Thanks to its strong ties with Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Research Engineer Rafael Aldrete, officials with Mexico’s Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Institute.
“In Mexico, there is a lack of professionals with transportation backgrounds,” says Mario Garcia Valdez, the chancellor of the university, who came to College Station for a two-day tour of TTI. “Our intent is to fill the void that exists by starting a transportation program at San Luis Potosi.”
Aldrete grew up in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, receiving his civil engineering degree at the university in 1993. “I’ve kept in touch with many of the faculty members at the university,” Aldrete says. “When they learned about the work that TTI does, they became interested in developing a relationship with the Institute.”
During their visit to College Station, the chancellor and Armando Viramontes Aldana – the school’s dean of engineering – toured the McNew Pavement Laboratory, the Environmental and Testing Environmental Chamber, and the Erosion Control Testing Facility. They also visited TTI’s crash-test facility.
The MOU was signed by Garcia Valdez and Associate Agency Director Ed Seymour. It allows the two parties to collaborate on common research interests and exchange faculty and graduate students. The MOU could open the door for other TTI work with the Mexican government.