2008 to all Members but that after that no action was implemented. He states that these documents are rich in contents and should be more widely known.
Eng. Manuel Torres Parra proposes that a Plan of Action be prepared on the basis of these documents.
It is resolved:
1. To homogenize the presentation of the reports from the four Task Groups and include them in a sole Document in Spanish and English.
2. Send the Document with Reports to UPADI and the Organizations that form part of it.
3. Diffuse the Document to other Institutions, Academies and government organizations.
4. To include the Reports in the Academy Web Site.
5. Authorize the President to appoint a Committee to propose a Plan of Action on the basis of these reports.
THEME 10. Relations with New Regional Academies and of one specialty.
The President informs that during 2007 an Academy in the Asia Pacific area was created: The Asean Academy of Engineering and Technology. Dr. Yee-Cheong Lee, API Associate Academician is Founder Member and was elected President.
Also in process of creation is the World Academy of Civil Engineers promoted by the World Council of Civil Engineers to be presided by Charter Academician of API Dr. Emilio Colon as from June 2009.
The Agenda for this Plenary Session included a report on the characteristics and functions of these Academies in case Academicians Drs. Lee and Colón were to be present.
It is resolved:
1)
To postpone the
analysis of this matter until the next Plenary
Session in
2)
Request
Academicians Yee Cheong Lee and Emilio
THEME 11. Meetings
of the Academy in
The President
informs on the organization of a meeting of a world wide
scope called “Ingeniería 2010 –
Intervening in the
preparation of these meetings are the engineering organizations of
Together with the Theme
Congresses the following meetings are planned:
October12 and 13
Biennial
meetings of the Pan American Academy of Engineering.
6th
Plenary Ordinary Session. Election
of the new Board of Directors 2010-2012 that will be presided by Dr. Vladimir Yackovlev. Forum.
The theme shall decided at the next meeting of the Board of
Directors in 2009.
Solemn Ceremony of Incorporation of new
Members. Assumption of the first Emeriti
Member of the Academy. The President
will arrange for this
Ceremony a suitable place in accordance with the hierarchy and
solemnity of the
Act.
October 14 and 16 UPADI
XXXII Convention with the
meetings of the Board
and the General Assembly. Meetings
of the Consulting Committee and Technical Committees.
October 21 to 23
Meeting of the WFEO Executive Council and of the Technical Committees.
The 8th WFEO
World
Congress on Engineering Education will be held jointly with the
Congress that the
local Organizing Committee is preparing in charge of
THEME 12.
Annual
2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors
The President
comments that almost all the Annual Meetings of the Board
of Directors have been held jointly with the Intermediate Meetings of
the UPADI
Board and that this situation of overlapping of meetings creates
difficulties
for the attendance of both UPADI and Academy members.
Eng. Manuel Torres Parra proposes that the
Academy summon the 3rd
Focus Session in coincidence with the Meeting of the Board of Directors
so as
to continue with this type of meetings of open discussions from which
interesting proposals arise that are later implemented by the Board of
Directors.
It is resolved:
1.
That
the next 2009 Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors be held in
Puerto Rico
on the occasion of the UPADI meetings on a date that does not coincide
with the
International Board but during the same week.
2.
Accept
the proposal of Eng. Manuel Torres Parra
to hold simultaneously the Annual 2009 Meeting of the Board and to also
summon
the 3rd Focus Session.
THEME 13 (Added
to the Agenda)
13.1 Nomination
of the First Emeriti Member of
the Academy
Academician Leizer Lerner proposed to appoint as stated in Article 11 of the By Laws as First Emeritus Member of the Academy distinction for which he proposed with the support of all Academicians present Eng. Miguel Angel Yadarola in order to acknowledge the end of his ten years as President of the Academy, his dedication, “leadership and vocation for service”.
It is resolved:
1.
Unamimously,
approve the election of the first Emeriti Member of the
Academy granting this category to
2. Assign the Election Committee the organization of this award.
13.2 Themes to be studied by the Board of Directors
Several
Academicians coincide in that it is opportune that the Academy define a
policy
and establish strategies on matters such as “natural
disasters” and “corruption
in engineering and construction contracts”.
It is resolved:
1. To request the Board of Directors to study and execute actions regarding both matters.
13.3 Academy Web
Site: www.apingenieria.org
The Site needs permanent updating for which the cooperation of all Members is convenient. Besides a Directory of Members should be implemented in the Site with a CV and updated photographs.
It is resolved:
1. That the President ask Members to send a CV and an updated photograph and besides request them to make suggestions to improve the Web Site.
All matters of the Agenda having been dealt with plus others proposed by those present and at 6:30 pm the President closes the 5th Plenary Ordinary Session of the Academy, expressing his gratefulness to the Academicians that have followed its development attentively, contributing ideas and initiatives and participating in the Resolutions adopted.
Dr. Vladimir
Yackovlev
Eng. Miguel Angel
Yadarola
President Elect
President
