Yesterday, the Generalitat de Catalunya (regional Government) announced the awards of the Narcís Monturiol Medal for scientific and technological merit to twenty public figures, ten men and ten women, and to two institutions. Among the awardees is Jordi Sabater Pi, emeritus professor of the Universitat de Barcelona, director of the Sabater Pi Collection, located at the PCB, who has been granted this prize in recognition of his contribution to scientific and technological progress in Catalonia.

The award has been granted “for his scientific work in Central Africa on primate behaviour and for the discovery of the goliath frogs, the largest amphibians in the world, and for his studies on the social behaviour of chimpanzees. He is also honoured for this work on the behaviour of the honey guide and for his ethnographic studies on several tribes in Central Africa (Fang)”.

In addition, the following UB researchers also received this award: the senior professor of chemical engineering, José Costa; the senior professor of Catalan philology, Eulàlia Duran; the Research director of the “Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique” (CNRS) at the “École Polytechnique de Palaiseau (France) and recently appointed professor at the Dept. of Applied Physics and Optics, Antoni Lloret; the senior professor in organic chemistry and director of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, Miquel Àngel Pericàs; the senior professor in economic policy, Jacint Ros, and the emeritus professor of psychology, Miquel Siguan.

The Narcís Monturiol awards were founded in 1982 to honour people and entities that make an outstanding contribution to the scientific and technological progress of Catalonia. More information on these prizes can be consulted on the DURSI website.