The initial steps for the creation of the Center were taken during the visit to Austin by Mexico President Vicente Fox in late 2003 and the signing of a letter of intent between Larry R. Faulkner, president of the university, and Jaime Parada, director of the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT). The center's governing board holds its first meeting this week in Austin to chart future research programs.
"The creation of the institute is well aligned with President Faulkner's Latin America initiative and it offers The University of Texas at Austin the opportunity for close collaboration in nanotechnology with several centers of excellence in Mexico," said Juan M. Sanchez, vice president for research at the university.
The center will organize workshops in nanotechnology and materials science, create networks of researchers and promote the participation of industry in Texas and Mexico.
It also will provide training courses on new techniques available within the facilities of The University of Texas at Austin, particularly those of the Texas Materials Institute.
"We have much to offer each other," said Miguel Jose Yacaman, professor of Materials Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, who will head the center. "Our collaborations will have the potential to create cross-border commercial enterprises."
The Mexican institutions involved include the Center on Advance Materials (CIMAV) and CONACYT.
Representing the Mexican researchers on the board are Jesús Gonzáles, director of CIMAV; Gerardo Contreras, professor of physics at the Politechnic Institute of Mexico; Alipio Calles, professor in the department of physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico; and Humberton Terrones, head of the Advanced Materials Department at the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research of San Luis Potosí.
Representing The University of Texas at Austin are Desiderio Kovar, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Alex De Lozanne and Isaac Sánchez, professors of chemical engineering, and Allen Bard, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
This program will help The University of Texas at Austin reinforce programs to promote science and engineering among the Hispanic population in Texas. Many of the Latin American scientists involved in the institute will participate in outreach educational programs aimed at K-12 students of Hispanic background.
Contact: Tim Green, 512-475-6596
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The University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering ranks among the top six public engineering schools in the United States. With the nation's fourth highest number of faculty elected members of the National Academy of Engineering, the School's more than 7,000 students gain exposure to the nation's finest engineering practitioners. Appropriately, the School's logo, an embellished checkmark used by the first UT engineering dean to denote high quality student work, is the nation's oldest quality symbol. The School maintains a Web site at http://www.engr.utexas.edu