The building that will house the Augusto Severo Science and Technology Park (PAX), in Macaíba, was visited on the morning of Tuesday (03/08) by a delegation formed by representatives of the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD), the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), the José Augusto Foundation (FJA), the Municipal Government of Macaíba, the State Secretariat for Economic Development (SEDEC/RN), the Historical and Geographical Institute of Rio Grande do Norte (IHGRN) and the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB/RN). The 15,000 square meter project will house a sustainable technology complex with solutions in the areas of Health, Renewable Energy and Industry 4.0.

The Science and Technology Park is named after a Macaíba native who is internationally recognized for his contribution to the development of aviation: Augusto Severo de Albuquerque Maranhão. “We decided to honor Augusto Severo for all his innovation and for being born here. The Park is designed as a sustainable, green structure, embedded in a piece of the Atlantic Forest,” emphasized the special advisor for PAX, Ângela Cruz, former rector of UFRN. 

Inspired by the legacy of the creator of the Pax airship, which took flight in Paris in 1902, the Technology Park is designed to be an intelligent structure, integrated with the community and companies through the Federation of Industries of Rio Grande do Norte (Fiern) and the Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae). In addition, startup accelerators will be part of the structure to operationalize products developed in the most diverse lines of research of the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS), linked to the Santos Dumont Institute. 

“We have a lot to do at the Academy. This Technology Park is being designed to integrate with the community through science and development,” stressed Ângela Cruz. The current structure is expected to undergo renovations to its electrical and hydraulic structures. The services should be ready in the first half of 2022. The construction of a pipeline is planned to supply the project.

Assignment

Lawyer Armando Holanda, who has been studying Augusto Severo's biography for years, was one of the people who visited the space that will house the Science and Technology Park on Tuesday morning. On that occasion, he presented the entire personal collection he was able to gather about the history of the inventor and politician from Macaíba to PAX. Among the official documents are photographs and curiosities related to Augusto Severo. The special advisor for the Park, Ângela Cruz, will ask UFRN to indicate museologists and historians to catalog the material offered. Among the items that will be analyzed are information related to the project developed by Augusto Severo to create the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) and his death certificate.

There is also the possibility of transferring the remains of the Macaíba native to his homeland. In 1902, Augusto Severo died in a plane crash in France. His body was buried in the São João Batista Cemetery in Rio de Janeiro. Lawyer Armando Holanda obtained a court decision that guarantees the exhumation and transport for symbolic burial in Macaíba, where he was born on January 11, 1864.

During the visit to the building, the possibility of constructing a giant sculpture in honor of Augusto Severo was also discussed. A sketch was presented by visual artist Guaraci Gabriel, known for his giant iron sculptures, such as the one of musician Tonheca Dantas, placed at the entrance to the municipality of Carnaúba dos Dantas, which is eight meters high. The design conceived for Augusto Severo is in the final stages of completion and the location where the work of art will be placed has not been defined. 

The following people participated in the visit: the administrative director of ISD, Jovan Gadioli; the manager and coordinator of Research at IIN-ELS, Edgard Morya; the special advisor for PAX, Ângela Cruz; the general director of the José Augusto Foundation (FJA), Crispiniano Neto; the visual artist Guaraci Gabriel; the deputy secretary of Environment of the Municipal Government of Macaíba, Edson Oliveira; Irani Santos and Olavo Bueno, representatives of SEDEC/RN; the president of the Historical and Geographical Institute of Rio Grande do Norte (IHGRN), Ormuz Simonetti; the lawyer and biographer Armando Holanda; the musicologist Leide Câmara; the president of the Information Technology Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB/RN), Pedro George de Brito; and the project director of the Infrastructure Superintendence of UFRN, Sileno Trindade.

After visiting the PAX building, the members of the delegation visited the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS), which is located in the same area as the future Technology Park, and were then received at the Anita Garibaldi Health Education and Research Center (Anita) by manager Lilian Lisboa.