Technological and environmental issues at the CAF-ELHUYAR Awards

2023/04/26 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Sariak
• Elhuyarren berriak

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The CAF-ELHUYAR awards have been presented under the motto “Look Far” in the Sutegi Hall of Usurbil. The objective of the award is the recognition and promotion of works and projects for the dissemination of science and technology with this year’s motto linked to Isaac Newton’s review: “If I have seen it further, it’s because I’ve sat on the giants’ shoulder.”

The participants of the CAF - Elhuyar Awards have strongly joined the motto, as they have looked away from the road. A clear example is the award for general publicity article. Judith Zubia Aranburu has won with the article entitled “What makes us are to write what we do.” In fact, it addresses the issue of digital data storage and raises the problem and a solution. The jury has highlighted the relevance of the topic and its presentation in a clear and understandable way, with the help of images by the author himself.

The award for the informative article based on the author's doctoral thesis also has to do with the motto. It's been acquired by Mattin Urbieta Galarraga, "Dancing with electrons to illuminate the nanoscale." In the Court ' s view, the author has submitted a full and elaborate article explaining precisely what the thesis and conclusions reached in his investigation are.

Looking away should not mean not seeing others. This is corroborated by the work awarded in the category of Scientific Journalism and the NEIKER awards. The first is the article “A little dragon on the wall of the living room.” The author of the work is Iñaki Sanz Azkue, who especially highlights the perspective with which the jury has worked. In fact, climate change has been associated, and articles on this subject have, in many cases, a catastrophic air, according to the epamaic. For his part, Sanz Azkue grabbed him as modest and small, and used a clear and friendly style. The article was published in the weekly Gaur8 in July last year.

The NEIKER award, which aims to reward the work of the primary sector, has been for this year to Aitor Garmendia Etxeberria, for “Aralar, diversity of values and interests in a natural park”. In the view of the members of the Court, it is important that, in the case of an issue that raises an important debate, the views of all the actors involved have been set out.

All the winners received a prize of 2,000 euros and a sculpture by Imanol Andonegi Mendizabal.

Scholarships and Merit Awards

In addition to the awards, CAF Elhuyar grants a grant of €5,000 to support projects that bridge science and society. This year two projects have been created - the grant by decision of the jury of the ex aequo scholarship. One of the winners is the “Semiosi-genesi” project by Jon Sánchez Carrasco and the other the work “Almost everything” on Culture of the Cultural Cooperative of Azpeitia.

The Jury has considered that these two works explore the edges of artificial intelligence, addressing a topic of full relevance where artistic, philosophical, social and technological aspects converge. Both projects are complementary and compatible in the opinion of the members of the Tribunal, which is why the ex aequo grant is granted.

Finally, the Board of Trustees of the Elhuyar Foundation awards the CAF-ELHUYAR Award of Merits with the aim of honoring the outstanding people in the normalization of the Basque Country and the dissemination of science and technology. This year, the chemical Jacinto Iturbe Barrenetxea has received this recognition for his immense work in the dissemination of Euskera and science in the university environment and for his excellent contribution to scientific dissemination.

Besides meeting the winners, the creation last year has been an opportunity to discover the result of the winning project, with the help of the author: Arantzazu Luzarraga Iturrioz. “Subtracted landscapes. The project, entitled “Traces of the Anthropocene on the Basque coast”, has created, after a thorough investigation, a very special map. In the event, in addition to explaining the characteristics of the map, a copy has been delivered to the attending public, putting all the information, as well as the map itself, in conditions of being seen, downloaded and printed by anyone.

Among the members of the jury, the dissemination articles and the journalistic work have been as follows: Arturo Elosegi Irurtia, ecologist and researcher at the UPV; Marian Iriarte Ormazabal, chemist and researcher at the UPV; Alberto Barandiaran Amillango, journalist and writer, and Aitziber Agirre Ruiz de Arkaute, head of the Scientific Culture area of Elhuyar. The Neiker special awards have been: Arantza Madariaga Aberasturi, director of the Elika Foundation, Pilar Santamaría Martínez, head of the HAZI Foundation and Rikardo Bueno Zabalo, director of BRTA.

The creation of Science in Society has judged the projects submitted to the scholarship: Lorea Agirre Dorronsoro, director of the Jakin Foundation, Koldo Almandoz de La Cruz, film director, Josu Rekalde Izagirre, professor of Art and Technology at UPV, and Irune Bengoetxea Lanberri, communications officer at Elhuyar.