The young woman represented young Basque researchers from the Zientzia Azoka in Bilbao

The Bilbao Beñat Insunza Lauzirika has received three awards at the XVI Exporecerca Jove, held in Barcelona from 26 to 28 March, as a showcase for the young state research. Lauroko’s recognition of the “excellent presentation of a work” by Yale Science and Engineering Association Inc., the Ingenia Motion Control company award and the special prize of the Catalan fair Jordi Domenech for his scientific-technological work to prevent the city from breaking.

The XVI Exporecerca Jove presented 116 national and international research and technology projects in Barcelona from 26 to 28 March. On behalf of Euskal Herria, at the Science Fair organized by Elhuyar, the jury chose in 2014 the work of Beñat Insunza and Gaizka Olabarri of the ikastola Lauro. The work presented by Insunza has been the second highest score among the submitted works, with an average score of more than 9.

The teachers of ikastola Josune Anasagasti and Amaia Pérez Lauro have been in charge of guiding young people in their work and have shown “especially satisfied” with the result. The work has received three awards in Barcelona: Recognition of Yale Science and Engineering Association Inc. for the “best presentation of a work”, Ingenia Motion Control Company Award and Jordi Domenech Award of the Catalan fair.

“We have worked on the project to avoid one of the most harmful injuries in the field of sport; we have designed a microchip to prevent the rupture of the cross ligament of athletes”, since when the torsion between the tibia and the femur is greater than a certain angle, there is the risk of breaking the cross ligament, frequent injuries among athletes. With the microchip they have designed they would contract the muscles of the knee as soon as they reach a certain torsion and the injury would be avoided, as proposed by the youth. The implementation of the project in reality requires even more steps, but the work has been recognized by the prototype made to date.

The members of Elhuyar Zientzia have approached Barcelona with the young man and his teachers. The aim is to awaken the scientific vocations of the young people of Euskal Herria, to foster the scientific culture of society and to spread science here and today, and these results give a great impetus to this work. It is recalled that the Science Fair 2015 will be held on Saturday 25 April at the Plaza Nueva in Bilbao and will be filled with scientific projects for young people.

For its part, Insunza will continue in October in Brazil disseminating the results of this work, as this award has opened the doors to the Monstratec fair in Brazil.

Zientzia Azoka, youth project initiative

Zientzia Azoka is a project fair developed by young people. Throughout the course, in groups, they work on the subject they decide: asking, researching, designing, building and living new experiences. The result of the work is a research project and a technological project, and at the end of the course the works are presented at a fair in stands. Young people aged 12 to 18 can participate.