Nuria Mateos García, student of the degree in Computer Engineering in Information Systems and the master’s degree in Intelligent Systems at the University of Salamanca, has been recognized as one of the best academic records for women in STEM careers at the WONNOW 2020 Awards (Women in Science and technology awards), awards for female academic excellence in science and technology organized by CaixaBank and Microsoft to reward the best students of technical university degrees in Spain.
Mateos García is the only award-winning university of the total of 11 students from Castilla y León who participated in the third edition of this initiative with which it is intended to promote diversity and the presence of women in the field of technology and science from the beginning of your professional career. In this sense, the young university student told USAL Communication that she felt “very grateful for receiving this award from two large companies such as CaixaBank and Microsoft”. An award that “represents a reward for all the effort made during all my academic years at the University of Salamanca, where I was also working and developing immersive virtual reality projects,” he highlights.
In addition, he points out that thanks to the award he will have the opportunity to continue working in the same line that he was developing in the Master’s degree since “I am currently in a fraud detection project using Deep Learning algorithms in the Continuous Audit department of CaixaBank, in Barcelona ”.
Gonzalo Gortázar, CEO of CaixaBank, and Pilar López, president of Microsoft Spain, presented the awards during a telematic ceremony led by Anunciación López, CEO of BPS, an editorial group of technological publications. The awards included a cash prize of 10,000 euros for the student with the best academic record and 10 paid scholarships to work at CaixaBank, as well as access to a Microsoft mentoring program.
The contest aims to encourage other young women to pursue STEM studies, promoting diversity in a sector with enormous job opportunities and where there is little female presence. According to recent data from LinkedIn, in the next five years, more than two million technology-related jobs could be created in Spain. Currently, the percentage of STEM graduates in Spain ranks 12th in the European Union ranking, with a difference between the sexes of 17 points.
WONNOW 2020, the 11 best STEM university students in Spain
To date, more than 1,000 female students from universities throughout Spain have participated in the three editions of the contest, which shows that the WONNOW Awards have become a consolidated and benchmark award in the university field. In this call, a total of 348 students from 61 universities throughout Spain, students of the last courses of STEM university degrees -Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics- participated, and to choose the winners their academic record, their curriculum and their personal merits. The awards in 2020 went to:
María Dolores Ardura, double degree in Biomedical Engineering and Telecommunications Systems Engineering at CEU San Pablo University, has won the award for the best academic record, endowed with 10,000 euros. In addition, you will also have access to a mentoring program taught by Microsoft Spain.
The other 10 awarded students who will have access to a paid scholarship to work at CaixaBank and will benefit from a mentoring program given by Microsoft Spain have been:
• Nuria Mateos, degree in Computer Engineering in Information Systems at the University of Salamanca and a master’s degree in Intelligent Systems also at USAL.
• Helena Xicoy, degree in Computer Engineering from the Open University of Catalonia, degree in Human Biology from the Pompeu Fabra University and a master’s degree in Molecules from the Radboud University of Nijmegen.
• Lorena Pérez, degree in Telecommunications Engineering and degree in Business Administration at the University of Malaga. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering at the same university.
• Umaima Bousdar, degree in Telecommunications Technology Engineering at the University of Malaga.
• Alba Vicente, degree in Telecommunications Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and is studying a master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering at the same university.
• María de Isidro, degree in Mathematical Engineering at the Complutense University of Madrid.
• Sandra Sánchez, degree in Telecommunication Systems Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
• Nora Carreira, degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of the Basque Country.
• Amaia Goñi, double degree in Electronic, Industrial and Automatic Engineering and Computer Engineering at the University of Deusto.
• Elena Alcover, degree in Mathematics from the University of La Laguna and a master’s degree in Mathematical Engineering from the Complutense University of Madrid.
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