Juan Manuel Díaz Montalvo, awarded by the Oficial College of Graduates and Technical engineers of Madrid for his Final Degree Project.

Juan Manuel Díaz Montalvo has been awarded last 11th March by the Oficial College of Graduates and Technical engineers of Madrid (COGITIM) for his Final Degree Project (TFG), 'Design and modelling of a thermoacoustic engine for test bench' co-directed by Dr. Carmen Iniesta and Dr. Jose Luis Olazagoitia, researchers of the Nebrija research group in vehicle engineering (GREEN).

Juan Manuel studied engineering at the Polytechnic School of the Nebrija University. During this period, he has been the beneficiary of several research internship grants awarded by the Nebrija-Santander Global Chair in Energy Recovery in Surface Transport and has actively participated in the different editions of the Nebrija Research Initiation Week (SIIN), which the group carries out annually by selecting the most brilliant engineering students. Thanks to the chair, Juan Manuel currently carries out research support tasks in the GREEN group, work that he combines with his master's degree studies.

In awarding the prizes, the College has taken into consideration the talent, academic excellence and social awareness of the participating students. The aim was to reward the best Final Degree Projects from the 13 Engineering Schools in the Community of Madrid. Each of the university institutions presented 3 projects.

Another of the objectives was to bring the world of engineering closer to young engineers. In addition, the COGITIM also insisted on the importance of developing projects rich in social awareness, including values such as sustainability, companionship, equality between men and women and solidarity.

The event was attended by representatives of the different universities, business, industry and public administrations of the Community of Madrid. The event included speeches by Luis Collado López, President of the Association of Metal Companies of Madrid, and Fidel Rodríguez Batalla, Deputy Minister of Universities, Science and Innovation of the Community of Madrid, among others.

On the other hand, the Qualifying Tribunal was made up of: Inmaculada Peiró, director of AGREMIA, Julián Sancho Cotrina, manager at ENDESA ENERGÍA or Ángel Bonet, president of APIE, among others.

The research of the Nebrija student and member of the winning GREEN group, Juan Manuel, revolves around the conceptualisation of the design and part of the manufacture of a thermo-acoustic travelling wave engine that allows energy to be recovered from a waste heat source. The TFG is part of an innovative line of research initiated in 2016 with the doctoral thesis of Dr. Carmen Iniesta, coordinator of the chair. This line of research in thermoacoustic technology is part of a national project that is currently being carried out in collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha, in whose facilities a prototype of a thermoacoustic engine capable of recovering part of the thermal energy dissipated to the environment by the exhaust system of a vehicle is going to be tested. Juan Manuel received 11th place, a diploma in recognition of his work and a 250 euro voucher.