Vol. 9 No. 1 (2021): Ambiens Techne et Scientia México

Presentation

 

In this presentation corresponding to Vol. 9, number 1, 2021, of the journal Ambiens, Techné et Scientia México, we will pay a well-deserved tribute to a mentor in every sense of the word, taking advantage of the fact that his 93rd birthday was on January 7, 2021 He now accompanies us spiritually since he is still confined by the presence of the virus mentioned in our number 1 of the previous volume and he could not prepare an article for this number as he agreed to do so as part of our Editorial Board:

 

From: J&S Prausnitz <prausnitz@sbcglobal.net>

To: "Dra. Carmen Duran" <mcduran@unam.mx>

Cc: enrique Rodolfo Bazua-Rueda <erbr@unam.mx>

Subject: Re: Greetings from Mexico

At 22:55 3/3/2021, J&S Prausnitz wrote:

 

Dear Carmen and Enrique,

Thank you for your email of Sat, Feb 27. I'm glad to know that you and your family are well. 

My health is pretty good but not as good as I would like. I am now 93 and it is beginning to show consequences. I have received two shots of Pfizer vaccine but as recommended, I wear a mask when near others and practice social distancing.

As I noted to you on Jan 18, below, I regret that I cannot write the manuscript that you want. My circumstances here make that impossible. 

Wishing you good health and happiness with your growing family, 

Sincerely, 

John

 

He is Prof. John M. Prausnitz, from the University of California, Berkeley, the mentor of Dr. Enrique Rodolfo Bazúa-Rueda and of many fellow chemical engineers. We had the honor of meeting him when he came to Mexico to give a keynote address in Auditorium A of the Faculty of Chemistry at UNAM in 1990.

 

 

 

Enrique Bazúa, Carmen Durán, A. Bellemans, John M. Prausnitz (Taken in Berkeley (June 12, 1971)

Alberto Urbina, Enrique Bazúa, Carmen Durán, Juan José de-Pablo, John M. Prausnitz (Taken in July 1990 in Mexico City in Juanjo’s parents home also UNAM’s professors)

 

In the Auditorium of the Faculty of Chemistry of the UNAM in 1990, students and academics were sitting even on the access stairs to the podium to listen to his lecture.

 

In this tribute to Prof. Dr. John M. Prausnitz, readers will find articles by our members of the Editorial Board, showing human creativity, even in times of COVID-19, as we said in the aforementioned 2020 issue.

 

The first one belongs to Emeritus Professor of the McGill University at Montreal, Canada, Juan Humberto Vera. The second one belongs to Dr. Enrique Rodolfo Bazúa-Rueda. The third one is a contribution of Prof. Octavio García-Madáhuar from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering of the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán.

 

We also want to start in this issue a posthumous tribute to our very dear colleague from the Editorial Board, Dr. Alberto Florentino Aguilera Alvarado from the University of Guanajuato, who beat us on the road on April 28, 2021 due to health problems in your esophagus. He has always supported our journal since it began its operation in 2013, always accompanied by his beloved wife, Dr. María Irene Cano Rodríguez, treasurer of our RACAM. In the next we will have some contributions in his honor from academic colleagues from the University of Guanajuato.

 

In the Journal NATURALEZA Y TECNOLOGÍA of the UNIVERSIDAD DE GUANAJUATO in its issue 11 of December 2016 (ISSN: 2007-672X) an article entitled "The former directors of the chemistry area of the University of Guanajuato (1940-2016)" was published by Q. Fernando de Jesús Amézquita-López, from the Department of Chemistry of the Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, Campus Guanajuato, University of Guanajuato. Guanajuato, Gto. (amezquita@ugto.mx). An excerpt related to our honored academic is the following:

 

“In 1998 the Division of Graduate Studies (D.E.S.) of Biological Chemical Sciences and Chemical Engineering was created in 1999 (August) with the beginning of a new curriculum for Chemical Engineers, joining the Basic Area of the Engineering plan: The Master Program in Chemical Engineering begins. … From 2001-2005 Alberto Florentino Aguilera Alvarado, Director of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences, ordered the construction of the adaptation of Building B for the postgraduate professors in Chemical Engineering. He acquired the vehicle that the Division has, (he carried out the) the management of the current library, and promoted the rehabilitation of the toilets of the Faculty of Chemistry. The new curriculum for the graduate program of Master of Quality began. In 2004 the Fifth Meeting of Alumni of the Faculty of Chemistry was held after 15 years. The requirements for the recognition of the merit of the Degree and of the Judging Juries were modified. The participation was made active in the common trunk of the Engineering. He established an administration system on the substantive activities of mentors, students and administrative staff, by means of a database and the correct software coding. The electrical substation was revamped. A study to solve the problem of the wastewater of the Faculty was carried out."

