On 15 November last year, the 1st STEAM-H Student Debate Conference, an initiative of the Telefónica-UMA Chair, in collaboration with the ETSI of Telecommunications and the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts. As described in the call for papers, there are many problems of our time that require a hybridisation of knowledge, approaches, methodologies and perspectives of analysis. This is why the conference was conceived as a first approach to the creation of these spaces and channels for inter- and transdisciplinary debate between the STEM disciplines of Art and Humanities. The participants debated for more than an hour about the importance of tackling these challenges of the contemporary world, underlining the hyper-technification of our society (our human development scenario) as well as the contribution of technology to any of the spheres of life as a support for social, cultural and even existential progress.

The conference is intended to be held on a regular basis. The organisers have announced that the second edition will be held in the spring.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Vice-Rector for Students, the director of the ETSI of Telecommunications, Rafael Godoy, and the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, Juan Antonio Perles. All of them agreed on the need to organise this type of activities in order to set up a common framework or working space. The introduction and moderation of the debate was the responsibility of Professor Antonio Diéguez, Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of Malaga, and author of the books Transhumanism (Herder, 2017) and Inadequate bodies (Herder, 2021).

The winners of the debate were:

 

1º. Iván Eduardo Pastore Míguez (Degree in Hispanic Philology)

2nd. José Luis Moreno Garvayo (PhD student in Law).

3ª. Marta Heredia Santiago (Bachelor's Degree in Law)