- The Fundación Cepsa Chair at the University of Cádiz presents its activity report for last year
- Nearly 80 students participate in PowerYou Xperiencie employability day
This year saw another edition of the Specialization in Oil Refining training program, which UCA and Cepsa have been organizing jointly since the 2015-2016 academic year. The program is an optional fourth-year subject offered by the Algeciras Polytechnic School as part of the bachelor's degree in Industrial Technology Engineering. It consists of a total of 36 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) of on-site training which students complete at Cepsa's Gibraltar-San Roque refinery.
2020 saw the fourth set of students finish this demanding university training program in collaboration with the company, the first of its kind among public universities in Spain. The course ran from November 2019 to September 2020, with a total of 18 students, of which 5 were from the University of Cádiz.
One of the numerous initiatives driven by the Fundación Cepsa Chair is the PowerYou Xperience day, in collaboration with the Human Age Institute. Last year the event attracted 79 attendees, all final year students and graduates from UCA and from a variety of degree programs. 70% of attendees were female and 30% male, all of whom were able to take part in an event aimed at improving their employability and enhancing their talents.
In addition, for her work, Vanessa Ripoll Morales was awarded the Scientific -Technical Article award of the Fundación Cepsa Chair Awards. Improving the biomethanization potential of sewage sludge by co-digestion with wastewater from a sherry distillery; in the Final Degree Project category, Silvia Puerta Moreno was recognized for her project Design of a hydrothermal liquefaction reactor for the treatment of sewage sludge; and finally, in the Patent of Invention category, Ismael Rodríguez Maestre was awarded for his work Modular Thermo-Electric Hybrid Solar Collector Device that can be Integrated into the Building Envelope.
The Fundación Cepsa Chair at the UCA is working on the recording of an introductory audiovisual course on the refining industry in the energy sector and maintains the doctoral thesis entitled Development of analytical methodology to be used as a reference, as well as to be implemented in rapid analysis and even in situ, for the determination of volatile and aromatic components in petroleum products for use in industry (Electronic Nose). On the other hand, 2020 has also been the year in which Cepsa and the UCA have seen published the first industrial thesis of the University, entitled Valorization of Streams from the FCC Unit of the Gibraltar-San Roque Refinery, by researcher Elena Pérez Guevara.
Cepsa Chairs in Andalusia
The relationship between Cepsa and the University is constant. The chairs at the universities of Huelva, Seville and Cadiz, which are now managed by the Fundación Cepsa, are growing thanks to the contributions and dedication of professionals from both organizations to improve training, innovation and research.
The Fundación Cepsa Chairs in Andalusia have helped thousands of students to gain first-hand experience in a real working environment and bring university professors closer to the reality of industry in Andalusia. Exchanges between technicians and professors have allowed them to improve professionally and apply their newly gained expertise in their daily work. For all of these reasons, today Cepsa is a great ally of universities in Andalusia.