INSTITUTIONAL NEWS
CONICET researcher was awarded by the American Geophysical Union
Esteban Jobbágy was awarded for his contributions to understand how the uses of the earth are related and for his efforts to link science to real problems of the society.
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is an international nonprofit scientific association funded in 1919. It has 60,000 members in 137 countries.
Every year, 33 people are recognized for their dedication to science for the benefit of humanity and for their achievements in the different fields of geophysical research.
This year, one of the awarded is Dr. Esteban Jobbágy, principal researcher of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) at the Grupo de Estudios Ambientales del Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis (IMASL, CONICET-UNSL). He received the Ambassador Prize.
Jobbágy’s research focuses on the understanding of how the uses of the Earth are related, including the agricultural and forest activities, with hydrological processes like floods or the ascent or drop of the phreactic layers. The prize takes into account the efforts to link science with the problems of the society and Jobbágy’s work with agricultural producers and national and provincial government organizations.
This award also highlights the training of new scientists, what the researcher has done for 15 years.
“When I received the prize, I felt really grateful for my profession as an agricultural engineer. We provide science with a stronger perspective than the rest of the colleagues that come from more disciplined and theoretical fields such as Physics or Biology. We feel curiosity and love for human actions on nature and offer the possibility to find new ways to reconcile environment and production. If apart from that we include the best available science, we can provide a lot. For this reason, I appreciate the Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires and the people that for generations have made it grow as one of the pillars of national science. I’m also thankful for the people who have work with our research team in San Luis and helped us make a dream come true: to go from a small den with two people and two laptops to an active laboratory with a score of researchers, technicians and fellows”, Jobbágy comnents.
“Argentine’s society support through CONICET has been essential and one of my greatest wishes is to continue the path of scientific growth and enlarge the diversity of the contributions to improve our country.”
For Eric Davidson, president of AGU: “these years’ awardees are models of tje continuous commitment of the American Geophysical Union to recognize and promote the best scientific research, education and communication of geophysical sciences. I congratulate and thank this group of researchers, educators and journalists on their devotion for scientific research and dissemination that contributes to make this world a better place.”
As regards his work and future, Jobbágy says: “High-impact papers or collaborations with great foreign laboratories have not been as important as the search for problems simultaneously interesting and relevant for the society. I see the future of my work in this direction. It’s what I like most, the adventure that I looked for when I presented my first scholarship project almost thirty years ago.”
The ceremony is going to be in the 2018 AGU’s autumn meeting on December 12th in Washington, USA.