Dr Pascual receives the UAB Medal at the opening of the academic year

21/09/2012

The UAB Medal was first awarded in 1980 to individuals or entities who in some way had contributed greatly to the university with their services. With the award, the UAB wishes to thank Ramon Pascual for his contributions, as rector of the UAB and president of the Executive Committee of the Synchrotron Light Laboratory (CELLS-ALBA), as well as member of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE).

The inauguration of the 2012/13 academic year, the first to have Dr Ferran Sancho as Rector of the UAB, began with the reading of the 2011/12 Annual Report by Judith Solé, Secretary General of the UAB. Following the reading, Dr Antoni Méndez, chair professor of Theoretical Physics of the Department of Physics at UAB, spoke on the figure of Dr Ramon Pascual. Rector Ferran Sancho then awarded the UAB Medal to Dr Pascual.

After receiving the medal, Dr Pascual offered a master lecture entitled Els meus temps a la UAB, with a performance at the end of his lecture of the UAB Choir, directed by Poire Vallvé. Following that, there were institutional speeches and the event ended with two performances by the UAB Choir.

Dr Pascual was born in Barcelona in 1942. He earned his BSc in Physics from University of Barcelona in 1963 and his PhD from the University of Valencia in 1966. After working as a senior lecturer and professor in several universities in Spain, he accepted the post as chair professor of theoretical physics at UAB in 1971.

Dr Pascual is author of over 40 papers published in prestigious scientific journals on physics of elemental particles, of chapters in specialised books, scientific articles and several articles in newspapers and magazines, mainly published in the newspaper La Vanguardia, and of general articles specialising on issues related to research and higher education.

After being elected dean of the Faculty of Sciences and vice-rector of the UAB, he was elected rector of the UAB in 1986. In addition, Dr Pascual is one of the persons who has participated most in university and scientific policies in Catalonia. He was the first director general of the Department of University Education of the Government of Catalonia (from 1980 to 1983). He was also director of the Interuniversity Group of Theoretical Physics (GIFT), president of the Group of Theoretical Physics of the Royal Spanish Academy of Physics and Chemistry and member of the Governing Council of the Institute of High Energy Physics.

Here, Dr Pascual led the initiative of constructing a synchrotron light facility in the vicinities of Barcelona and the Government of Catalonia named him president of the Committee for the Promotion of the Synchrotron Laboratory. Years later, he went on to preside the Executive Committee of the Consortium for the construction, equipment and exploitation of the Synchrotron Light Laboratory. The ALBA Synchrotron, inaugurated in 2010, is the most important scientific facility existing in Spain.

Dr Pascual has also been member of the foundations Empresa i Ciència and Progrès i Tècnic; president of the Board of Trustees of the Parc Taulí Foundation in Sabadell; member of the Governing Council of the Parc Taulí hospital Consortium; and member of the Governing Council of the Diagnostic Imaging Unit (UDIAT) of the same consortium.

In 1991 he received the Narcís Monturiol Medal from the Government of Catalonia and in 2011 he was awarded the Saint George Cross.