University teacher’s excellence honoured in Mexico

A senior University teacher from the Department of Engineering has been honoured with an award for excellence from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL), in Monterrey Mexico.

The award was presented to Elena Rodriguez-Falcon, a graduate of UANL. It was given in recognition of the excellence she has shown in her career to date, both as a teacher and as the Director of Enterprise Education at the University of Sheffield.

Elena received her award, along with 48 other distinguished graduates at a presentation to mark the 78th anniversary of the foundation of UANL. The ceremony was lead by José Antonio González Treviño, Minister of Education for Nuevo León State, as well as by members of the UANL Council.

José said: “This celebration makes us aware of the fundamental role that the UANL has fulfilled for nearly eight decades, providing graduates with high doses of intelligence, talent, creativity, solidarity, innovation and entrepreneurial sense.”

Elena said: “I am absolutely delighted to have come back to my Alma Mater to receive this award. It is particularly exciting to see how the UANL has progressed through the years. I feel very proud to be an alumna of this institution and hope to be able to develop links between UANL and the University of Sheffield.”

Jesús Ancer Rodríguez, Vice-Chancellor of UANL, said: “For the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, our alumni are without a doubt the engine that has taken our university to key platforms in the development of our state and our country. Some of our alumni, not happy with this, have taken their talent and professionalism to much higher levels around the world. Elena is one of these people. In addition to being a prestigious academic at the University of Sheffield in the UK, she contributes with her talent to our International Advisory Board. She richly deserves the award that she received as a distinguished alumna who has excelled in her profession.

The awards were established in 2005 to honour those whose successes have made their Alma Mater proud. Successful professional careers highlighted during the event this year were the Director of the Biotechnology Centre at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, the Director of Physical Education for Nuevo León State, the Ambassador of Mexico in Russia and the Director of Enterprise Education at the University of Sheffield.