 

In 2015 he published the article “Background and celebration of the 15 years of the postgraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Guanajuato” also in the NATURALEZA Y TECNOLOGÍA journal of the UNIVERSIDAD DE GUANAJUATO in its number 7 of 2015 (ISSN: 2007-672X). The summary was as follows:

 

On August 24, 2015, in the Division of Natural and Exact Sciences of the Guanajuato campus, of the University of Guanajuato the inauguration of the celebrations of the 15 years of the master's degree in Chemical Engineering was held, this is the inaugural speech that outlines the antecedents that resulted in that achievement.

 

 

Doctors Alberto Florentino Aguilera Alvarado and María Irene Cano Rodríguez at the Juárez Theater in the city of Guanajuato (Taken on Saturday, November 8, 2008)

 

One of his last interventions was in October 2020 to celebrate the 20 years since the creation of the graduate program at the University of Guanajuato:

 

Guanajuato, Gto., October 5, 2020.- With a recognition to the people who have contributed to the strengthening and growth of one of the most prestigious programs of the University of Guanajuato (UG), the ceremony was held for the 20th Anniversary of the postgraduate degree in Chemical Engineering of the Division of Natural and Exact Sciences (DCNE).

 

With a different celebration due to the pandemic, Dr. Alberto Florentino Aguilera-Alvarado, founding member, took a journey through history in which he recapitulated the background to the creation of the postgraduate program, which allowed to remember those who promoted this program, such as Dr. Salvador Hernández-Castro, Dr. Martín Picón-Núñez and Mrs. Dr. Irene Cano-Rodríguez.

 

When assessing the value of the efforts of those who throughout these 20 years have contributed to forging the prestige of this postgraduate degree, the General Rector of the UG, Dr. Luis Felipe Guerrero-Agripino described this program as a "successful result", one of those that identifies the UG thanks to the advances and impacts both in research and in the generation of academic cadres that even transcend the international level. Likewise, he emphasized that the postgraduate degree in Chemical Engineering is an example of what can be achieved with a community that works to generate new options based on institutional capacities.

 

It should be remembered that the University of Guanajuato has the Master's degree programs in Chemical Engineering (Process Integration) and the Doctorate of Science in Chemical Engineering. The postgraduate program in Chemical Engineering has contributed to the training of around 198 master's and 95 doctoral students over the years. The generation of these human resources has greatly contributed to advances in research, whose contributions have been disseminated through scientific articles, outreach, conferences, and various publications.

 

In their speeches, both the Rector of the Guanajuato Campus, Mrs. Dr. Teresita de Jesús Rendón-Huerta-Barrera, and the Director of the DCNE, Dr. Agustín Ramón Uribe-Ramírez, emphasized the mission of training quality professionals in the field of health research. Chemical engineering, being a postgraduate degree with recognition that stands out at the national level, which has contributed to position UG as one of the best institutions in the country. The virtual event was attended by university authorities, academic staff, students, and researchers from the various programs in Master's, Doctorate, Bachelor's, Chemical Engineering and related areas.

 

As part of the celebration, 2 workshops and 13 keynote conferences will be held from October 5 to 9; taught by internationally renowned researchers in the areas of Process Engineering, Advanced Materials, Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena; with importance in Chemical Engineering and nearby areas.

 

To know more details of the academic activities, you can consult the page https://ugto.mx/piq/20-aniversario.

 

 

Rest in peace our dear colleague and friend Alberto Florentino Aguilera-Alvarado

 

He will always remain in our hearts.

 

 

And, again, welcome to this forum of fraternal networks:

 

Network for Environmental Quality Analysis in Mexico

 

and

 

International Network of Environmental Sciences

 

from the Faculty of Chemistry of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

 

 

The editor-in-chief