IHCantabria received a delegation from the Royal Academy of Engineering and paid a posthumous tribute to Miguel A. Losada

The Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the Universidad de Cantabria (IHCantabria) hosted today the visit of a delegation of academics from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAI), in an unprecedented meeting outside the RAI headquarters.

In a welcoming ceremony, the delegation of more than 20 RAI academics was received by the Minister of Industry, Employment, Innovation and Commerce of Cantabria, Eduardo Arasti, by the Managing Director of IHCantabria and professor at the University of Cantabria (UC), Raúl Medina Santamaría, and by the Director of Research of IHCantabria and professor at the UC, Íñigo Losada Rodríguez.

Through a presentation, the managing director of this institute, Raúl Medina, described the origin, evolution, means available, projects, milestones and results that allow understanding the relevance of IHCantabria at national and international level. Later, Raúl Guanche García, head of the Marine Energies and Offshore Engineering Group, gave a talk on marine renewable energies, and Álvaro Álvarez Vázquez, head of the Hydraulics Laboratory, explained the capabilities of the Cantabria Large Offshore Engineering Tank (CCOB).

In his speech, the president of the RAI, Jaime Domínguez Abascal, thanked IHCantabria for hosting the visit of a delegation of RAI academics at its facilities and for supporting his call to hold an In Memoriam session for the academician Miguel Ángel Losada Rodríguez.

Eduardo Arasti thanked the RAI delegation for their visit to Cantabria and stressed that “IHCantabria continues to be a great source of wealth and talent in this region”. Arasti said he was “very proud” of the direction taken by IHCantabria since its beginnings, to achieve a successful trajectory based on the talent, work and effort of “many people”, to become an international benchmark in applied research, with a special focus on innovation and sustainable development.

Arasti also highlighted the relevance of the posthumous tribute organized in honor of Miguel A. Losada Rodríguez. “You can not understand today what is the Institute of Hydraulics and the University of Cantabria without the valuable involvement and contribution of Miguel Angel Losada,” said Arasti, who has considered “fair” to make a tribute and remember his figure, so he has had words of thanks to the Royal Academy of Engineering for coming to Cantabria to visit the IH and honor the memory of Losada, who died last year in Santander.

Tribute to Miguel Ángel Losada Rodríguez

The visit included an In Memoriam session dedicated to Professor Miguel A. Losada Rodríguez, a reference in maritime and port engineering, who passed away in Santander in 2024. This tribute, held in the Auditorium of IHCantabria, brought together more than 20 RAI academics, staff of this institute and a large number of family members, friends and acquaintances of Miguel A. Losada, who remembered his life, work and legacy.

In this posthumous tribute, the president of the RAI, Jaime Domínguez Abascal, expressed the respect and appreciation that the Royal Academy of Engineering feels for Miguel A. Losada Rodríguez.

Rector Ángel Pazos underlined the enormous relevance of the figure of Miguel Ángel Losada, from different angles. “For the University of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel was fundamental in the consolidation and modernization of our School of Civil Engineering, from a triple aspect: as a teacher ─he modernized its curricula─; researcher ─directing a series of research groups that are the basis of what today is IHCantabria─; and as a manager, directing the School itself and, also, the Torres Quevedo Foundation. But, from a more universal point of view, Miguel Ángel has been a key person, without whom it is difficult to understand the national and international progress in the study and knowledge of everything related to his two great passions: water ─in particular, the sea─, and the environment.”

With a presentation entitled “A renaissance coastal engineer: his work and legacy”, the general director of IHCantabria, Raúl Medina, explained why “Miguel Losada’s legacy lives on in every project, publication and professional he trained. He was an exemplary teacher and creator of emblematic projects on the Spanish coast.”

María José Polo Gómez, Vice Rector for Science Policy and Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the University of Cordoba, thanked the organization of the posthumous tribute and referred to the experience, milestones and legacy of Miguel A. Losada at the University of Granada. He emphasized, especially, his ability to teach. “Miguel was the paradigm of a unique way of doing things from another point of view; he was our Teacher, with capital letters, a transformer,” said Polo Gómez with emotion.

Finally, the RAI academic, Enrique Castillo Ron, presented an emotional review of the life and work of Miguel A. Losada, from his childhood to his contribution to the field of maritime and port engineering. His presentation, together with the previous interventions, made it possible to understand and appreciate the international impact of Miguel A. Losada, whose “integrative vision of sustainability and technology in maritime engineering continues to inspire new generations”, concluded the president of the RAI, Jaime Domínguez Abascal.

An indelible legacy

Born in Salamanca in 1947, Miguel A. Losada left an indelible mark on maritime engineering. During more than two decades at UC, he founded research groups that laid the foundations of IHCantabria. His teaching career took him to national and international universities, including Delaware and John Hopkins, in the United States of America.

He was the author of more than 450 scientific publications, director of 40 doctoral theses and participant in more than 70 national and international projects, in addition to leading more than 250 technology transfer contracts. Recognized with the 2018 National Civil Engineering Award, among other awards, Miguel Losada integrated sustainability and innovation in port engineering, coastal structures and risk management.

Importance of the Royal Academy of Engineering

RAI is a fundamental pillar for engineering excellence in Spain. Founded in 1994 and integrated into the Institute of Spain in 2015, it promotes innovation and acts as an independent advisor to public and private institutions. With a network of national and international academics and its “Pro Rebus Academiae” Foundation, it fosters collaboration between engineering, business and culture.

It also promotes excellence through awards such as the “Agustín de Betancourt” and “Juan López de Peñalver” prizes for young engineers. RAI also plays a leading role in international forums, such as Euro-CASE and CAETS, which strengthen Spanish engineering in the global arena.