ESLAI or Escuela Superior Latinoamericana de Informática (Spanish: Latin American School of Advanced Studies in Computer ScienceThe qualifier Superior refers to a selective institution of higher education, usually described in English as Advanced Studies, such Pisa's Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna) was a small Argentinean computer science school established in 1986 and dissolved in 1990. In its short life, ESLAI had a considerable impact on computer science teaching and research in Argentina and other South American countries.
Argentine mathematician Manuel SadoskyAt the time, Sadosky was the Secretary for Science and Technology (a cabinet-level post) in the administration of President Raúl Alfonsín. was the key sponsor of the creation of ESLAI; other founders include Rebeca Guber, and Armando Haeberer, who also served as Deputy Director; Jorge Vidart was named Director soon after ESLAI opened. ESLAI relied heavily on cooperation agreements with and funding from a number of foreign universities,Universities whose faculty taught as ESLAI include: Grenoble Alpes University, Polytechnic University of Milan, University of Pisa, University of Toronto. and governments and international organizationsESLAI had support from France, Italy, and the European Union, as well as UNESCO and the defunct IBI. for equipment, operations, and visiting faculty.Faculty visitors to ESLAI included Jean-Raymond Abrial, Paolo Ancilotti, Julián A. Aráoz Durand, Giorgio Ausiello, Héctor García-Molina, Carlo Ghezzi, Jean-Pierre Jouannaud, Norma Lijtmaer, Alberto O. Mendelzon, Ugo Montanari, Helmut Partsch, Jean-Pierre Peyrin, and Martin Wirsing. ESLAI premises were located in the main house of Pereyra Iraola Park, a former country estate located between Buenos Aires (40 km) and La Plata (20 km) in Argentina.
Each year around 35 students (about 15% of applicants) from across Latin AmericaESLAI attracted students from across Latin America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay and Venezuela. were admitted, all with full financial support. Classes were taught in Spanish or English by well-regarded localLocal faculty included Jorge Aguirre, Jorge Boria, Roberto Cignoli, Armando Haeberer, Pablo Jacovkis, Gregorio Klimovsky, Hugo Scolnik, and Rosita Wachenchauzer. and visiting faculty, and graduates earned a Licenciado degree, which in Argentina takes five years of coursework and a final thesis.ESLAI followed the model pioneered in Argentina by the Balseiro Institute: to be considered for admission, students had to complete two years of study at an accredited university, and then pass a set of competitive entrance examinations. Once admitted, students studied a pure computer science curriculum for another three years, concluding with a thesis comparable to a US Master's or undergraduate Honors thesis Many of ESLAI's graduates would go on to earn postgraduate degrees in EuropeIn Europe, ESLAI graduates have earned doctorates at University of Gothenburg, Aarhus University, Polytechnic University of Milan, and University of Pisa, among others. and the Americas.In the Americas, ESLAI graduates have earned doctorates at University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of California, San Diego, and Stanford University among others.
ESLAI's core curriculum followed ACM guidelines, using English-language textbooks and technical articles, and included a heavy load of programming assignments, building strong software development competencies. Theoretical computer science topicsAreas of study and research included formal verification with emphasis on concurrent systems, Typed lambda calculus, and Formal Semantics. dominated advanced seminars and graduation theses, as most of the faculty were affiliated with European universities.
Unfortunately, while ESLAI was an academic success, it was unable to develop enduring support across the spectrum of political parties, the public higher education establishment, and the private sector. Lacking continuing financial or political support, ESLAI had to close down in September 1990 during the presidency of Carlos Menem.
References