UTEC Student Chapter Launches in Peru, Holds First Event

A new ASTM International student chapter launched March 4 at UTEC, the Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, in Lima, Peru. More than 30 UTEC students, faculty, and ASTM representatives attended the virtual meeting to launch and celebrate the new chapter.
The chapter, which has already grown to 45 members and represents most of the UTEC schools, has also held its first event, an April 15 panel discussion with several speakers about precast concrete. The panel drew 100 attendees and was moderated by Luis Bedriñana, Ph.D., a UTEC assistant professor and the chapter’s faculty adviser.
At the launch, ASTM International president Katharine Morgan welcomed the participants. “When I looked at the UTEC website ahead of the meeting, I saw that UTEC asks their students, ‘Are you ready to change the world? Are you ready to develop the engineering of the future?’ At ASTM, we have an equally high calling,” she said. She added that she looks forward to working together.
“This will push the frontier of knowledge more and more,” said Carlos Heeren, UTEC executive director, in his opening remarks. “Our collaboration will be mutually beneficial for the next generation.”
The chapter will also provide students the opportunity to learn more about using standards as well as being part of the standards development process. Bedriñana said that more and better solutions are needed for today’s engineering challenges and that international standards provide an important part of addressing them. The chapter will further build a foundation for UTEC students to solve engineering problems.
The chapter president, Diego Gonzales, a civil engineering student, said that the chapter will raise awareness, which will be further enhanced by the chapter’s initial program. Expert lectures and contests will be part of the chapter’s work as well.
UTEC Student Chapter members are ASTM student members and can apply for student project grants and other academic awards offered by ASTM International. The chapter is sponsored by the the precast concrete products committee (C27).
The launch event also included presentations by Giancarlo Flores, Ph.D., director of the UTEC civil engineering department; Maria Isabel Barrios, ASTM Latin America representative; and Lissy Velez, ASTM program manager for business development. James Olshefsky, ASTM’s director of external relations, hosted the launch.