Senior figures from Queen Mary University of London and Mexican institutions attended closing ceremonies hosted by the Autonomous University of Chihuahua and the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico City last week to mark the end of intensive pre-sessional English courses and celebrate nine months of successful engagement which has further strengthened Queen Mary’s partnerships in Mexico.
The intensive eight week courses, delivered in Mexico for the United Kingdom in Mexico initiative, aim to prepare Mexican students for entry into postgraduate courses at UK universities by improving their proficiency in the English language: an essential skill for success in academic and professional life in the UK.
Run jointly with Durham University and The University of Leeds, more than 30 Mexican institutions took part in the initiative, which was run in partnership with Citibanamex bank’s Social Commitment Division, the Secretariat of Education of Chihuahua, the Institute for the Support of Research and Innovation and Mexican business associations.
Dr Philippa Lloyd, Vice-Principal for Policy and Strategic Partnerships, represented Queen Mary at the closing ceremonies and addressed students and English teachers who took part in the courses, representatives from UK partner universities and senior officials from partner institutions in Mexico and the Mexican government.
The Vice-Principal thanked those present for their support: specifically the partner and participating institutions, the host universities and Citibanamex bank’s Social Commitment Division, and the teachers for their hard work in delivering the course. Dr Lloyd also discussed the importance of Queen Mary’s partnership with Mexico and emphasised the importance of choosing the right university for postgraduate study.
Philippa Lloyd also visited the Tijuana Institute of Technology, where she gave talks to students and academics, negotiated a potential matched-funding research project sandpit for 2020 and met with female academics, students and senior staff from the Institute. These meetings took place ahead of Queen Mary’s Empowering women in STEM event that will 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.
On her last day in Mexico, Dr Lloyd spoke to reporters from CONVERSUS magazine about the importance of science and the challenges it faces, sharing her experience and perspective as Vice-Principal at Queen Mary.
Professor Teresa Alonso Rasgado, Dean for International in Queen Mary’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, said “This trip is the culmination of nine months of hard work and engagement with Mexico by Queen Mary during 2019 which has included numerous initiatives. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to making this a success. I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the university in 2020, in particular with Sharon Ellis and Philippa Lloyd, to further strengthen our partnerships with Mexico and Latin America more widely.”
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