“Anyone can sculpt their own brain,” “In science, luck favors those who make an effort” and “To achieve the possible, aim for the impossible” are some of the messages accompanying this new campaign. The phrases are drawn “from famous statements Cajal made throughout his life,” explained Carmen Marta-Lazo, vice rector for Communication and Institutional Identity. They are intended to inspire the entire university community.
Alongside these messages is an image of Santiago Ramón y Cajal in his fifties, after receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine. “We did not want Cajal to be a static figure from the past, but to portray him in a modern way. The image shows Cajal at an intermediate age, far from the image of a young student or from the period when he had already completed his research career,” Marta-Lazo explained. This “disruptive” image seeks to attract young people’s attention, whom “it is difficult to reach because their attention spans are quite fleeting.”
PROJECTING THE BOND BETWEEN UNIZAR AND SANTIAGO RAMÓN Y CAJAL AROUND THE WORLD
His “alma mater.” That is how Santiago Ramón y Cajal described the University of Zaragoza after studying there. Thanks to the knowledge he acquired at the public university, along with his subsequent education elsewhere in Spain, Cajal won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research into the structure of the nervous system.
“We are not speaking only about an extraordinary figure in our scientific history; we are speaking about someone who is part of the University of Zaragoza’s own history. We want to recognize that legacy, but also project it into the future, because his approach to research, based on curiosity, observation, effort and the pursuit of knowledge, remains fully relevant,” said rector Rosa Bolea. For this reason, the new campaign links Cajal’s legacy with that of a university institution established in Aragon since 1474.
In addition to turning the doctor and scientist into an inspiration for students and the entire university community, the campaign also seeks to project the University of Zaragoza to society and the world as an institution “linked to knowledge, research, talent and innovation.” For this reason, Bolea stressed that when researchers attend international conferences, they will carry this new image with them to build a “reputation.”
“Cajal X Unizar” combines audiovisual content, graphic and digital materials, social media and a specific strategy for gaining visibility in the media. The goal is to generate visibility, conversation and participation, while also strengthening the association between the University of Zaragoza and values such as knowledge, research, excellence, talent and innovation.
The campaign has an international dimension, making use of Cajal’s universal stature and his ability to serve as an ambassador for the University of Zaragoza in scientific and academic spheres.
