The Domotic School Garden project (2020-1-ES01-KA201-082999) at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and its involvement in the Erasmus+ program, has been honored by the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE). Antonio Ruiz Canales, an associate professor from the area of Agronomic Engineering at the UMH and coordinator of the project, received an award for this project on December 12 in Madrid during the 2023 Annual Erasmus+ Program Dissemination Event. UMH Vice Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation, Vicente Micol Molina, was also present at the ceremony.

This UMH initiative is promoted by the UMH Vice Rectorate for International and Cooperation, and it receives European funding. The project has enabled automation at three organic school gardens by instilling STEAM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and art) and English language skills in the students involved in the project, as well as by teaching them transversal values all throughout the project. This project contributes to environmental and climate objectives by ensuring that these students learn and practically understand how natural systems operate within an environment such as these gardens, and how these gardens are thus affected by the ecosystems functioning around them, as well as by the climate and its importance on sustaining life on planet Earth.

Other Domotic project participants besides investigator, Antonio Ruiz Canales, from the UMH Agro-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation Center (CIAGRO), include fellow CIAGRO investigator, Amparo Melián Navarro; María Teresa Pretel Pretel, Professor from the UMH School of Engineering of Orihuela (EPSO); and teacher from El Palmeral High School of Orihuela, Carmina Martínez Arenes. The UMH coordinates the Domotic School Garden and this project is also applied at schools in Bulgaria, (NU St.Kliment Ohridski); Greece (Primary School MIKRO EVMOIRO XANTHI); and Italy (Circolo Didattico Bufalini di San Giustino e Citerna), in addition to consultancy firm, Lallave consulting de España.          

Likewise, on December 13, as part of this Erasmus+ event, Antonio Ruiz Canales took part in a roundtable on best practices for association projects for cooperation at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Further information about this event is available at the following link: http://sepie.es/doc/comunicacion/jornadas/2023/13_diciembre_sch_adu/programa.pdf