Madrid, December 2023 –  The Sener Foundation presented the 2023 Sener Foundation ST3LLAR Awards within the subject and scope of the UC3M – Sener Aerospace Chair. These awards recognize the research, scientific and technical excellence and quality of the theses of students at the Carlos III University in Madrid (UC3M).

On this occasion, the awards recognized the best senior’s and master’s degree theses in the field of the UC3M – Sener Aerospace Chair, as well as the group work done in the predesign course of the Master’s in Space Engineering (MISE).

The presentation ceremony was held in the conference hall of the UC3M Leganés campus and was attended by Sener’s responsible of the UC3M – Sener Aerospace Chair and Head of the Systems, Navigation and Control Area at Sener Aeroespacial, Mercedes Ruiz, the Director of the Sener Foundation, Rosana Madroñal, the Director of the UC3M – Sener Aerospace Chair, Dr. Andrés Marcos, and the professor of Computer Science and Engineering Javier Fernández Muñoz.

During his speech, Andrés Marcos wanted to highlight the importance of collaboration between the company and the university by explaining the origin of the ST3LLAR Sener Foundation Awards and the UC3M – Sener Aeroespacial chair. An idea that Mercedes Ruiz also highlighted in her speech in which she spoke of “strengthening ties between the university and the company to foster interest in research in students before beginning their working life.” For her part, Rosana Madroñal congratulated the candidates for the awards “since the simple fact of completing the studies and doing so with excellence is already an award in itself,” while highlighting the work of the Sener Foundation. in supporting research in universities.

On this occasion, the prizes went to:

• 1^st prize for a thesis: Alberto Jesús Nogueras, for his master’s thesis titled “Experimental Analysis of Radiofrequency Discharges”.
• 2^nd prize for a thesis: Borja Bayón, for his master’s thesis titled “Sparse Regression for the Breathing Mode Instability: Extracting Governing Equations from Hall Effect Thrusters Simulation Data”.
• 3^rd prize for a thesis: Alnira Mei Causing, for her master`s thesis titled “Thermomechanical Optimization of CFRP Primary and Secondary Mirrors of a Cassegrain Reflecting Space Telescope”.
• Honorable mention: Antonio Montero, for his master`s thesis titled “Low-current Hollow Cathode design”
• MISE predesign prize: “ALPHA” project, by Miguel Leiva, Antonio Hernández-Rodicio, Adrián Calleja, Fernando Solano, Brais García, Miguel Alonso, María Rodríguez, Jaime Ruiz and Lourdes Lobera.