Biennial Assembly of the Pan-American Academy of Engineering

Under the title “Education and development of engineering to mitigate damage from natural disasters, design and build resilient works and alleviate the impact of climate change”, the Biennial Meeting of the Pan-American Academy of Engineering (API) began today, Monday, at the headquarters of the Puerto Rico College of Engineers and Surveyors (CIAPR).

The event is attended by renowned and outstanding engineering professionals from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, the United States, Spain, Switzerland and Puerto Rico, who will speak on topics related to climate change, natural disasters, resilient construction and engineering education.

“This assembly serves as a meeting point for sharing experiences and updated knowledge about the present and future of engineering, climate change and innovative technologies, within the context of good practices for sustainable development and with the participation of a group of the most experienced researchers in the Americas,” said Puerto Rican engineer José Domingo Pérez, who as of today assumes the presidency of this important international organization.

For Pérez, the discussion that includes the thematic forums of the conclave is of greater importance for our island, and for the practice of engineering, due to the onslaught of weather events suffered during the past five years, whose impact and resolution deserve to be analyzed in greater depth.

The opening acts of the event began this morning with the reading of the proclamation of the Municipality of San Juan, by engineer Alberto Vázquez, director of Infrastructure of the capital.

The biennial meeting of the API began today with the presentation of the technical forum “Sustainability, Mitigation and Adaptation”, at which engineers Fernando Rodríguez López (Spain), Jorge Vanegas, (Colombia), Rosa Galvez (Canada) and José Izquierdo Encarnación (Puerto Rico) spoke.

In the afternoon, the topic “Education and Engineering Development” will be discussed. Engineers Ramón Carrasquillo Carrasquillo (Puerto Rico) and Alexander Kupka da Silva (Brazil) will participate here.