MIAMI, United States. – Doctor of Science Hugo Pérez Rojas, member of merit of the Cuban Academy of Sciences (ACC), obtained the Spirit of Salam Award 2023, reported the International Center for Theoretical Physics.
According to that scientific institution, Pérez Rojas received the award for his intense work “to persuade Cuban legislators that basic science is not a luxury but a crucial necessity for the development of third world economies”.
The International Center for Theoretical Physics also highlights that the Cuban scientist has published books and articles on the state and perspectives of science in the South and has succeeded in instilling in young researchers an interest in disseminating scientific knowledge as an integral part of culture.
According to the state Cuban News Agency (ACN), Pérez Rojas has dedicated his entire life to Theoretical Physics. He is a senior researcher at the Institute of Cybernetics, Mathematics and Physics, and founder of its Department of Theoretical Physics.
In addition to the Cuban, the 2023 Spirit of Salam Award was received by scientists Federico Rosei, from Italy; and Tino Nyawelo, from South Sudan.
The Spirit of Salam Prize honors Mohammad Abdus Salam (1926-1996), a Pakistani theoretical physicist who received the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the electroweak model, a mathematical and conceptual synthesis of electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force. .
Announced annually on Abdus Salam’s birthday, the award recognizes those who, like the Pakistani scientist himself, “have worked tirelessly to promote the development of science and technology in underprivileged parts of the world.”
The International Center for Theoretical Physics that bears his name is sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Italian Government.
The Spirit of Abdus Salam Award can be given to any member of the International Center for Theoretical Physics family of scientists and non-scientists, as well as administrative staff who demonstrate that they have worked tirelessly to further Abdus Salam’s humanitarian passion and vision for cooperation, promotion and development of science and technology in the developing world.
