Argentina Visit is a Success; More Trips Planned

More than 50 representatives from Argentinian local government, industry and academia greeted a cross-departmental group of ASME staff members in October when it visited Centro Argentino de Ingenieria in Buenos Aires. The response in Argentina was so enthusiastic, the ASME staff members said, that additional trips to Argentina and other South American countries are now being planned.

Members of the Global Providers network attending the meeting discussed the development of Spanish-language ASME short courses to be offered in Latin America.

The ASME group — Amy Bentow and Tom Perry from ASME Education, John Milian from Institutes, Jackie Oppenheim from Continuing Education, and James Ramirez from ASME Codes and Standards — traveled to Argentina to discuss participation in ASME Codes and Standards activities, Society Global Training initiatives, and the introduction of Spanish-language versions of ASME short courses and engineering certification seminars. Argentinian ASME members Carlos Carlassare, Ruben Rollino, and Andres Taverna were instrumental in organizing the meeting, which was conducted entirely in Spanish.

"It was good to see how enthusiastic the volunteers are," said Oppenheim, who is director for ASME Continuing Education. "To be able to go there as a group representing various parts of ASME was a terrific thing. People outside of the United States see ASME as a whole, not as a number of different departments. And here, they got to see us as a single entity."

During the segment of the visit that concentrated on Codes and Standards issues, the group discussed the participation of Argentina in ASME code development activities, and the creation of a Codes and Standards Delegate Program and International Interest Review Group.

Participants also talked about the Standards Education Project — an initiative in which ASME's Codes and Standards and Education departments are working together to integrate Codes and Standards education into undergraduate programs in Argentina's universities.

Two of the ASME volunteers in attendance, Carlos Carlassare and Fernando Audebert, volunteered to help the Society incorporate C&S education into the curricula at their universities.

This session was followed by a meeting with members of the Global Providers network — the instructors who are developing Spanish-language versions of ASME short courses to be offered in Latin America. Members of the Global Provider program at the meeting included Maria Isabel Barrios, Mario Copa, Marcelo Fernandez, Carlos Lasarte, Guillermo Le Fosse, Maria Eugenia Le Fosse, Omar Linares, Gabriela Roca, Miller Rodriguez, and Ruben Rollino.

During the visit to Argentina, staff members and volunteers take part in an Internet video conference.

The session provided an overview of the Global Provider structure for ASME Continuing Education Institute programs, as well as an opportunity for the Global Providers to discuss their current business activities and the challenges they face, Oppenheim said. In addition, the visit provided an opportunity for the Global Providers to meet potential new instructors for the courses and to preview some of the new Spanish-language ASME short courses and Engineering Management Certification International (EMCI) seminars that are already organized.

"The EMCI and the short courses in Spanish were very well received," Oppenheim said. "In fact, people are now beginning to schedule the courses. We're gearing up for a very good 2008."

Discussion at the third session, which was open to the general public, revolved around translating ASME Codes and Standards into Spanish, establishing a Personnel Certification Program in South America, and questions about participating in ASME committees. The public session "provided the opportunity for a question and answer session that would have been very difficult to coordinate elsewhere during the trip," according to Ramirez.

The success of the staff members' October visit has resulted in invitations from ASME volunteers in Bolivia for a visit next spring, and a return engagement in Argentina possibly next fall. Ramirez envisions the event in Argentina as "a huge ASME event that would last a week, in the form of a conference with four or five courses going on live, followed by committee meetings on areas of interest (to engineers in Argentina) including nanotechnology, petrochemicals, and mining."

Whatever shape the future meetings take, members of the ASME staff group agree that is important to keep scheduling these kinds of visits to South America. "It's important to keep the momentum going," Oppenheim said.

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