3rd Technical Symposium
When this magazine reaches your hands, the 3rd
Technical Symposium – which takes places every
two years – will be being held, consolidating the idea
that has always been in mind since the beginnings of
AAQTIC, an idea that has been difficult to materialize:
the performance of local activities, similar to those
carried out in International Conferences, but a bit more
limited, to serve as the meeting point for technicians in
the sector to catch up on all the news and exchange their
experiences.
Once again, as in the 2nd Symposium, there will be
oral presentations, posters, monographs and round tables.
And this magazine, as usual, works as a sort of
“Guide”: it includes the abstracts of the works presented,
as well as the Programme of Activities.
The inter-Symposium period has been particularly
tough for our industry: the drop in the international
activity dragged raw leather to values close to zero for
the first time ever. This year, the incipient recovery of the
activity has taken place together with a significant drop in
slaughtering, which caused the price of leather to rise as
abruptly as it had dropped.
Tecnología del Cuero has been reflecting this topic.
Despite the situation, which has affected many
colleagues, AAQTIC’s activities went on: presentations
of companies and institutions, round tables, talks on the
history of tanneries; courses, presentations in offices other
than AAQTIC’s, participation in expositions, and issuing
of our magazine. Further, a Website in English was relaunched,
along with a digital newsletter to announce and
reflect AAQTIC’s activities via e-mail.
The talks on the history of tanneries had great impact
outside the sector, prompting consultation from students
from different degree programmes, requests for articles
for magazines and conferences in other spheres.
And now we add the realization of the 3rd Symposium,
completing the activities.
We hope that this continuity remains in the future.
Last, I would like to address a topic that is not specific
to the tanning sector, but to a broader sphere: chemistry.
The UN has declared 2011 as International Year of
Chemistry.
It coincides with the centenary of the Nobel Prize award
to Maria Curie. The aim is to raise the public’s awareness
on the contributions of chemistry to mankind.
AAQTIC will analyze if it is appropriate to make a
small contribution to such line. |