On Friday, 16 June, the Final Lecture, or Lectio Ultima, by Dr Rosa Nomen and Dr Julià Sempere took place at IQS for the professors from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the IQS School of Engineering with Ramon Llull University.
On Friday, 16 June, the Final Lecture, or Lectio Ultima, by Dr Rosa Nomen and Dr Julià Sempere took place at IQS for the professors from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the IQS School of Engineering with Ramon Llull University.
For the first time ever, a Final Lecture was held at IQS. In the words of IQS Director Dr Salvador Borrós, “it is not a farewell but a recognition for these professors for the merit they have accumulated during their academic careers and for the community at the institution that hosted them, in this case IQS, to have references whom it can follow.”
The opening of the event was led by the Vice-rector of Academic Organization and Quality, Dr Elisabet Golobardes. In addition to welcoming and presenting the event, the Vice-rector expressed her emotions and said that she felt like yet another student, doctoral student, or colleague of Julià and Rosa, the first two people at the university with whom she shared ideas, projects, and work.
Dr Borrós praised Dr Nomen and Dr Sempere and pointed out their academic merits, highlighting Dr Nomen's unshakable willingness to serve IQS and Dr Sempere's extensive scientific knowledge. But first and foremost, he recognized their ability to understand each other, to share anguish and success, and to help each other overcome mistakes.
He also highlighted the value of leaving their comfort zone, Organic Chemistry, to make the leap to Chemical Engineering.
Finally, Dr Borrós gave Dr Nomen and Dr Sempere three connected volumes containing the more than 180 articles written by the two professors, compiled thanks to the IQS Library and Communications Departments. There is one copy in the archives and another one in the IQS Library available for consultation.
The Final Lecture by Dr Nomen and Dr Julià represented a detailed tour of their professional lives and also featured three guests who shared kind words about them: Dr Ana Pilar González, Dr Nomen's first doctoral student, Dr Jörg Steinbach, an international colleague and friend, and Dr Esther Giménez-Salinas, Rector of the URL during the period in which Dr Rosa Nomen was Vice-rector.
The final part of the event featured the projection of a video prepared and made by the UCA del Salvador, the university in which both professors dedicated part of their time over the past 20 years, thanks to Dr Nomen's leadership as the head of the UNESCO Chair of Cooperation with the URL. The video contains statements by the Rector, Father Andreu Oliva, SJ, and from people who have completed their master's or doctoral theses at IQS thanks to their dedication.
The event was attended by IQS professors, administrative staff, and students from nearly all graduating classes; Julià and Rosa's colleagues from throughout the industry and Catalan government, both from within IQS and external; and family and friends.
For anyone who could not attend or who wishes to view the event again, the link to the celebration of their Final Lecture can be found here: https://youtu.be/ypd4474pUVw.