La Escuela Nacional de Ingenieros, fundamental en el nacimiento de la física profesional en México

Abstract

The Escuela Nacional de Ingenieros (National School of Engineers), which origin was the prestigious Real Seminario de Minería (Royal School of Mines), stood out as the most important higher education institution in its field in Mexico, depositary of the largest number and highest level of courses in physics and mathematics. Because of this, its teachers were the most suitable to collaborate with the first effort in establishing specialized studies in physics, at the Escuela Nacional de Altos Estudios (National School for Advanced Studies) as well as at its successor, the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (Faculty of Philosophy and Literature). As the project did not crystallize in these entities, some engineers gave their support to engineer Ricardo Monges López, who managed changes in the legislation of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He also took advantage of the existing resources in the Palace of Mines (subjects, professors, classrooms, laboratories and library, among others) to initiate and then strengthen the physics career and the Institute of Physics at the aforementioned University, both the first in its field created in Mexico.