FEI is an abbreviation for Fundação Educacional Inaciana (Portuguese for Educational Foundation of Ignatius),[6] but had meant in the past Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial (Portuguese for Faculty of Industrial Engineering).
History
Rev. Sabóia de Medeiros, S.J., founded colleges of business and engineering in São Paulo for the fast-growing industrial sector in Brazil. The Superior School of Business Administration (Escola Superior de Administração de Negócios - ESAN) came in 1941 and was then the only business school in Latin America,[7] influenced by the Harvard Business School model.[1][7] The Faculty of Industrial Engineering (Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial - FEI) offering a Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree came in 1946.[8] In 1946 also these two colleges joined the Catholic University of São Paulo,[9] later Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, but remained affiliated only until 1971.[1]
Nowadays, the campus at São Bernardo do Campo has 18 buildings on a 24 hectare (60 acres) site[17] and the campus in São Paulo occupies about one hectare (2 acres).[18]
Elevation to University Center
In 2001, the Brazilian Government established a new rule on higher education, allowing for the foundation of universities which, unlike faculties, could initiate and terminate courses.[19]
FEI, ESAN, and FCI formed a new university center in 2002, at first called UniFEI.[20] The "Uni" was added as a common designation for universities but had to be dropped since it was already in use by the former Escola Federal de Engenharia de Itajubá (Federal Engineering School of Itajubá) - EFEI, upgraded to university under the name Federal University of Itajubá (Universidade Federal de Itajubá) - UNIFEI.[21] So FEI remains the acronym for the amalgamated Centro Universitário da Fundação Educacional Inaciana Pe. Sabóia de Medeiros (University Center of Educational Foundation of Ignatius Father Sabóia de Medeiros).[22]
Courses
Along with many specialization courses, as of 2014 the following degrees are offered:[3]
Administration (specialism in Innovative Management)
Electrical Engineering (specialism in Integrated Electronic Devices, AI applied to Automation)
Mechanical Engineering (specialisms in Materials & Processes, Production, Mobility Systems)
Achievements
FEI sponsors a team for Baja SAE, a competition promoted by the Society of Automotive Engineers in which students design and build an off-road vehicle for evaluation.[23] FEI won 1st place in the 2004 Midwest Awards[24] and in the 2007 Briggs & Stratton Overall Awards,[25] and again won the B&S Overall in 2008.[26]
In 2006, an experiment called Effect of Microgravity on Kinetic Properties of Enzymatic Reactions - MEK, carried out by some FEI researchers, was taken aboard the 13th expedition to the International Space Station,[27] in cooperation with the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Brazilian Space Agency. The experiments were conducted by the BrazilianastronautMarcos Pontes.[28] The first space mission was carried out on February 6, 2000, during the Lençois Maranhenses Operation in Alcântara, with the project "Immobilization of Lipase by Covalent Bonding on Silica Enhanced with Glutaraldehyde." The mission advanced under the guidance of Prof. Adriana Lucarini and student José Angelo Maringoli Limonge.
^At that time, Brazil had two categories for the engineering courses, Engineer (Engenheiro) and Operational Engineer (Engenheiro Operacional), the first with full capabilities and the second with regulatory limitations, yielding to shorter programs and reduced scope. The Operational Engineer career in Brazil was replaced by the Technologist (Tecnólogo).
^"Decreto 20942/46" [Decree no. 20942 of 1946]. Brazilian House Computerized Legislation (in Portuguese). Retrieved December 30, 2013.
^"Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial" [Faculty of Industrial Engineering]. O Estado de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). June 12, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
^Pafundi, Hildebrando (January 12, 1986). "Na ETI Estadual, o ensino perde nível" [At State Industrial Technical School, teaching gets its level lowered]. O Estado de S. Paulo. p. 28. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
^"FEI inaugura novo edifício" [FEI inaugurates new building]. O Estado de S. Paulo. April 6, 1965. p. 16. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
^CONFEA (June 29, 1973). "Resolução CONFEA 218/73" [CONFEA Resolution no. 218 of 1973] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Archived from the original(PDF) on March 20, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
^"Mapofei, pela máquina" [Mapofei, instead of machine]. O Estado de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). October 14, 1969. p. 22. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
^"Mapofei, prova maior" [Mapofei; bigger test]. O Estado de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). January 8, 1979. p. 18. Retrieved January 2, 2014.