On May 19th representatives from the State's Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT for its acronym in Spanish) and UNESCO's office in Quito met to award the winners of the projects presented during a competition titled "Students creating equality and environment in Higher Education". The aim of this contest was students present innovative ideas related to: gender equality, equality for disabilities, equality for communities, nationalities and interculturality and caring for the environment. A total of 58 proposals were presented by Ecuadorian universities.

The project titled " Conscious nutrition, health and social and solidarity based economy through an ecological garden" created by students from the ecology club and professors from environmental engineering: Dr. Karina Pazmiño (director), Cecilia Barba and Ronnie Lizano won in the category titled: "Promotion of a sustainable life and caring for nature". Madisson Herrera, member of the club, thinks that through this project students will be able to apply the knowledge they have acquired in class.

Additionally, the project titled "Plan of Urban Sustainability and Adaptation to Climate Change, using geo-environmental platforms and drones" was awarded a mention of honor in the same category. It was created by environmental engineering and computing students and led by professors Richard Vilches and Cesar Ivan Alvarez. This project will help reduce the carbon footprint in the university's branch campus in Quito, in its "Sur"campus.

Professor Mirian Gallego and her students Danilo Bohórquez, Adrián Carrión and Belén García were awarded a mention of honor in the category "Equality for people with disabilities" for their project called " Tutoring between partners as an inclusive estrategy" which was developed by the Inclusive Education Research Group and students who study pedagogy. The aim of this project is to reduce drop out ratesof students with disabilities.

Lorena Araujo, vice minister of Higher Education, congratulated universities that have inclusive activities and demonstrate a new reality for Ecuador.

The following students attended on behalf of the Ecological Club:  Ronald Correa (president), Madison Herrera (vice president), Juan Francisco Morales, Maritza Chiluisa, Andrea Calderón, Robert Tomala and Katherine Alvear.  From the pedagogy program:   Danilo Bohórquez, Adrián Carrión and Belén García