For the second consecutive year, the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has recognized the R&D, dissemination and knowledge transfer activities of its research staff. In the second edition of the UPV Research Awards, a total of 33 awards have been granted to different scientists of the academic institution.
“All of them are examples of the extraordinary work and scientific talent that exists at the UPV and contribute in a fundamental way to position us as the best technological university in Spain,” said Rector José E. Capilla during the awards ceremony, held in the auditorium of the Nexus building on the Vera campus.
The gala was full of science, popularization, humor, music and magic with UPV seal. It counted with the participation of the Valencian magician Jandro, accompanied in the final trick by Professor Jaime Gómez; the researcher of the Institute of Animal Science and Technology of the UPV Fernando Estellés dismantled in five minutes all the myths about the pollution emitted by cows with a scientific monologue in a humorous way; and the music was provided by the group Ensamble Musical Contemporáneo (EMC), integrated within the Spontaneous Generation Program of the UPV.
31 awards in ten categories
In this second edition of the UPV Research Awards, 31 distinctions have been granted, divided into ten categories: media impact of research; scientific dissemination; knowledge transfer; excellent research publication; excellent research impact; and excellent research career.
The first of the afternoon awards went to Eva Garrido and Ramón Martínez Máñez, from the IDM Institute, for the impact in the media of the development of a new test that detects burundanga and cannibal drugs in saliva and beverage samples quickly and easily. The award for scientific dissemination went to Purificación García, for her commitment to disseminating information on the science-cuisine binomial, Mediterranean diet, gastronomy and nutrition, as well as for contributing to the visibility of women in science. And in transfer, three awards were given, in as many sub-disciplines, to: José Ramón Serrano, Juan Francisco Dols and Pilar Roig.
The award for excellent publication in research comprised six subcategories and the winners were: Maria Luisa Carrió; Mª José Díez, José Blanca and Joaquín Cañizares; David Barberá; Virginia Garófano; Laura Montalbán, Tatiana García, María Amalia Sanz and Eugenio Pellicer; Víctor Albiach; José Ramón Serrano, Ricardo Novella and Pedro Piqueras; José Alfonso Antonino; and David Gómez Barquero.
In the category of excellent research impact, the awards went to: María Vargas, Hermenegildo García, Jaime Lloret, Javier Monsalve, Víctor Yepes, Alicia Cordero, Jaime Prohens and Enrique Orduña.
And the awards for excellent track record in research recognized: Ramón Martínez Máñez, Camilla Mileto and Fernando Vegas, Ana Tomás, Avelino Corma, Víctor Yepes, Marisa Carrió, Mariano Alcañiz and Jaime Lloret.
Two special recognitions to two UPV referents
In this second edition of the research awards, the UPV also awarded two special recognitions to two great references of the institution: Pilar Roig, professor emeritus of the UPV and researcher at the Institute of Heritage Restoration; and José Capmany, professor and director of the Photonics Research Labs-iTEAM of the UPV.