The UPC lecturers Núria Castell and Maria Clara Torrens, recognised with Sant Jordi 2020 awards from the IEC

The Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC) has given the Sant Jordi 2020 awards, which distinguish works and researchers in all fields of science and Catalan culture. The work of UPC researchers Núria Castell and Maria Clara Torrens has been recognised with an honorary mention in the section Premi Creu Casas. Dones per canviar el món (Creu Casas Award. Women to change the world).

19/05/2020

The Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC) has given the Sant Jordi 2020 awards, in which Núria Castell and Maria Clara Torrens, researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · Barcelona Tech (UPC) were given an honorary mention in the Premi Creu Casas. Dones per canviar al món (Creu Casas Award. Women to change the world) for their professional careers and the dissemination and support of many generations of girls in technology. Núria Castell has been a lecturer in the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB) and a researcher in the Language and Speech Technologies (TALP) group, and was head of the FIB from 2010 to 2017. Maria Clara Torrens is a member of the research group Equal Opportunities in Architecture, Science and Technology Research Group of the UPC.

In the same award, the dissemination work of Xantal Llavina was recognised and her capacity to reach society in general and  particularly young people and girls, transmitting examples and a good model of technology that is understandable and attractive. Another prize went to the working group #ChicasInTech, for their stimulating project, with a certain path and a promising future, which could attract a large number of girls to technology.

The Sant Jordi Awards, which were established in 1914, are the oldest tradition of the IEC and contribute to attaining the mission of the Institute to promote scientific research, high culture and the Catalan language. This year, over fifty awards were given, with total prize money of over 172,000 euros. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prizegiving ceremony had to be cancelled.