ASAGAI YOUTH ACTIVITIES 2018

2018 has been a very productive year for the group of young professionals and students. Firstly, we have modified our name from “Sub40” to “Jóvenes ASAGAI (Youth ASAGAI)”, aligning ourselves with our international IAEG colleagues.

In August, the First Congress of Geology Applied to Engineering and the Environment was held in San Luis City. This historical event meant an upgrade for the ASAGAI periodic meeting, previously categorized as a symposium.

During the first two days of this important event, a series of participatory activities were organized by the ASAGAI Youth Group, with attendance far exceeding expectations.

Activities on the first day aimed to overcome key barriers that in our view hinder the effective development of a country-wide group, such as distance, time and necessary resources.

During the following day, real cases of great social impact were presented. Each group of participants discussed the geological and social implications, and the need for studies and remediation works, seeking to expand the knowledge of areas in which a geologist could develop in their professional life. Approximately 60 participants attended both important activities and the result were highly enriching.

In the workshops it was raised the need to develop regional groups to create greater impact on different areas of the country. With this objective, a form of intention of active participation was sent to all the attendees and other people interested in participating in the Youth Group. In this way, the concrete interest in each area of the country began to be identified and potential regional coordinators identified, with a firm commitment to the objectives of the Association.

In the little that remained of the year, two meetings were held at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and another at the National University of La Plata (UNLP), with the purpose of organizing a work plan for 2019. In these meetings, representatives from two developing groups participated in the process, one from the universities of La Rioja and Catamarca, and one from the University of Córdoba.

In relation to the International Association (IAEG), a Youth ASAGAI representative had the opportunity to participate in the meeting of the Young Engineering Geologists Committee (YEG), as part of the activities of the International Congress, held in San Francisco, United States in September 2018. From this event, a connection was made with the YEG, which was further strengthened by the involvement of two Argentine representatives with the Committee. The next YEG meeting is being organized for April 2019, and we hope both representatives could participate. The plan is to establish a structure with assignment of tasks, which could be replicated at the regional level in the National Group.

We appreciate the interest shown and invite you to continue participating actively and proposing new ideas and activities for next year!

We wish you very happy holidays and an excellent start of 2019.

Cheers!!

Jóvenes ASAGAI