After five and half years at the helm of the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Chapala (ITS), Dr. Morris Schwarzblat y Katz left his post as general director on May 31 of last year to take on a new assignment with the state government’s new Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (SISyT).
Schwarzblat shepherded the budding tech school through a crucial phase of its growth, implementing programs and policies aimed primarily at encouraging students to excel in their educational pursuits, engage in critical and divergent thinking and develop the skills and tools needed to succeed in the world’s rapidly evolving job market and technology dependent business sphere.
While many among the institute’s student body and staff have expressed dismay at losing his strong guiding light, Schwarzblat is enthusiastically embracing a change of direction in his professional life.
“I’m excited and grateful for having the opportunity to work in this new government agency and to be involved in the significant challenges within its realm,” he told the Reporter in a recent interview.“The governor had great vision to create the SISyT. He and the minister (Jaime Reyes Robles) are aiming for Jalisco to become the world’s most innovative state by 2019. Developing our own technology to strengthen our businesses and export it abroad hold the potential of bringing about profound changes.”
After less than a year on the job as head of technological platforms at SISyT, Schwarzblat has already been promoted to serve as general director of Science and Technological Development.
His work entails stimulating the invention and application of cutting-edge technologies in such diverse fields as agriculture, health sciences, information technology and computer sciences, renewable energy, the fashion and design industry and social services.
For example, Mexico has a need for technological devices that can help drastically reduce the costs of medical and disease prevention services, essential to preventing the breakdown of the public health care system as it confronts an aging population requiring treatment for chronic ailments such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
On another angle, high-tech processes can be utilized in agro-business to transform low-value produce into far more profitable commodities. Chemical compounds such as antioxidants extracted from berries, capsaicinoids from chile peppers and essential oils from citrus fruits have a huge market value compared to the plant products themselves.
The SISyT also delves into promoting research, invention and patent protection. “The great paradox is that Mexican people stand out for their ingenuity and creativity, but very few hold patents on their inventions,” Schwarzblat observes.
In addition, the new agency is in charge of overseeing Jalisco’s institutions of higher education where science, technology and innovation will be at the core of study programs for future generations. Schwarzblat clearly has the background and experience to contribute significantly in that area.
Born in Mexico City in 1945, Schwarzblat has a strong professional background in the fields of electrical engineering, nuclear energy and software development, with an illustrious employment record that includes positions in university education, government agencies and the private sector both in Mexico and Canada.
He and his wife Ilsa Picazo settled down into semi-retirement at lakeside in 2003. He acknowledges that his spouse put him on his latest career path. When they first arrived he began thinking vaguely about pursuing new job opportunities to stay busy. One day while the couple was out shopping, he piped in some advice on selecting the best vegetables. Ilsa retorted, “You know I’ve been doing this for many years. Why don’t you take your resumé over to the tech school and see if they’ll give you some classes or something so I can get back to picking out the tomatoes on my own.” What ensued is now history.