LACCEI 5th Conference: Developing Entrepreneurial Engineers in Latin America and the Caribbean

    MIAMI, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives of engineering
 institutions from more than 15 countries will gather for the 2007 Latin
 American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions Conference
 (LACCEI), in Tampico, Mexico, to analyze challenges and opportunities in
 engineering education and research in the region.
     Addressing issues of innovation and research for the global
 marketplace, the conference, named "Developing Entrepreneurial Engineers
 for the Sustainable Growth of Latin America and the Caribbean: Education,
 Innovation, Technology and Practice," will feature a series of workshops to
 discuss international cooperation mechanisms for promoting education and
 research in the region, and discuss best practices preparing world-class
 engineers for the Americas.
     The Executive Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing at
 Florida International University (FIU) Dr. Vish Prasad, and LACCEI
 president Dr. Jorge Ivan Velez Arocho, Chancellor of the Universidad de
 Puerto Rico, will present the Academic Merit Medal to Dr. Luiz Carlos
 Scavarda do Carmo, Vice President of Pontificia Universidade Catolica do
 Rio de Janeiro, in recognition of his contributions to the field and to
 regional cooperation.
     Dr. Vish Prasad, the founder of LACCEI, pointed that institutional and
 regional cooperation was strengthened when the American Society of
 Engineering Education (ASEE) invited LACCEI to sign the Rio Declaration in
 2006: "We are now part of a group of organizations that aims to create the
 right conditions for engineering students so they are better prepared to
 face the challenges of a world where technical cooperation across borders
 is a reality -- as an organization we are committed to elevate the
 standards of engineering education throughout Latin America and the
 Caribbean."
     This year's conference focus on entrepreneurship counts with an
 impressive roster of speakers that make collaboration between academia and
 the private sector a priority, including Hewlett-Packard's University
 Relations Daniel Marcek and Dr. Liz Kisenwether, Director of Engineering
 Entrepreneurship Program at Penn State University. For more information:
 http://www.laccei.org or plentzm@fiu.edu
     Florida International University is one of the 20 largest universities
 in the U.S. The College of Engineering and Computing at FIU offers more
 than 30 degrees through its baccalaureate, master and doctoral programs.
 Over the last five years, the College has been awarded nearly $50 million
 in external research funding from a variety of government and corporate
 sources.
 
 

SOURCE Florida International University