The initial organization of the Institute

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UNAM: Doctors Nabor Carrillo, Alberto Barajas and Carlos Graef Fernandez.

Sponsors: Doctor Gustavo Baez, Engineer Eduardo Bustamente, Engineer José B. Cousiné, Mr. Rómulo O’Farril and Engineer Carlos Prieto.

Technical sponsors: engineers Javier Barros Sierra, Fernando Espinosa, Fernando Hiriart, Raúl J. Marsal, Bernardo Quintana Arrioja and Raúl Sandoval.

Coordinators: doctor Efrén C. del Pozo, general secretary of UNAM; Mr. José Ortiz T., treasurer of UNAM; J. M. Ortiz Tirado, president of the special commission of UNAM; Mr. Tomás Gurza public relations at UNAM, and Mr. P. García Barbachano.

Due to legal reasons, a property deed was needed as part of the protocol. It was signed on July 22, 1955, by doctors Nabor Carrillo Flores, Alberto Barajas and Carlos Graef, as well as by the sponsors and sponsoring technicians mentioned above.

In vol. 642s, p. 245, number 38,832 of Notary Public Number 38 it was constituted as a Civilian Association with social goals and whose objectives would be to research and disseminate results throughout the country while collaborating with other scientific institutions.

Equity or assets and all instruments and machinery (ICA property), would be recognized as well as office furniture and laboratories would be received in perfect functioning condition for an amount of $ 373,381.50 pesos. These materials currently exist in a building located in the number 623 of the street Heriberto Frías in Mexico City, with appropriation of the contents to the Institute.

Management for the Institute consisted of the board of directors with five members: the president of UNAM, the director of the National School of Engineering, the scientific coordinator of UNAM, a chairperson of the National Institute of Scientific Research and one representative from the National Chamber of the Construction Industry.

The first board of directors were Doctor Nabor Carrillo, engineer Javier Barros Sierra, doctor Alberto Barajas, engineer Ricardo Monges and engineer Bernardo Quintana Arrioja.

Since its foundation a sum of money to meet its costs was issued from the sponsor of the project. Before having its own budget the university raised external resources for research.

Engineer Bernardo Quintana proposed that the expenses generated during the first year be paid by ICA, the second year 75% by ICA and 25% by the University, the third year 50% and 50%, and the following year 25% by ICA and 75% by UNAM; the University would pay the fifth and last year's expenses. It started operations in the basement of the Geology Institute next to the Geology Museum building. The building site was chosen for its location, other institutes and schools with whom it would establish work relationships surrounded it.

Three labs were installed within a 60.40 m long by 13.50 m wide area. The soil mechanics lab had the goal of researching the properties of clays in the Valley of Mexico, along with research on dam-stability to solve related problems of the Ministry of Hydraulic Resources.. They also analyzed foundation-related and road problems. The laboratory of analysis of experimental stress studied the distribution of dam stresses. Seismic engineering studied the performance of structures supported on rigid and soft soils when subjected to earthquakes.

Staff members who studied in the United States had a clear image of how to carry out advanced research, hence, this location was, in fact, the initial place where the disciplines required by the country started developing like areas such as civil work infrastructure, hydro-electrical systems and construction of alternate cities -such as Querétaro and Ciudad Satélite- where soil mechanics, structures and hydraulics were vital branches of research. In addition, it was established that, in order to work as a researcher at the institute, it was necessary for the person, to be recognized in his/her area of specialization.

In order to do research work it was required to have the financial contribution of ICA. It oversaw the research labs, the archiving of lab results, the calculation and drawing equipment, the mechanical shop, furniture, a library, and an important technical file. The archived files were known as the Test File of Clays in the Valley of Mexico and were suggested as a doctorate thesis subject for Raúl J. Marsal. This file still has the classification made six decades ago and is available for reference at the Rock Mechanics lab.
This set of assets meant 8 years of work for ICA and an approximate expense of two and half million pesos (estimated on 1955), apart from the installation cost of almost 380 thousand pesos.

The Institute Labs sheltered professionals such as Emilio Rosenblueth, Enzo Levi and Raúl J. Marsal, among others, as well as research assistants who in a short time were recognized in teaching and their areas of specialization.
As set-forth in the deeds, engineer Fernando Hiriart Valderrama was the first director for a four-year term starting January 22, 1956. Engineer Hiriart set the foundation for the organization and fostered experimental research. Since organized scientific research represented one of the most important and dynamic progress in recent decades, and because it contributes to improve the life and the economy of people, engineering became a vital profession. It offered new job opportunities as well as the chance to expand knowledge and have the aspiration to obtain master degrees and doctoral degrees in this area or channel the students' interest to carry out their thesis projects through seminars in national fields of interest.

As a concern shared by engineer Fernando Hiriart and Raúl J. Marsal, they looked for the professional growth of employees at the Institute through teaching activities by professors such as Vásquez, for statistics; Graef, for tensor mathematics; Remigio Valdés, for mathematics and Enzo Levi, for hydraulics; Marsal, for soil mechanics, who taught Saturday afternoons.

Civil engineering work at the Institute today focuses on stable projects that contribute to the prestige of the Institute. It has maintained this reputation as a professional institution by staying true to its goals and ideals: to carry out research aimed at solving general engineering problems, to collaborate with government and private entities to improve national engineering practice, and to render engineering services to different sectors of our society.