Academia Panamericana de Ingeniería
Academia Pan-Americana de Engenharia
Pan American Academy of Engineering
• The First Steps
The idea to create an Academy of Engineering for the American Continent was born in UPADI - Pan-American Federation of Engineering Societies , in his Committee on Engineering Education by the end of the decade of the 80's, when his President was Prof. Eng. Miguel Angel Yadarola .
The initiative went proposed to Directorate of UPADI summoned in Caracas, in 1989 like Inter-American Academy of Engineering Education in order to reunite to engineers who were outstanding in the field of higher education in each one of the countries of the Americas. The proposal was accompanied with a set by functional ideas for the By Laws, that were discussed and decided by the Members of the Committee.
The Directorate of UPADI summoned in Washington in 1990 received with great interest the initiative, valuing the future projection that would have an Institution of this nature, as support to the UPADI activities. It solved then to entrust to two of the Members of the Education Committee, Dr. Eng. David Reyes Guerra and Prof. Eng. Miguel Angel Yadarola , the writing of a text of By Laws, to serve as legal base for the constitution of an institution of greater hierarchy and projection, apt to reunite in his membership to a limited number of prestigious engineers, outstanding by its contributions to the progress of its countries.
After two years of work, time during which antecedents of similar institutions were analyzed and after succeeding with a suitable legal advising, the Editing Commission presented and based an original version of By Laws to the International Directorate of UPADI summoned in Santo Domingo in 1992 . The Directorate required the opinion of Consultative Council , that as of that year was presided over by Eng. Manuel Torres Parra in its character of Past-President of UPADI.
In the meeting of Asunción, Paraguay, 1995 , the Consultative Council concluded the analysis of the By Laws with the incorporation of some improvements to the original text and advised to Directorate of UPADI its approval with the consequent decision to create and to organize Pan-American Academy of Engineering .
• UPADI starts up the Academy
The next meeting of the International Directorate of UPADI made in Costa Rica 1996 , approved unanimously the initiative to create the Pan-American Academy of Engineering on the basis of the By Laws elaborated by Engineers Reyes-Guerra and Yadarola, that were analyzed and perfected through several meetings of the Consultative Council.
From the Headquarters of UPADI in Port Rico , at the beginning of 1997, the Member Organizations were summoned to organize rigorous processes of selection, with the purpose of nominating names of prestigious engineers, distinguished by its recognized ethical values and with an outstanding trajectory of contributions to the progress of science, education and engineering in his country, in order to integrate the first membership of the Academy, in the character of Charter Members .
In Lima, Peru in 1998 , the International Directorate, constituted in Election Committee, analyzed and approved the first candidacies presented by the Member Organizations, but it considered that some countries would not be represented in the membership of the Academy because they do not responded with time to the summon. It decided to extend the term until the following meeting that would become in opportunity of XXVI UPADI Convention.
• Foundation of the Academy
In Panama 2000 , with the approval of new Candidates proposed by the Members of UPADI, the Directorate summoned the 30 Elected Candidates to integrate the first membership of the Pan-American Academy of Engineering , signing the Act of Foundation in a Solemn Ceremony. This happened on August 24 of year 2000 in the International Center of Conventions Atlantic-Pacific of Panama City , with the presence of directors of UPADI and National Member Organizations, representatives of several Academies of Engineering, of Multilateral Organisms and leaders of the engineering of America and the world.
On August 25, the brand new Founders Academicians met in the First Plenary Session in order to choose Authorities, to approve an Action Plan and to establish the membership fees.
As President of the Academy was elect Prof. Eng. Miguel Angel Yadarola , recognizing in him, the vision and the leadership that allowed to create and to organize this Institution, first in its sort, that gathers engineers of a whole Continent in individual way. Eng. Yadarola continued exerting the Presidency through successive re-elections, finalizing its mandate in 2010 in Buenos Aires .
As Vice-presidents were elect Dr. David Reyes Guerra and Eng. Manuel Torres Parra , who also were a motor for the birth and consolidation of the Academy.
• Validity of the By Laws
With running of the years it appeared the necessity to introduce some modifications in the By Laws, that could consider aspects not included initially or that could mean explanations or improvements in the wording and ordering of the texts.
