The astronomer Amelia Ortiz, from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Valencia (UV), has won the X José María Savirón Award for the Dissemination of Science convened by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Zaragoza, in the Dissemination Trajectory modality, for her “prestigious and consolidated trajectory in the field of scientific dissemination”. In addition, Daniel Pellicer, Master’s in Medical Biotechnology and doctoral student in Physiology of rare respiratory diseases from the UV, has been awarded ex aequo in the category of Young Disseminator.
The X José Mª Savirón Award for the Dissemination of Science, awarded this Saturday, recognises initiatives to bring scientific and technological culture closer to society. It bears the name of this expert scientist in Fluid Mechanics, professor at the University of Zaragoza, and is awarded to individuals, associations, entities, or institutions that have distinguished themselves by a project, specific activity, or outstanding career to bring culture closer science to society. The award will be delivered in early 2023.
Regarding Amelia Ortiz, the certificate, awarded unanimously by the jury, recognises “the quality and originality of her activities, which have had a clear social and inspiring impact on new generations about the beauty and importance of science”. In addition, some of her inclusive astronomy activities, as mentioned in the letter of introduction, have “high sensitivity and social utility, are inclusive, imaginative, and encourage science to permeate all of society”. The prize amounts to €1,000.
The jury chaired by Luis Oriol Langa, Professor of the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Zaragoza, also highlights the social aspect of Ortiz’s dissemination work, “because of her dedication to groups with disabilities who, only through conventional means, it’s hard to get to. Her disseminating career has had a high impact internationally, during which she has presented sustainable projects over time that have been the driving force behind new initiatives”.
Amelia Ortiz’s inclusive astronomy activities earned her that in 2007 she was requested by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to coordinate activities at the national level aimed at people with disabilities. In them, she led projects of great international impact and that have been recognised with different awards and distinctions. Among them, in 2019, the Award for the dissemination of planetary sciences of the European Planetary Society (EuroPlanet).
For his part, Daniel Pellicer, also editor of the science section of the newspaper La Razón, and Inés Mármol Peguero, biotechnologist at the Health Research Institute of Aragón, have been distinguished ex aequo in the category of Young Disseminators. The prize also consists of €1,000. Specifically, the jury has valued “the projection of both candidates, their multifaceted trajectory, their ability and the use of various means to make science have a direct impact on society”.
Daniel Pellicer has performed in numerous events with monologues (Desgranando Ciencia, Quart és ciència, at the CIB of the Faculty of Medicine, MEDNIGHT in Valencia and Salamanca, among others). In 2020 he was a finalist in Famelab, the largest scientific monologue contest in Spain, organised by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECyT). He currently disseminates about biotechnology and biomedicine on Twitter (@Dani_Pellicer) and YouTube on the Divudan channel, in which he is creating a series of documentaries to educate professionals, patients and those curious, regarding minority diseases.
Jury minutes by clicking here.
Rules of the contest here.
