The awards ceremony took place on December 12 in the auditorium of the School of Communication and was broadcast live via Zoom.
“It’s a pleasure to be back at another awards ceremony (…). This was a year in which I felt more comfortable seeing people again—seeing the hallways filled with students and professors. Having students in a classroom, even though technology helped us keep our courses going, allows for a richer exchange,” said Eduardo Hipogrosso, dean of the faculty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGEg3GbspGk
In recognition of the hard work, resilience, and adaptability demonstrated by the faculty’s teaching staff, Hipogrosso thanked the professors and said:
Above all, I want to highlight the outstanding work done by all the teachers. During this time, they have not only incorporated knowledge of new technologies but also adopted methodologies and approaches that have allowed each of them, within their respective subjects, to establish communication with their students—something that is key and critical in the teaching process.
School of Communication Award for Teaching Excellence
Mateo Cortés was named the School of Communication’s Distinguished Professor in the 2022 Teaching Excellence Awards.
In this regard, Dr. Héctor Bajac read some of the students’ reviews of Cortés: “Excellent teacher, excellent professional.” “His classes are dynamic and interactive, very up-to-date, and he’s always expanding on sources of information (...)”.
He also added that “he is a teacher who stays very up to date in a field where that is very difficult to do—namely, digital communication (...)—and he is highly capable of coordinating with other courses and training new teachers.”
Mateo Cortés holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Universidad ORT Uruguay; he is the director of Bonhomía Libros, a livestock producer, and the manager of the El León ranch. Upon receiving the award, he said:
Thank you to everyone who renews their trust in me every six months. To Héctor, Virginia, Antonia, and Montserrat—who first invited me to teach here—and to the professors I had during my time as a student at this school (...). Thank you to the students, who help me grow and stay up to date. There’s clearly something magical about this place.
2022 Award for Teaching Excellence from the School of Design
“She is a teacher who consistently receives high ratings in surveys, along with outstanding feedback,” said DI Óscar Aguirre, who went on to read some of the student evaluations, such as “super-clear explanations, enough assignments to help us grasp each topic,” “the teacher also takes responsibility for helping students when they have questions about lab programs and provides guidance on how to complete assignments for other courses regarding the use of digital resources.”
“We could go on like this, but I think that’s enough to begin to understand that all these concepts are very valuable because, after all, one of the areas she works in is programming. And for design students, it’s very dry; teaching programming to creative minds is a major challenge,” added Aguirre.
Throughout her 20-year teaching career at the college, she has distinguished herself through her tireless contributions to design, branding, and institutional projects, engaging with passion and professionalism across a wide range of areas, ranging from contributing to the faculty’s institutional identity to collaborating significantly with the Institute of Education and on institutional projects such as ORT Recicla, which were developed by our award-winning faculty member, 2022 Academic Excellence in Design recipient María Fernanda Núñez, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Universidad ORT Uruguay is a specialist in multimedia.
(...) It has been a wonderful experience over the years to share this with the students. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is trying to convey to students the passion with which I approach my field, making the experience engaging, and helping them develop a passion for what they do—and I find the experience of being a student to be very enriching. I would also like to extend a special greeting to my colleagues in the lab. Thank you very much.
2022 Award for Teaching Excellence from the School of Graduate Studies and professional development
On behalf of the School of Graduate Studies and professional development, its academic secretary, Mag. Sabrina Bianchi, presented the award to Dr. Marina Melani and highlighted “the dedication with which she set out to prepare her course.”
"She isn't a new faculty member, although she is new to the School of Graduate Studies and professional development. She was the first associate professor at the Master’s in Creativity, Innovation, and Communication, who, when I called her, also had a lot of reservations. I invited her to come to the launch, to talk, to connect with faculty members. We bought materials, she began to prepare, and she threw herself into it with such passion… you can really tell when a teacher puts a lot of heart into preparing for a course (even though her teaching quality was already proven)," noted Mag. Bianchi.
Bianchi also read some of the feedback from her students, who noted that Dr. Marina Melani “is extremely organized, pays attention to detail, is very good at explaining concepts, providing feedback, and guiding the learning process… she’s excellent, deeply committed to the course and to each student’s progress; it’s a pleasure to have her as a teacher—she’s a genius. She changed the way I think.”
Dr. Marina Melani, who was unable to attend the ceremony in person because her son Emiliano had just been born, holds a Ph.D. in Education from Universidad ORT Uruguay, an MSc in Entrepreneurial Management from Anglia Ruskin University (United Kingdom), a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Universidad ORT Uruguay serves as the intervention design coordinator for the Puentes Digitales project for Educational Equity within the Plan Ceibal initiative. In her acceptance speech, she said:
I was so happy to have found a place and a team of colleagues where I could do what I’m passionate about: designing meaningful learning experiences for students. And I realized that it also deeply moved me as a professional challenge. I had to reflect on these topics—creative problem-solving methodologies—in the context of my own life, so that I could then convey them to others. This first course was truly an enriching experience in every way; I am truly very grateful. I hope it marks the beginning of a journey toward developing more projects like this master’s program and the content of this course, as these are topics that are not always present in educational processes—and even less so in training for adults who are already professionals. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much.
2022 Rising Star in Teaching Award from the School of Graduate Studies and professional development
The award was presented by Sabrina Bianchi, Academic Secretary of the School of Graduate Studies and professional development, to Federica Cavestani, B.A.
Recognition of 20 Years of Service at the School of Communication and Design
María Forni, Associate Professor of Research Methodologies and Final Projects; Nelson García, laboratory assistant; Patricia Moizo, Bachelor of Arts and faculty member; and Daniel Domínguez, Bachelor of Industrial Design and Academic Coordinator of Industrial Design; were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Medal in recognition of their 20 years of Universidad ORT Uruguay at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
2022 Awards for Educational Innovation from the School of Communication and Design
Finally, Tomer Ürwicz, M.A., Brian Majlin, B.A., and Claudia Calace were honored with Awards for Educational Innovation.