Researchers Gorka Azkune, Ostaizka Aizpurua and Estitxu Villamor and journalist Amaia Portugal have been awarded. For his part, the Elhuyar Prize has been awarded by doctor Julián Bereziartua.

After the awards ceremony, the Museum of Art and History opened the exhibition "Silent Writings" by Xabi Erkizia, the result of the creation scholarship in Science Society last year.

Usurbil, 14 May 2015

Today the CAF-Elhuyar awards ceremony took place at the Argazki & Zinema Photomuseum (Zarautz). Coinciding with the International Year of Light, the awards ceremony was held under the slogan "Give light to your work". This is the aim of the event: to give light to people working in the dissemination and socialization of science.

Photo: Iñigo Ibáñez.
CAF-Elhuyar Awards 2014: Gorka Azkune, Ostaizka Aizpurua and researchers Estitxu Villamor and journalist Amaia Portugal.

Thus, by decision of the jury, the winners of this year have been:

Original outreach articles. In this category, the scientific and technological works carried out in Basque are awarded. It is divided into two subcategories: general outreach articles and outreach articles based on the author's doctoral thesis.

The award for the general informative article was given to Gorka Azkune Galparsoro (Azpeitia, 1982) for his work entitled "Small Virtual Brains".

The award for the publication article based on the author's doctoral thesis was for Ostaizka Aizpurua Arrieta (Zarautz, 1986) for the article "History of the flying hunter who became a fisherman".

The winner of each subcategory has won a prize of 2,000 euros and a sculpture by Imanol Andonegi.

In addition, the jury has decided to give Estitxu Villamor Lomas (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1987) a special mention to the informative article based on the author's doctoral thesis, considering that his work deserves recognition. Villamor's article is entitled "New electronics without freight transport".

Finally, in the category of Scientific Journalism a work of scientific journalism created and published in Basque in 2014 is awarded, also with 2,000 euros and the sculpture of Imanol Andonegi. This year has been collected by Amaia Portugal González (Donostia, 1984) for the article published in Berria: "Minimalism in the laboratory".

Unfortunately, this year the creation fellowship in Science Society has not been awarded. The works presented, besides being scarce, did not meet all the criteria that the jury valued.

However, the organization has taken the opportunity to encourage creators to present their projects in the next edition, as thanks to the scholarship they can receive a good boost. An example of this is the project that received the scholarship last year, entitled "Silent Writings" by Xabier Erkizia. Erkizia has worked throughout the year and as a result of this work has inaugurated the exhibition ENTZUTE ISILAK in the Museum of Art and History of Zarautz the same day of the event. It will remain open until the end of May (Thursday to Sunday).

In addition, the Board of the Elhuyar Foundation awards the Merit Award. This year, Azpeitia doctor Julián Bereziartua has received the Elhuyar Award for his work in the normalization of Basque in medicine and medical outreach, especially in the Basque Country.

Cristina Uriarte Toledo, Minister of Education, Linguistic Policy and Culture of the Basque Government, Lorena Eleno, Head of Labour Relations of CAF and representative of the Basque Country Commission and Txema Pitarke de la Torre, President of Elhuyar, were present at the awards ceremony. José Giménez Bech, Director of Research and Linguistic Coordination of the Basque Government's Deputy Ministry of Linguistic Policy; Martin Garitano, Deputy General of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa; Jon Peli Uriguen, Deputy Foral of Innovation, Rural Development and Tourism of Gipuzkoa;

The jury in charge of judging outreach articles and journalism work has been composed of:

- Leire Cancio. Managing Director of Elhuyar.
- Arturo Elosegi. Ecologist, UPV researcher and scientific disseminator -
Marian Iriarte. Chemist, UPV researcher and scientific disseminator -
Uxune Martínez. Scientific database manager Inguma, UEU -
Alberto Barandiaran. Journalist and director of Hekimen

The papers presented to the creation scholarship “Science in Society” have been judged by:

- Maria Gil. Head of the scientific unit Elhuyar
- Josu Rekalde. Director of the Department of Art and Technology of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the UPV.
- Koldo Almandoz. Audiovisual expert, film director and creator. Director of the magazine The Balde.

Finally, here are some of the award-winning works:

Award General Disclosure Article

- Title: «Small Virtual Brains» -
Author: Gorka Azkune Galparsoro (Azpeitia, 1982). He studied Computer Engineering at the UPV and completed the final project at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics under the direction of Ignacio Cirac. He has worked in Tecnalia in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, and currently works as a researcher at Deusto Tech to deepen research in the field of intelligent systems with the aim of finalizing his doctoral thesis.

Azkune refers to the teaching strategies of artificial neural networks. In the opinion of the jury, "it addresses a current issue with great skill and success in the examples". The jury highlighted that the author is revealed at the end of the article: "indicates the investigative sense of the author," he said. In fact, in addition to being an expert disseminator, the first prize in the same category he won last year, Azkune is also an artificial intelligence researcher at Deusto Tech.

Award for the dissemination article based on the author's doctoral thesis

- Title: «History of the flying hunter who became a fisherman» -
Author: Ostaizka Aizpurua Arrieta (Zarautz, 1986). After graduating in Biology from UPV-EHU, he began to delve into the fishing behavior of the bat bone. After staying at the Universities of Bristol and Copenhagen, she defended her doctoral thesis at UPV/EHU (2014), led by Ignacio Garin and Joxerra Aiartza. Since he finished his thesis, he works as a researcher at the UPV.

The article Aizpurua collects an account of the research work done with the fingerprint bat, which has described the jury as brilliant. He has praised that zarauztarra has not fallen in stale for its natural appeal, and added that in addition to being written correctly, the article clearly shows the contribution of the researcher of the UPV. "The writing and tone of the text are adequate and the author transmits his passion for the subject," they said. In addition, thanks to the effort made to complete the information with photographs and graphics, "the reader can know at first glance the trajectory of the work".

Special mention of the dissemination article based on the author's doctoral thesis

- Title: «New electronics without freight transport» -
Author: Estitxu Villamor Lomas (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1987). Graduated in Physics from UPV-EHU, he has researched at CIC nanoGUNE. First through the Master in Nanoscience and then through the doctoral thesis. In December 2014 he defended at the UPV the thesis entitled «Injection, transport and manipulation of pure spin currents in metallic lateral spin valves». Currently, it aims to abandon research and devote itself to the world of education and scientific outreach.

The article Villamor talks about spintronics. Vitoriano is a researcher in the area of nanodevices of CIC Nanogune. Precisely because the area investigated by Villamor is itself very technical, the jury has considered that it is to highlight the author's effort to "explain the subject in an understandable and attractive way, and to bring a topic that for many can be distant".

Scientific journalism award

- Title: «Minimalism in the laboratory» (Published in Berria)

- Author: Amaia Portugal González, (Donostia-San Sebastián, 1984). He holds a degree in Journalism from the UPV. He was a journalist first in Irutxuloko Hitza and later in Elhuyar in the field of scientific journalism, from 2009 to 2012. He has been a scientific collaborator in Berria and Irati Irratia. He currently works at Gaindegia and is a contributor to the blog Zientzia Kaiera.

The report includes an attempt to find out which genes can be removed from a living being and how it would work by eliminating it, and according to the jury, Portugal, from the same title, has done a good job that meets all the criteria of journalism: "The chosen theme is attractive in itself, but also technical, so you have to take into account the incorporation of a dictionary to help the reader," they stress.

Last year, the jury made a special mention of the work of the journalist from San Sebastian, and this year has won the Grand Prix.