A space to update information, generate exchange of knowledge and be at the forefront of issues that impact the field of engineering and society in general, is the International Engineering Open in its VIII edition that takes place from today until next Thursday, August 4 at the UIS Bucarica headquarters.

During the installation of the event, which also seeks to expose important achievements, progress and development projects of national and international engineering, a cordial greeting was heard from the Santandereana Society of Engineers in the presidency of the engineer Luis Eugenio Prada Niño; as well as from Germán Pardo, president of the Colombian Society of Engineers; Dr. Hernán Porras Díaz, UIS rector and the Secretary of Infrastructure of Bucaramanga Iván José Vargas, to the participants present and connected virtually through the zoom platform. 

The proposed agenda for the 3 days covers current regional and national issues; in the case of the region, such as mobility, and in the case of the country or humanity, the issue of corruption, which will be developed in the panels, as well as the issue of the navigability of the Magdalena River, an issue of great importance for all.

Likewise, the status of the update of the seismic resistant regulations NRS10 which is from 2010 and twelve years later we are very late in its application; the theme of clean energy is also presented through projects carried out by professors and graduates UIS. The environmental part in the care of water sources in the city, and in the work of managerial efficiency, project management, in the part of costs which is a weakness in engineering projects that are budgets.

Engineer Prada Niño, thanked and expressed how fundamental and indispensable is the alliance between the Santander society of engineers and the UIS, “despite the fact that the society came first than the University; 10 years before the engineers who formed the society were perhaps the first visionaries who saw the need for a university, a school in eastern Colombia, because they had to be trained in Bogota, Medellin or Europe to be engineering professionals. For us from society and since we have been doing the Engineering Open since 2014 until today, the support of the UIS is fundamental, it is simply basic, without the university we could not reach this eighth version.”

From the rectory of the UIS headed by Professor Hernan Porras Diaz, highlighted the meeting that allows the International Engineering Open, showing the opportunity to refresh knowledge and learn about the issues that impact not only engineers but all professions and was invited to also take into account the issue of mental health that is transversal to what has been experienced in times of pandemic.

Likewise, from the presidency of the Colombian Society of Engineers highlighted the program that during these three days is in development with 16 conferences, 3 panels, 31 speakers with experts from Barcelona, Germany and South America and thanked the hospitality of the institution and the initiative of the association in Santander to carry out this meeting.