The First Modification took place in the year 2004 in Mexico , opportunity in which the wording was improved, separating the Rights of the Obligations of the Members. There were grouped in an orderly way the documents that must be presented by the Board of Directors to the Members as Working, Info rmation and Control Instruments. Also, the Condition of Passive Member was created (Art. 21) that allows any Member, after three years of being incorporated, to be exempted of the payment of the annual membership fees by disease, economic emergency or to have eighty (80) or more years of age.
The Second Modification took shape in Brasilia in 2008. It introduced some important changes related to the Members, and the renovation of the authorities of the Academy.
• A single category for people of countries of the Americas: Member . The maximum number of Members is duplicated: 350 with a maximum of 50 for a same country. It corresponds to the Board of Directors to analyze parameters and to propose to the Ordinary Plenary Session, a balanced distribution of the Members by country.
• The Category of Associate Member is reserved for people of countries of other continents.
There is no age limit for people nominated as Member or Associated Member.
• The requirement for the Members to participate in the Ordinary Plenary Sessions (every two years) is eliminated. The new obligation is “ Participate in the activities of the Academy be it with their presence at the biennial meetings, or forming part of Committees and Task Groups, or as a Speaker at Conferences sponsored by the Academy or be part of working teleconferences coordinated by an authority of the Academy”.
• The Board of Directors will be partially renewed - by halves - every two years, with validity as from year 2010.
• The function of President Elect and Past-President is created. Both integrate the Board of Directors.
• The members of the Board of Directors can be re-elect by only two successive periods.
• Meetings of the Academy
Every two years, the Members of the Academy are summoned to a Plenary Ordinary Session (POS). There, work plans are discussed, the fulfilment of programs are controlled and balance, budgets and the Report of the President are approved.
Until the end of the year 2008 there were five (5) Plenary Ordinary Sessions.
1° - POS – Panamá - 2000
2° - POS – Tegucigalpa - 2002
3° - POS – México - 2004
4° - POS – Atlanta - 2006
5° - POS – Brasilia - 2008
In the year 2010 Plenary Session will meet in Buenos Aires.
The Extraordinary Plenary Sessions have been summoned, until 2008 ends, to discuss and to approve modifications to the By Laws: Mexico 2004, Atlanta 2006 (It misestimate a modification project) and Brasilia 2008.A new Extraordinary Session was summoned in San Juan (Puerto Rico) on September 2009, to consider the maintenance of the Legal Headquarters of the Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the headquarter of FEBRAE.
• Forums and Focus Sessions
The programming of Forums on the part of the Academy began in the first years of life. They have the objective to present, study and discuss subjects of current and future importance for the engineering profession and for the countries of the Americas, and establishing, through its results and Declarations, action lines that mean suitable policies to be implemented by the Academy, UPADI and their Member Organizations and also by diverse professional institutions, academic, governmental and multinational.
• Forum of Tegucigalpa 2002 – Engineering for Sustainable Progress - Cooperation for Technological Development.
• Forum of Montevideo 2003 - Accreditation in the Regional Context
• Forum of Mexico 2004 - International Mobility of the Engineers
• Forum of Atlanta 2006 - Ethics and Integrity in the Provision of Engineering Services.
• Forum of Mexico 2009 – Contributions of Engineering to the Improvement of the Environment.
The Focus Sessions are opened to the free participation of all Academicians, Elected Candidates, and are meetings where different subjects are discussed in order to improve the activities of the Academy and the fulfilment of his Mission. They provide the opportunity to realize a critical analysis of strengths and weaknesses of the Academy and the direction that will have future activities, on the basis of the study of new scenarios able to define the planning, the strategies, and the programs of work.
• First Focus Session: Aruba, 2005
• Second Focus Session: Costa Rica, 2007
• Third Focus Session: Puerto Rico, 2009
In the Focus Sessions resolutions or recommendations are not adopted. A Rapporteur reunites the most significant coincidences on the themes discussed and the implementation is transferred to the Board of Directors.
• Synthesis
Thanks to the continuous and disinterested work of an important group of Members, and Associate Members, the Academy has managed to construct a reputation of excellence on the basis of studies, debates and the adoption of policies for the engineering and the countries of the Americas. The Academy will continue summoning the engineers of the Americas, to lead the challenges that a globalized world imposes, conscious that they handle a valuable source of power that is called “knowledge”. The richest product of the human mind.
