- The entity will take part in more than 20 activities to endorse its commitment to education, employability and entrepreneurship
- The initiatives include the construction of a nanosatellite and a 100% electric motorcycle, in addition to a workshop on the role of hydrogen in the future of energy
Most of the initiatives will be aimed at promoting research and innovation. In this line, one new initiative is the Motostudent project, a competition involving teams of students from all over the world, who apply their knowledge to design, develop and build a racing motorcycle. The initiative is associated with a real industrial project and the University of La Laguna team will participate in the category for motorcycles with a 100% electric propulsion system.
Another of the actions will focus on the creation of a Fundación Cepsa-ULL Classroom located in the School of Engineering and Technology, which will provide students with a space to design, create and modify their own projects and enhance their creative skills. It will have recording equipment where both teachers and students will be able to record training clips and any other audiovisual resources they may need. The classroom will also be a meeting point for outreach on issues related to the ecological transition.
The Chair will continue to be involved in the Teidesat project, which is focused on designing, building, launching into orbit and operating a nanosatellite with the objective of strengthening optical communication between space and earth. In this way, it will consolidate the support provided since 2020 to this student-led project that involves a multidisciplinary team of over 40 people.
This year will see ground-based optical communications experimentation, the critical design of the nanosatellite and final evaluation by the team from the Instituto Astrofísico de Canarias (IAC), which is mentoring the project.
In order to support new lines of research or maintain existing ones in the field of energy transition, sustainability, energy efficiency, circular economy, renewable energies and biofuels, this year the Fundación Cepsa Chair will launch a call for expression of interest for the development of micro projects. Around five initiatives, each led by a principal investigator, will receive funding.
In addition, the Chair's first and the University of La Laguna’s second industrial doctoral thesis on obtaining biofuels from vegetable oils and pure animal fats will continue, and the third edition of the Best Bachelor's and Master's Degree Final Project Awards will take place.
Likewise, various workshops will be organized to allow working groups at Cepsa and the University of La Laguna to establish contact and move forward in new lines of action.
Training and outreach
Training and outreach is another of the Fundación Cepsa-ULL Chair’s priorities. In this line, the seminar 'Women researchers for the ecological transition and innovation' has been planned with the aim of highlighting the role of female scientists in aspects such as energy transformation, resolving environmental problems or developing the circular economy.
What’s more, a number of conferences and seminars will be held to inform both students and society in general about aspects of interest in the energy company’s area of work. In addition, the activities carried out by other Fundación Cepsa chairs in different universities will be disseminated.
Lastly, a training plan aimed at promoting talent in both the company and the university will be carried out, featuring master classes with staff from Cepsa, the University of La Laguna and professionals from different companies and organizations.
Collaborations
For the first time, a workshop on hydrogen and its role in the future of energy will be organized and made known through various scientific and recreational events.
The Fundación Cepsa Chair will also collaborate with other entities on several events such as the XXII Antonio González Scientific Week, as well as with various student conferences linked to the topics developed by the Chair at the University of La Laguna.