Contact: Jorge García, 277-7974

May 13, 2003 ISTEC and IEEE Announce Collaboration Partners to promote science and technology in developing countries The Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC) at the University of New Mexico and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing their joint initiative to promote science and technology in developing countries. Jorge García, program manager at ISTEC, said the two organizations are a natural fit. “IEEE promotes the engineering process of creating, developing, integrating, sharing, and applying knowledge about technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity and the profession. Similarly, ISTEC fosters scientific, engineering, and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members in the Ibero-American region,” he said. “The collaboration between ISTEC and IEEE will contribute to the technological future of the 21st century. Together, we will be able to enhance the technical vitality of our respective members in the region, our professional societies, and our homelands,” said García. The mission and objectives of the ISTEC/IEEE collaboration were consolidated at a recent meeting at UNM. The ISTEC/IEEE team discussed a number of projects that will enable them to achieve their goals in promoting technological development. They include: Enhanced Access to Technical Information - ISTEC members will gain limited access to IEEE databases. IEEE will share meta-data with the ISTEC Digital Library Linkages Open Archives initiative. Joint Conferences – ISTEC and IEEE will work together to disseminate both organizations’ events to broadcasting media, exchange preferential rates for respective members and organize jointly sponsored events. Junior Schools Development – ISTEC and IEEE volunteers will assist in promoting technical seminars in junior schools, using ISTEC contacts with local governments to promote the concept. Personal Core Skills Development – The partners will present ISTEC members with existing IEEE programs in leadership development, project management and core skills. Joint Awards – A joint funding proposal will fund scholarships, fellowships and research projects. A joint program will encourage Ibero-American Engineers to become IEEE and ISTEC members. Publishing – The ISTEC/IEEE team will establish a clear process to encourage regional ISTEC members to contribute to IEEE publications. Technical publications will be developed in Spanish and Portuguese following international standards. ISTEC is a non-profit organization comprised of educational, research, industrial, and multilateral organizations throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The Consortium was established to foster scientific, engineering and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members, and to provide a cost-effective vehicle for the application and transfer of technology. ISTEC membership currently includes approximately 100 educational institutions, and more than 30 industrial/institutional members in 20 countries. For more information, contact the ISTEC Executive Office at info@istec.org or at (505) 277-7974. Detailed information on ISTEC is available at www.istec.org. The IEEE is a non-profit, technical professional association of more than 377,000 individual members in 150 countries. Through its members, the IEEE is a leading authority in technical areas ranging from computer engineering, biomedical technology and telecommunications, to electric power, aerospace and consumer electronics, among others. Through its technical publishing, conferences and consensus-based standards activities, the IEEE produces 30 percent of the world’s published literature in electrical engineering, computers and control technology, holds more than 300 major conferences annually and has nearly 900 active standards with 700 under development. Detailed information on IEEE is available at www.ieee.org. ###

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