This year 2006 is the thirteenth edition of the scientific outreach awards organized by the company CAF and the Elhuyar Foundation. And as usual, a lot of people gathered. The event was presented by Aitziber Agirre and Saroi Jauregi, and was attended by José Mari Rodriguez Ibabe, president of the Elhuyar Foundation, and Koldo Nuñez Betelu, representing the members of the jury.
The main prize went to biologist Miguel Mari Elosegi, who has won the prize "The death of the canals". Black effect of green energy." It was worth it, as the jury was very popular. Elosegi stressed that "in short, it is a round article, curious, full of current and exemplary".
In his article, Elosegi has analyzed one of the harmful consequences of the little-known mini-hydroelectric plants, which are animals that die drowned in the channels that lead water to the power plants. In his work he recalls that in Euskal Herria we have hundreds of kilometers of water courses of this type, and analyzes mortality in these courses. It also proposes solutions to solve the problem.
The second prize went to work entitled "Competition between sexes and sea bream". The author is Bakiotarra biologist Ibon Cancio Uriarte. And it is not the first time that Cancio presents an article to the CAF-Elhuyar awards, but in the previous edition he won the third prize.
On this occasion, Cancio, starting from the famous fish Nemo, talks about hermaphrodite fish, which pass from males to females and vice versa. According to the jury, "in this surprising article we will know the Yin and Yang of the sexual strategy of many fish". A surprising and interesting article.
The third prize went to telecommunications engineer Arantxa Villanueva, thanks to an article on technologies to follow the gaze. "What are you looking at? The title of the work is "Looking into the eyes". "The author, with skill and simplicity, shows us perfectly some of the possibilities that the strength of the look can offer."
In addition to these three awards there is a fourth prize: Special prize for young people under 25. This year this special award was for the article written by chemist Goretti Goikoetxeaundia. The article is entitled "Waterproof Foil: New Bike". And the jury wanted to reward innovation above all. In fact, Goikoetxeaundia has investigated at the University of the Basque Country the possibility of using greenhouse plastics for the manufacture of waterproof sheets, collecting in his article the details of the study. The waterproof sheets are formed by asphalt and polymer bitumens and are used interchangeably in construction: swimming pools, tennis courts, tunnels, artificial reservoirs... He has investigated whether greenhouse plastics are a polymer of plates and the result has been positive.
In total 2,100 euros were distributed in prizes and, following the custom, each of the winners received a sculpture by Imanol Andonegi. Congratulations to the winners!