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The CAF-Elhuyar awards have been delivered to the Sutegi Hall in Usurbil, under the motto “Look Further”. The winning papers were as follows:
GENERAL DISCLOSURE ARTICLE AWARD
Judith Zubia Aranburu
The award for the general informative article has been for Judith Zubia Aranburu, a native of Mondragón, for the article entitled "Garena egiten gaituena, egiten duguna idazteko" (What makes us how we are to write what we do). The jury has highlighted that the author addresses a topic of the utmost importance, digital data storage, and that, in addition to explaining the problem, she proposes a solution in a clear and understandable way.
DISCLOSURE ARTICLE AWARD BASED ON A DOCTORAL THESIS
Mattin Urbieta Galarraga
The release award based on a doctoral dissertation was for Mattin Urbieta Galarraga, a native of Deba, for his work “Elektroiekin dantzan nanoeskala argitzeko” (Dancing with electrons to illuminate the nanoscale). The jury has considered that the author has presented a very comprehensive and elaborate article that explains well what the thesis consists of and sets out the conclusions to which he has reached in his research.
NEIKER PRIZE
Aitor Garmendia Etxeberria
The Neiker Prize, which aims to award the works of the primary sector, was this year for Aitor Garmendia Etxeberria, for his work "Aralar, balioen eta interested in aniztasuna parke natural batean" (Aralar, diversity of values and interests in a natural park).
The jury members of this category have particularly appreciated the fact that the author has addressed a very topical issue and have taken into account that, being a controversial issue, the article includes all the actors involved.
SCIENTIFIC JOURNALISM AWARD
Iñaki Sanz Azkue
In the category of scientific journalism, the awarded work was "Dragoi txiki bat egongelako horman".
The jury has highlighted that the author of Hernaniarra has addressed in his article an important issue: climate change. But, beyond the subject, the jury believes that the point of view from which it has dealt should be underlined. In fact, articles on climate change often have a catastrophistic air, but in this case the author has addressed the issue in a simple and clear way. The article was published in the weekly Gaur8 in July last year.
In addition to the above awards, the CAF-Elhuyar event also grants a grant of EUR 5,000 to promote projects aimed at connecting science and society. This year there are two projects that have received the creation grant, either because the jury has decided to grant the ex aequo grant.
CREATION GRANT
Jon Sánchez Carrasco and Kulturaz Azpeitiko Kultur Kooperatiba
The awarded works have been “Semiosi-genesi” and “Ia dena” (Almost everything) According to the jury, both projects explore the edges of artificial intelligence and address a topic of full actuality in which artistic, philosophical, social and technological aspects converge. Both projects are complementary and compatible in the opinion of the jury members, which is why the ex aequo grant has been granted.
CAF-ELHUYAR AWARD TO MERIT
Jacinto Iturbe Barrenetxea
The Board of the Elhuyar Foundation also awards a CAF-Elhuyar award on merit. The objective of this award is to pay tribute to the people who have stood out for their work in the normalization of the Basque Country and in the dissemination of science and technology. This year, this recognition has been given to Jacinto Iturbe Barrenetxea, for his work in disseminating science and Euskera in the university environment, as well as for his excellent contribution to scientific dissemination.
Jacinto Iturbe Barrenetxea (Bilbao, 1951) studied chemistry in Valladolid. He wrote the first Tesina in Basque in 1974 and presented the thesis in Basque in 1982 ("Atomo bakarren detektorearen aplikazio estatistikoak: fluktuazioak eta hypotesi ergodikoa" —Statistical applications of the unique atoms detector: fluctuations and ergodic hypothesis—). In 1976 he joined the Faculty of Chemistry of San Sebastian. From then on, he continued as a professor at the UPV/EHU until his retirement. It was there that he began writing chemical textbooks in Basque; and at the same time he began collaborating with the UEU. He was the first Basque vice-chancellor of the UPV/EHU, and under his mandate was born Ekaia, a journal of science and technology in Basque. He was one of the first professors to teach in Basque at the Faculty of Sciences at UPV/EHU in 1979.
The jury that evaluated the informative articles and the works of journalism was composed of Arturo Elosegi Irurtia, ecologist and researcher of the UPV/EHU; Marian Iriarte Ormazabal, chemist and researcher of the UPV/EHU; Alberto Barandiaran Amillango, journalist and writer, and Iraitziber Arantza Madariaga Aberasturi, director of the Elika Foundation; Pilar Santamaría Martínez, head of the area of the HAZI Foundation and Rikardo Bueno Zabalo, director of BRTA, made the jury that evaluated the works of the Neiker special prize.
The papers presented for the Science in Society creation scholarship have been evaluated by Lorea Agirre Dorronsoro, director of the Jakin Foundation; Koldo Almandoz de La Cruz, film director; Josu Rekalde Izagirre, professor of Art and Technology at the UPV/EHU; and Irune Bengoetar de Communication.