The Heads of Schools and Professor Alonso during the visit
The Heads of Schools spent a full day with students and academics from their respective fields at the National Polytechnic Institute promoting Queen Mary, cementing existing collaborations and exploring potential research initiatives. They then travelled to the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, where they gave talks to academics and students working in mathematics and biological and chemical science, undertook postgraduate recruitment activities and discussed possible research collaborations.
Boris Khoruzhenko and Richard Pickersgill also visited the Autonomous University of Baja California, where they met with researchers and academics to explore potential research collaborations. Both Heads of School then delivered talks promoting Queen Mary and their respective schools.
Professor Alonso met with more than 160 female students, staff and senior academics from the Autonomous University of Baja California to discuss and explore ways of empowering women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These meetings took place ahead of the Empowering Women in STEM event, which is planned to take place in Mexico City in April 2020.
Held in partnership with Mexican and UK institutions, the event will enable thought leaders and academics from the UK and Mexico to come together to highlight the importance of raising the status of women in STEM and throughout society as a whole, encouraging women and providing them with the tools and confidence to enable them to take on leading roles in all levels of society.
The Empowering Women in STEM event is one of three new initiatives being led in Mexico by Teresa Alonso-Rasgado and Sharon Ellis, Queen Mary's Director of Research Services. The initiatives, sponsored by Vice-Principal for Policy and Strategic Partnerships Philippa Lloyd and Wen Wang, Vice-Principal for Science and Engineering, are taking place between September 2019 and October 2020.
Speaking at the end of the Heads of School's visit, Professor Alonso said "It was a pleasure to work alongside Richard and Boris this week on what has been a very successful trip which has not only enabled Queen Mary University of London to further strengthen its partnerships in Mexico, but has also enabled the Heads of School to experience the Mexican culture and gain valuable insight into how the academic and university system operates here."
