In a virtual ceremony broadcast on YouTube, Unicamp, through Executive Directorate of Human RightsAnd Vladimir Herzog Institute announced this Thursday (4) the winners of the first edition of the Unicamp-Vladimir Herzog Academic Recognition Award in Human Rights. Eleven research awards were awarded, at undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels, in the areas of exact sciences and technology, natural sciences, health and environment, social sciences and education and communication and language sciences - all developed at the three state universities of São Paulo , Unicamp, Unesp and USP. Three honorary awards were also announced, which recognize the contribution of research to Human Rights.
The Executive Director of the Vladimir Herzog Institute, Rogério Sottill, participated in the awards ceremony; the Rector of Unicamp, Marcelo Knobel; the General Coordinator of the University, Teresa Atvars; the Executive Director of Human Rights at Unicamp, Néri de Barros Almeida; in addition to the researchers who received honorary awards.
The 91 research entries in this edition were judged on their adherence to the award's purposes, which included respect for the dignity of life and the planet; the fight against inequality, poverty and hunger; the promotion of new forms of economic, technological and productive development that eliminate the exploitation of human beings and the planet; encouraging solidarity and strengthening the culture of peace. Check out the list of award-winning researchers:
Category Exact sciences and technology:
- Graduation: Caio Henrique Teixeira Alberto (Unesp - São João da Boa Vista campus), with the research "Evaluation of the life cycle of a wifi antenna";
- Master's degree: Otávio Aguiar de Souza (Unesp - Faculty of Sciences, Bauru campus) with the dissertation "Green and multivariate approach for extraction and analysis of phenolic metabolites from Eugenia uniflora L. using Deep Natural Eutectic Solvents";
- Doctorate: Marcelo Wilson Berbone Furlan Alves (Unesp - Faculty of Engineering of Bauru), with the thesis "Proposition of a global climate justice index through a mixed approach of quantitative methods".
Category Natural Sciences, Health and Environment:
- Graduation: Giulia Romano Bombonatti (Unicamp - Faculty of Nursing), with research "Nursing work process in the office on the street: strategies and tools for coping with the vulnerabilities of the homeless population";
- Doctorate: Giorgia Sena Martins (Unicamp - Institute of Geosciences) with the thesis "Paradigm Shift in Coping with the Ecological Crisis: an integrated approach between Law and Earth Sciences".
Category Social Sciences and Education:
- Graduation: Larissa Ferreira Porto (USP - Faculty of Law of Ribeirão Preto) with the research "Confiscatory expropriation in the case of slave labor on rural properties: analysis of the social function of property as an instrument of social justice";
- Master's degree: Mariana Soares Leme (Unicamp - Faculty of Education) with the dissertation "Teaching arts and its potential for approaches to ethnic-racial relations at school: indigenous cultures and their urban contexts;
- Doctorate: Carlos Alberto Suescún Barón (Unicamp - Institute of Economics) with the thesis "Rural development and underdevelopment: a characterization of the agrarian structure of Colombia (1961-2016)".
Communication and Language Sciences Category:
- Graduation: Maria Luiza Araújo Santos (USP - School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities) with the research "Female aging, ageism and appearance: a discussion on film adaptations of the short story Snow White";
- Master's degree: Ana Luiza Barretto Bittar (Unicamp Institute of Language Studies) with the dissertation “Surviving and dreaming: stories and memories of homeless women”;
- Doctorate: Vladimir Miguel Rodrigues (Unesp - Institute of Biosciences, Letters and Exact Sciences of São José do Rio Preto) with the thesis "First as a tragedy, second as a farce: slavery, abolition and racial democracy in the literature of Carolina Maria de Jesus, Paulo Lins and Ferréz"
The honorary awards were given to researchers Ester Sabino and Jaqueline Goes de Jesus, from USP, for their work sequencing the genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, carried out just 48 hours after confirming the first case of Covid-XNUMX. disease in Brazil. Also honored was Manuela Carneiro da Cunha, an anthropologist who stands out for her work in the areas of cultural diversity, food security and environmental conservation, in valuing the cultural heritage and knowledge of indigenous peoples. There was also a posthumous tribute to Paulo Freire, for his role in education as an instrument for promoting human dignity. In this case, the award was given to Ana Maria Saul, president of the Paulo Freire Chair, at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC).
Manuela Cunha commented that she feels grateful and honored for the recognition obtained through the award. The professor shared a little of her experience with Vladimir Herzog and highlighted the political role that the work of universities can play. "What I did, both at Unicamp, USP, and later at the University of Chicago, was a type of intellectual activism. I think this activism fits and should always fit in universities. This dimension is important in all scientific activity", commented Manuela.
Ester Sabino highlighted the importance of Vladimir Herzog as a symbol of the fight for Human Rights in Brazil and the contribution of Brazilian science to the sector, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. "Science took years to recover from the impacts of the Military Dictatorship, our Faculty of Medicine was one of those that lost the most teachers, who had to leave here, or lost their right to teach. It is important to be aware of how much this can hinder science for years", analyzed Sabino. Jaqueline Góes also stated the difficulties of the current period and the need to strengthen science in favor of human dignity: "It is a moment of darkness, not only for science, but for our democracy, in general."
Attention to the commitment to Human Rights
Created through an agreement between Unicamp and the Vladimir Herzog Institute and approved in November 2020, the award's principles are to encourage the development of research, methods, knowledge and technologies that promote Human Rights in all areas of knowledge. With this, the idea is to promote the culture of these rights and draw attention to the responsibility of all researchers in promoting and protecting human dignity.
"This award is special, it does not reward activists or projects exclusively focused on Human Rights, which have their merits, nor is it restricted to a disciplinary field. The award aims to motivate everyone to commit to Human Rights, remembering that each and every person can make a contribution to the defense and promotion of human dignity. In particular, that the researcher can have a benefit for his research if Human Rights are added to it as a principle", pointed out Néri de Barros Almeida.
For Rogério Sottill, Executive Director of the Vladimir Herzog Institute, the awarding of the award becomes even more important given the health and political period that the country is going through: "This ceremony takes place at what is perhaps the most tragic moment in Brazilian history. It is certainly tragic for science and academia, at a time when Brazil is experiencing almost 2 deaths from Covid-19 per day, deaths that could have been avoided. It happens at a time of persecution of rectors, scientists and to journalists. The award being held at this time makes it gain more importance, because in addition to recognizing all the research and award winners, it becomes an act of political and democratic resistance".
Rector Marcelo Knobel reiterated the commitment of Unicamp and other universities to the culture of Human Rights and assesses that the institutions' conduct of this mission contributes positively to society as a whole. "I'm sure that, in future editions, we will be able to maintain this excellence in entries and, at the same time, expand the award to other research institutions that certainly have a lot to show in this area of Human Rights. It is an unprecedented award, that's why is important. This is fundamental to broaden people's perception of the importance of Human Rights and make this discussion increasingly stronger in society and within universities", stated Knobel.
