Fundación José Entrecanales Ibarra awards prizes to the Japanese engineer Shigeo Takahashi and a cooperation project in Bolivia

The “Premios José Entrecanales Ibarra” awarded by the Fundación José Entrecanales Ibarra are a reference in the field of Engineering. They set out to highlight this specialty as a discipline that has a direct impact on the development of society and its well-being.

The international prizes are awarded in two categories: Civil Engineering and Cooperation. The IV Civil Engineering Prize has been awarded to the Japanese engineer Shigeo Takahashi,an expert in coastal engineering and disaster prevention, author of prestigious publications, in which he has stood out for his studies on tsunamis, and he is also President of the Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI), an independent body that aims to improve the development of technologies related to improving efficiency in port and airport operations and the promotion of technological research and development.

As for the IV Development Cooperation Prize, the Jury decided to award it to the project for “The participative construction of dams, ferro-cement ponds and hillside lakes, with water management strategies for irrigation that adapt to climate change in rural communities in the Andres in the municipality of Azurduy, Bolivia” presented by Ayuda en Acción. The project involves the construction of a dam, 15 hillside lakes and 30 ferro-cement ponds that will directly benefit more than 2,000 people in Azurduy, an area in Bolivia where the lack of water supplies created insecurity and chronic malnutrition.

In the fourth edition of the award, the Jury was chaired by Mr. Javier Manterola, Doctor of Civil Engineering, Professor of the School of Engineering of Madrid and National Engineering Prize winner in 2001. Members at large were Mr. Francisco Javier Martín Carrasco, President of the Fundación José Entrecanales Ibarra and Director of the Civil Engineering School of Madrid; Mr. Carlos Conde, Rector of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation; Mr. Juan Santamera, President of the Association of Road, Canal and Port Engineers; Mr. José Antonio Torroja, Doctor of Civil Engineering, Professor of the School of Engineering of Madrid and National Engineering Prize winner in 2006; Mr. Enrique Balaguer, former President of the Association of Road, Canal and Port Engineers and former Director of the Association of Road, Canal and Port Engineers of Madrid; Mr. Vicente Sánchez Gálvez former President of the Association of Road, Canal and Port Engineers of Madrid; Mr. Edelmiro Rúa,former President of the Association of Road, Canal and Port Engineers of Madrid and former Director of the School of Road, Canal and Port Engineering of Madrid; Mr. Juan Entrecanales, Doctor in Industrial Engineering and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation; Mr. Juan Ignacio Entrecanales, Vice-president of ACCIONA and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. Jury’s Secretary was Mr. Pablo de la Fuente, José Entrecanales Ibarra Foundation´s  Secretary and Academic Secretary of the School of Civil Engineering, Channels and Ports.