Tecnun celebrated its 50th Anniversary
27 October 2011
Spain
Pedro Miguel Etxenike, Honorary President of Tecnun's 50th Anniversary Celebration, and Alejo Avello, Director of the School of Engineering at the University of Navarra in San Sebastian, presented today the events that commemorate the 50 years that the School has been open. Etxenike, a former Tecnun student, noted that the academic activity being celebrated today began in the Koldo Mitxelena building in September of 1961, thanks to the agreement between the University of Navarra and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa. The School of Engineering was established in San Sebastian given the region's long industrial tradition. At the time, it was the second university in Gipuzkoa, and the fourth School of Industrial Engineering to be opened in Spain.
Over the subsequent five decades, Tecnun has trained a total of 6,000 engineers and physicists, nearly 500 PhDs, and over 50 students have won the Premio Nacional Fin de Carrera, a prize awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Education to the highest ranked graduates in Spain.
Alejo Avello, the Director of Tecnun, remarked on the fact that of the 1,500 students currently studying at the School, nearly half of them come from outside Gipuzkoa, "a factor that helps the area attract talent." According to Avello, there are Tecnun students "in important positions in the industrial, finance and service sectors, from CAF to Facebook, where the head of international expansion is a Tecnun graduate."
During the press conference, Avello highlighted the fact that Tecnun has collaborative agreements with numerous universities in Europe, America and Asia, allowing its students to acquire an international profile and a global view of engineering. "We have worked under the Bologna Plan for two years and we are a bilingual (Spanish-English) institution. Every year the number of students at the School of Engineering increases."
Lastly, Tecnun's director pointed out that during the past 50 years Tecnun has paid special attention to the well-rounded education it provides to students from its human and Christian perspective. Avello further noted that "the motto of the 50th Anniversary--50 years of shaping people--reflects the spirit with which Tecnun is run, combining the scientific rigor of its technical training with the personal care and attention with which it deals with students."
Both Etxenike and Avello highlighted the interrelationship between teaching and research that has characterised Tecnun since CEIT was established in 1982. The research centre employs over 300 researchers, and has launched 13 spin-offs that employ 500 people. This tight link between teaching and research provides students wsith a practical and applied perspective on engineering through CEIT's contract programme, which allows students to carry out research projects for companies.
After investing in Telecommunications in 2006 with the inauguration of the Miramón campus, Tecnun is now channelling its expertise into the new Biomedical Engineering Center, which will launch next year. This new arena allows engineers to collaborate with medical doctors and make advances in the development of applications that result in improved health and quality of life for everyone.
Finally, Néstor Basterretxea explained the origin of the sculpture commemorating the 50th Anniversary and how important the commitment to the presence of art in the academic community is.
Over the subsequent five decades, Tecnun has trained a total of 6,000 engineers and physicists, nearly 500 PhDs, and over 50 students have won the Premio Nacional Fin de Carrera, a prize awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Education to the highest ranked graduates in Spain.
Alejo Avello, the Director of Tecnun, remarked on the fact that of the 1,500 students currently studying at the School, nearly half of them come from outside Gipuzkoa, "a factor that helps the area attract talent." According to Avello, there are Tecnun students "in important positions in the industrial, finance and service sectors, from CAF to Facebook, where the head of international expansion is a Tecnun graduate."
During the press conference, Avello highlighted the fact that Tecnun has collaborative agreements with numerous universities in Europe, America and Asia, allowing its students to acquire an international profile and a global view of engineering. "We have worked under the Bologna Plan for two years and we are a bilingual (Spanish-English) institution. Every year the number of students at the School of Engineering increases."
Lastly, Tecnun's director pointed out that during the past 50 years Tecnun has paid special attention to the well-rounded education it provides to students from its human and Christian perspective. Avello further noted that "the motto of the 50th Anniversary--50 years of shaping people--reflects the spirit with which Tecnun is run, combining the scientific rigor of its technical training with the personal care and attention with which it deals with students."
Both Etxenike and Avello highlighted the interrelationship between teaching and research that has characterised Tecnun since CEIT was established in 1982. The research centre employs over 300 researchers, and has launched 13 spin-offs that employ 500 people. This tight link between teaching and research provides students wsith a practical and applied perspective on engineering through CEIT's contract programme, which allows students to carry out research projects for companies.
After investing in Telecommunications in 2006 with the inauguration of the Miramón campus, Tecnun is now channelling its expertise into the new Biomedical Engineering Center, which will launch next year. This new arena allows engineers to collaborate with medical doctors and make advances in the development of applications that result in improved health and quality of life for everyone.
Finally, Néstor Basterretxea explained the origin of the sculpture commemorating the 50th Anniversary and how important the commitment to the presence of art in the academic community is.