Academic collaboration is vital for the development of science, technology, and innovation in Mexico. Therefore, on March 25, 2026, representatives from UNAM Morelia and the Technological University of Nuevo Laredo (UTNL) signed two agreements.
The first one seeks to foster collaboration between UTNL and UNAM Morelia to jointly undertake academic, scientific, and cultural activities in areas of common interest.
The second agreement is more specific: its purpose is to contribute to the development of the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), an international project to build a massive radio observatory with 263 antennas distributed across much of North America, which will operate together in what is known as an interferometer.
“We hope this agreement will be very fruitful and that we will have UTNL students and professors involved in this national and international project,” said Luis Alberto Zapata González, director of the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) at UNAM Morelia, the entity coordinating the efforts from Mexico within the ngVLA consortium.
“For us, contributing to the ngVLA project and signing an agreement with UNAM Campus Morelia is a very special privilege,” said José Antonio Tovar Lara, Rector of UTNL. “UTNL students, especially those interested in mathematics, physics, and astronomy, show great interest in this project, so a collaboration with UNAM will allow them to pursue their academic aspirations.”
The main tasks related to the development of ngVLA in Mexico include identifying and characterizing the geographic sites where the antennas will be installed in Mexico, and their construction. The agreement also aims to prepare the academic community and the infrastructure of the participating institutions to process the data and use it scientifically in the future.
The agreements now signed will encourage the UNAM Morelia and UTNL communities to carry out joint research projects on ngVLA and will promote the exchange of academic staff between the two institutions.
In addition to Zapata González and Tovar Lara, the agreements were also signed by Mireyda Nieto Pulido, Director of Outreach at UTNL; Luis Abel Castorena Martínez, President of the Board of Directors of UNAM Campus Morelia; and Eric F. Jiménez Andrade, a researcher at IRyA and head of the Institute's Technical Secretariat.
Radio astronomers from IRyA involved in the ngVLA project, including Laurent Loinard, Luis Felipe Rodríguez, Carlos Carrasco González, Alice Pasetto, and Alfonso Trejo were in attendance, as well as the Institute's administrative staff.
Photos: Signing of the agreements between IRyA UNAM and the UTNL. Credit: IRyA UNAM
About IRyA, UNAM
The Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica (IRyA), or Institute for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics is an academic unit at UNAM, Campus Morelia, Mexico. We perform high-level and high-impact research in the areas of interstellar medium, star formation, evolved stars, high energy astrophysics, Galactic dynamics and structure, extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. We contribute to the education of high-level human resources through a postgraduate program, and we have close contact with society through diverse outreach programs.
If you are interested in our Institute, visit the English version of our webpage, www.irya.unam.mx/web/en
Media contact:
Dr. René A. Ortega Minakata
Outreach and Science Communication
IRyA UNAM Campus Morelia
Text: René A. Ortega Minakata, IRyA UNAM.