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Posted: 10/24/19

TAMIU Hosts Argentinian Engineering Faculty, Students for Joint Study Projects Here

 

Dr. Tariq Tashtoush
Dr. Tariq Tashtoush  

A group representing Argentina’s Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (UNQ) is currently visiting Laredo to work on three, joint engineering projects with Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) School of Engineering faculty and students.

The joint group, whose projects are sponsored by the U.S Department of State’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiatives and a grant from Exxon Mobil, hopes to publish their research results in academic publications in the United States.

The Argentinian group of one faculty member and six students, led by UNQ professor and engineer Félix Safar, is collaborating with a similarly-numbered TAMIU cohort, led by TAMIU Assistant Professor of Engineering Dr. Tariq Tashtoush. The visitors have stayed at TAMIU’s Residential Learning Center during their two-week, study- travel to Laredo and will return to Argentina on Friday.

One of the joint projects investigates the collaboration of robots and human beings and entails foreseeing and mitigating problems robots could present in cooperating with humans, explained Safar.

The second project looks at the use of drones and capturing georeferenced images of industrialized farms to identify targeted areas where agricultural pesticides for weeds can be applied, thus, avoiding spraying the entire farm, Safar said.

The third project deals with intelligent transportation systems, where Artificial Intelligence assists in detecting traffic congestions on roads, and the presence of vehicles while estimating vehicular speed in order to plan and generate better transportation conditions, Safar explained.

Safar thanked TAMIU for welcoming his group and said both he and his students felt at home at TAMIU.

“TAMIU’s campus is beautiful and provides a pleasant atmosphere to participate in academic activities,” he said, “It is very complete, and all of its infrastructure is impressive, impeccable. We’ve even enjoyed the presence of wildlife circulating around campus and we feel happy and at home here.”

UNQ, founded in 1989 is located in Bernal City, 40 minutes away from Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires. It currently enrolls 15,000 students in a traditional, face to face modality, and 10,000 online students. Also, 3,000 graduate students take classes online, Safar said.

TAMIU and UNQ are similar in that they provide an opportunity for social mobility for their students, Safar said.

“This joint project provides a rich experience both for UNQ and TAMIU students,” he said, “There is something interesting about both universities. Students from UNQ and Laredo, many of them, are the first generation of their families to attend a university.”

He continued, “In this sense, the two are sister universities. You can tell this from the interest, enthusiasm and commitment that students from both universities demonstrate in succeeding.”

UNQ and TAMIU students began their joint work this April and continued, when TAMIU’s student cohort recently visited UNQ’s campus in Argentina. The projects conclude in March, 2020, Safar said. He added that the two universities are currently discussing ways to expand their collaboration in the future, beyond the three projects.

Dr. Tashtoush said this is the first-ever joint collaboration project for Engineering students at TAMIU that also involves a Study Abroad component.

“Most of the Study Abroad programs so far have been for programs that aren’t focused on Engineering students,” he said, “The importance of this one is that it includes new topics of students’ course work and also encourages them to do undergraduate research. We are also hoping for publication, so, this is a win-win situation.”

UNQ students Brian Soullier and Nicolás Cuedo said they not only appreciated working on projects with TAMIU students but also getting to know about their culture here.

“This exchange is a spectacular opportunity for students because beyond the professional aspect and studies, two cultures have come together to share with one another,” Soullier said.

Cuedo said the joint collaboration opportunity allowed students from both sides to learn how each group works.

“We’ve learned how TAMIU students manage things and apply engineering, and in turn, they have also learned how we work,” he said, “This is a nice project and it is a way to open ourselves and share. After all, the whole world is now connected.”

Soullier and Cuedo also thanked TAMIU for welcoming them.

“We would like to thank the students, Dr. Tashtoush, and everyone at TAMIU  for welcoming us in an extraordinary manner and we feel at home here,” he said, “We feel nothing but gratitude for the way we have been received and hope that we have done the same when TAMIU’s group visited us in Argentina.”

For more information, contact Tashtoush at 956.326.2600, email tariq.tashtoush@tamiu.edu, or visit offices in the Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center, room 323.  

More of the University’s story is at tamiu.edu, or its social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Quilmes Students
Students and faculty from Argentina’s Universidad Nacional de Quilmes and Texas A&M International University's  School of Engineering are working on three joint projects.