Academia Panamericana de Ingeniería
Academia Pan-Americana de Engenharia
Pan American Academy of Engineering
News
- Pan American Academy of Engineers Member Elected Vice Chair of National Science Foundation
- Important Decisions were taken in Costa Rica.
- The period of reception of proposals for the nomination of new Members of the Academy commenced.
- The Academy Blog (wiki and discussion area) is open.
- The Committee for Modification of the By Laws agreed to submit a project to the Members
- Significant amount of answers to the Summons to submit Nominations for New Members.
- The Future of Engineering in Latin America
Pan American Academy of Engineers Member Elected Vice Chair of 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.
Significant amount of answers to the Summons to submit Nominations for New Members.
The 2008 Selection Process started towards the end of 2007 with the Summons to present Nominations for Charter Members sent to all the Charter Members and to the Member Organizations of UPADI. In accordance with the By Laws also summoned were the Member Organizations of WFEO, to submit nominations for the category of Corresponding Member.
Up to the time of closing the reception of nominations on May 30, 2008, the names of 28 outstanding engineers from the following countries had been submitted as Candidates to Charter Member:
Bolivia: 1 Brazil: 7 Canada: 1 Colombia: 4 Costa Rica: 1 United States: 7 Panama: 1 Paraguay: 1 Peru: 1 Puerto Rico
As Candidates to Corresponding Member (Associate Member in the modified By Laws) were received:
Spain: 1
The Process continued with the revision of background information by the Election Committee formed by: Dr. Vladimir Yackovlev (President) and Academicians Helio Guerra Vieira (Brazil) and Reginald Vachon (USA). This Committee gives a duly justified opinion regarding the acceptance or rejection of the nominations.
Finally, the Secretariat of the Academy proceeds to send the CVs of the nominated persons with the opinion of the Election Committee by e-mail to all Charter Members ninety (90) days before the date of the Inception Ceremony. The Members must vote the acceptance or rejection of the nominations within ten (10) days, sending their decision to the Secretary who shall register all the answers received. The nominees that receive a favorable vote will be considered Candidates to Charter or Corresponding Member.
The Candidates shall receive a communication from the President of the Academy informing them of their election as Candidates and must answer if they accept to form part of the membership of the Academy. With their acceptance note, they must send the Assistant Treasurer Dr. Reginald Vachon the Initial Fee of Incorporation that is established in US$ 200 for Charter Members and US$ 100 for Corresponding Members.
The Committee for Modification of the By Laws agreed to submit a project to the Members
The Committee appointed to analyze modifications to the present version of the Academy's By Laws, prepared a new text in which important modifications are included that if approved, will mean an encouragement for a more active participation of the Members in the life of the Institution.
The Committee was formed by the following Academicians:
Eng. Gonzalo Jimenez Escobar (Colombia)
Eng. Alfredo Leiter (Argentina)
Dr. Robert D. Kersten (USA)
Eng. Miguel Angel Yadarola Coordinator
The work of the Committee was concentrated in the different proposals submitted by the Academicians that participated in the meetings of Costa Rica 2007 and that were received at the President's Headquarters during the first months of 2008.
An important contribution was the inclusion of the modifications studied by the Bendinger Committee in 2005,2006 the project of which was submitted at the Extraordinary Plenary Session in Atlanta 2006, without success.
The Committee also prepared a SYNTHETIC REPORT on the Statutory Modifications that is herewith reproduced and that allows rapidly visualizing the main aspects modified and the consequences and effects that these modifications shall have in the future organization of the Academy.
The complete version of the By Laws in Spanish and English can be sent to the Members that so request it, with the warning that there are 24 pages of text and that they must make sure that the mail box has sufficient space to accept it. It is expected that the Members analyze the modifications introduced and express their opinions in order to arrive at the Session that will consider them, with sufficient time to achieve their rapid approval and put them in force. The Extraordinary Plenary Session that will consider these modifications has been summoned for 9:30 AM on Monday, December 1, 2008 in Brasilia.
SYNTHETIC REPORT ON STATUTORY MODIFICATIONS
Artícles |
Modified aspects |
Consequences and effects |
Arts. 6, 7, 9 and following: Categories of Members |
• There is only one category for Members from countries of the Americas: Charter Member • The Category of Associate Member is for people residing in other Continets. |
• For the countries of America the present Corresponding Members automatically become Charter Members. • Candidates elected as Corresponding Members in the 2008 Selection Process will be incorporated as Charter Members in Brasilia. |
Art 8 Charter Members |
• The maximum age limit of 75 years is eliminated • The maxim number of 175 is increased to 350 and will be reviewed every six (6) years. • The present maximum number of Academicians per country is duplicated. |
• The increase of the total number of Charter Members in future will not need a Modification of the By Laws. It can only be reviewed and established every six years by means of a resolution of the Plenary Ordinary Session (POS) by two thirds of the votes. • The maximum number per country will also be established by the POS. Not by the Board of Directors as allowed in the present Article 8. |
Art. 13 Obligations of the Charter Members |
• The obligation to attend the Plenary Sessions is eliminated (13.8) • It will only be necessary to present a paper of which they are authors at the Inception Ceremony. If so requested by the President. |
The sanction of expiry of membership due to absence at the Plenary Sessions is eliminated (previously 19.3) |
Art. 28 Quorum at the Plenary Sessions |
Resolutions are taken by simple majority except when they concern matters that require two thirds: 28.2 Establish the maximum number of Charter Members and the maximum for each country. |
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Art. 29 Powers of the Plenary Ordinary Session |
29.5 (New) Establish every six years as from the date these By Laws are in force the Maximum number of Charter Members and the maximum per country. |
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Art. 33 Board of Directors |
• The functions of President Elect and Past President are created. Both integrate the BD with a right to vote (33.1) • The members of the BD may be re-elected for only two consecutive periods (Meaning a maximum of three periods (33.1). • 33.2 Half of the BD will be renewed every two (2) years. |
At the Plenary Session following the reform half of the BD will be elected for one year and the same positions for two years to start their function the following year. This is the solution to the partial renovation since the Plenary Session meets every two years. |
Art. 50 Validity of the modified By Laws. |
Immediately after their approval at the Extraordinary Plenary Session. They will be applied for: • The Plenary Ordinary Session following the Extraordinary Session (Brasilia, Monday December 1, 2008) • Inception Ceremony (Brasilia, Tuesday December 2, 2008).
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• The election of the new BD is based on the new version of the By Laws. • The Candidates from the Americas proposed as Corresponding Members shall be incorporated as Charter Members. • Present Corresponding Members from the Americas must confirm with the Secretary 60 days before the Inception Ceremony, their desire to personally receive the Medal and Diploma as a Charter Member. |
Note: Changes in texts and words that have been made that do not alter the sense and improve the text of several articles of the Project of By Laws have been omitted. Those interested in receiving the complete version of the Project, will rapidly visualize these texts and changes because they are written in a different type of letter (Script) and underlined.
The Future of Engineering in Latin America
The Future of Engineering in Latin America. El Futuro de la Ingeniería en Latinoamérica.
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 .
