IHCantabria and its general director, Raúl Medina, will receive the CUJAE Seal in recognition of their contribution to higher education, science and technology

The Technological University of Havana “José Antonio Echeverría” (CUJAE) has decided to award its distinctive decoration, the CUJAE Seal, to the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the University of Cantabria (IHCantabria) and its general director, Raúl Medina Santamaría, in recognition of their valuable contribution.

The CUJAE Seal is a distinction awarded to personalities, institutions and entities that, through their work, have significantly promoted the advancement of higher education, science and technology. With this recognition, CUJAE appreciates the contributions of IHCantabria and Raúl Medina to the consolidation of technical knowledge and the resolution of some challenges related to the protection of Cuba’s coast, aligning with the values and objectives of the Cuban university.

Raúl Medina thanks the University Council of the Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana “José Antonio Echeverría” for this recognition and offers to continue supporting the contribution of IHCantabria in the studies, projects and training programs in which it has committed to CUJAE.

A strong collaboration between IHCantabria and Cuba

For more than a decade, IHCantabria has collaborated with CUJAE and other Cuban institutions in numerous academic and research projects, as well as contributing to the education and training of Cuban professionals. A recent example of this cooperation has been the project “Complementary studies for the integral solution to flooding in the Havana Malecon”, initiated in November 2023. This project has consisted of testing 2D and 3D physical models to evaluate proposed solutions to flooding problems on the Malecón, as well as training courses and technical support in the design and decision-making processes.

One of the pillars of this initiative has been the capacity building of the Cuban team, with the participation of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH), the Western Hydraulic Engineering Services Company (ESIHO) and the CUJAE Hydraulic Research Center (CIH-CUJAE). This work has included a specific training program in advanced Coastal and Maritime Engineering technologies, with training phases between November and December of 2023, and in May, 2024.

CUJAE Seal Award Ceremony

The awarding of this distinction will take place during the XXI Scientific Convention of Engineering and Architecture, to be held from November 25 to 29, 2024, at the “Palacio de Convenciones” of Cuba. The formal awarding ceremony of the “CUJAE Seal” is scheduled for November 26, at 2:00 p.m., in one of the rooms of the Palco Hotel, in Havana, Cuba. This event is scheduled within the framework of the 60th Anniversary of the CUJAE, which underlines the relevance of this award to IHCantabria and Raúl Medina.

Outstanding trajectory of Raúl Medina Santamaría

Raúl Medina is a leading expert in coastal engineering and environmental management, who has directed IHCantabria since 2011. He holds a PhD in Civil Engineering and has been a professor at the University of Cantabria, since 1993. He has led important national and international research projects and multiple scientific publications. He has played key roles as an international consultant, is recognized for having developed innovative tools and methodologies -such as the Coastal Modeling System- and has twice received the National Environment Award.