TheUniversidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) and the Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (Iberoamerican University Foundation , FUNIBER), from its headquarters in Colombia, held a formal ceremony on 7 April at the Gimnasio Campestre in Ibagué, to recognise the first place winner of the FUNIBER Investiga International Pre-University Award for the research project ‘Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents’. The students of the project ‘Establishment of stingless native bee meliponaries (ansa)’, who received a special mention, were also celebrated. The event was attended by teachers, students and their families.
The recognition was awarded to students Paula Gutiérrez and Sharon Martínez, and the special mention went to students Gabriel Vásquez, Samuel Quijano, Sara Gutiérrez and professor Tatiana Mendonza. FUNIBER’s representative in Colombia, Nancy Ceballos, was in charge of presenting the awards, congratulating the students and teachers for their work. The psychologist Liliana Ardilla and the rector Nora Constanza Hernández Álvarez were also recognised for their support to the students.
The jury of the competition valued very positively the quality of the projects presented, especially the finalists, who demonstrated a deep knowledge of the issues addressed, as well as the ability to interpret, analyse and propose solutions to local problems.
Cristina Ceballos Araoz, academic coordinator of FUNIBER’s Psychology Area and member of the jury, expressed her congratulations to all the finalists and especially to the winners, encouraging them to remain curious and continue their research.
In this first edition of the FUNIBER Investiga International Pre-University Award, 25 projects from different countries participated, all of them focused on tackling problems linked to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. The works entered stood out for their innovation, observation of the environment and proposals for community application.
Congratulations to the students and teachers for this important achievement! From UNEATLANTICO, we continue to promote young talent and commitment to research to build a more sustainable future.