Sept. 29, 2005

Mexican President Vicente Fox’s visit to the University of Calgary today adds further momentum to the already-thriving relationship between the university and Mexico.

In a private meeting with President Fox, Dr. Harvey Weingarten, president of the University of Calgary, will talk about opportunities to expand that relationship through the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy.

“President Fox’s visit signifies that we are recognized in Mexico by scholars, political leaders and industry,” said Weingarten. “That recognition is a result of many joint projects and the work of many researchers who have spent years collaborating with their Mexican colleagues. This visit by President Fox will serve to strengthen our friendship and academic cooperation with Mexican institutions.”

One of the university’s top priorities is the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy. The institute was created in 2003 as part of a university commitment to become an international leader in energy and environment research, education and innovation. The associated researchers and students across many departments and faculties provide numerous ongoing and future opportunities for Alberta and Mexico to share experiences, knowledge and technology.

“ Due to our proximity and our common interests in oil and gas, it makes perfect sense for the University of Calgary to partner with Mexican researchers and industry,” said Dr. Robert Mansell, managing director of the Institute.

An example of an existing partnership is the sponsorship of CREWES (Consortium for Research in Elastic Wave Exploration Seismology) by The Instituto Mexicano Del Petróleo. CREWES works with industry partners to conduct advanced research (including improved 3D geological images of the subsurface) in resource exploration and development, and also educates and trains students for careers in the energy industry.

An example of a potential future collaboration is the shared research interest by U of C researchers in the Faculty of Science and the Schulich School of Engineering and their colleagues at the Instituto Mexicano Del Petróleo to advance work in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, technology that converts hydrocarbons to clean energy.
In addition to developments in the oil and gas arena, President Fox’s visit paves the way for future collaboration and exchanges with students and faculty.

The University of Calgary has a long history of partnering with Mexico, its universities, researchers and industry; a partnership originally forged by archaeologists such as David Kelley and literary expert Serge Zaitzeff in the 1960s. That relationship has continued over the past four decades, and currently involves multiple faculties and departments, including students and researchers from engineering, international business, the social sciences, the sciences and education.

There are currently more than 50 Mexican students enrolled at the U of C. One student, Pablo Ortiz, a first-year graduate student in the Department of French, Italian and Spanish, said the opportunity to come to the U of C developed while he was studying at the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara.

“ In Mexico, the University of Calgary is getting more and more popular among students,” said Ortiz. “As a student, I heard several times about opportunities at the University of Calgary.”

Dennis Salahub, Vice-President (Research and International) at the University of Calgary, said the university is committed to strengthening its relationships with Mexico.

In addition to partnerships in the Energy and Environment sector, the University has strong ties through the social sciences, which include several projects associated with the International Centre, the Latin American Research Centre and the Latin American Studies program.

“ We are constantly looking for ways to enhance cooperation with Mexico,” said Salahub. “Our projects to date have resulted in concrete research results in areas such as hydrogen and fuel cells, pipeline and heavy oil research. We want to amplify that, and having President Fox on campus is an ideal way to bring further energy to our projects whether they be in the sciences, engineering, medicine or the social sciences, humanities and the arts.”