Young engineers strengthened their ties with industry and academia at a ‘knowledge exchange’ in Brazil.
More than 70 delegates attended ‘Conexão Geossintéticos’, the second such event hosted by IGS Brazil Young Members as part of the IX Congresso Brasileiro de Geossintéticos (Geossintéticos’23) conference, which itself attracted some 300 attendees.
At ‘Conexão Geossintéticos’ in Salvador, Bahia, this past August, young engineers, students and researchers heard from representatives from some of the region’s academic institutions and geosynthetics companies.
This included Eng. Paulo Rocha, from Geo Soluções, and Eng. Michele Albuquerque, from Bidim Wavin, who shared their experiences as young industry professionals. Professor Fernando Portelinha, from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), and Prof. José Antônio Schiavon, from ITA, talked about their research experiences with geosynthetics.
Also attending were Professors Ennio Palmeira, Delma Vidal, Orencio Monje Vilar, and Jorge Zornberg.
After a Q&A panel session with the guests, delegates could network, sharing ideas and building new connections and opportunities. There was also a geosynthetics quiz won by Dhionata Wyllian Moreira Santos from UFSCar, who won a visit to the Nortene/Engepol factory.
Natalia Correia, supervisor of IGS Brazil Young Members group, said: “Events like this are essential to strengthen our relationships with industry and academia and give the next generation of engineers the opportunity to learn, question and share ideas. I also want to thank the IGS Foundation, which funded the attendance of 10 Young Members to present papers.”
‘Conexão Geossintéticos’ was organized by Ana Carolina Pires, Maria Alejandra Ardila, Mateus Fleury, Ana Beatriz Dias, Matheus de Souza, Débora Louyse Melo, Ivonne Góngora, José Luiz Dias Filho, and Márcio Oliveira. Sponsors included Bidim Wavin, Geo Soluções, Huesker, Maccaferri, Nortene, Ober and Tech Ground.
For more on IGS Brazil, visit the chapter website here.
