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Adán Fernando Ojeda Villa has been recognized with the Premio Juventud Renace 2026 in the academic and scientific category, honoring his work in science education, environmental awareness and research in Puerto Vallarta.
The award, presented as part of the first edition of the municipal youth recognition program, celebrates young people between the ages of 12 and 29 in areas including academics, sports, arts, entrepreneurship, environmental protection and human rights advocacy.
The Premio Juventud Renace 2026 awards ceremony was held Saturday evening at Los Arcos del Malecón in Puerto Vallarta, where municipal officials, community leaders and families gathered to recognize outstanding young people in categories including science, academics, arts, sports and social activism.
Kenya Cuevas, a nationally recognized transgender rights activist and founder of Casa de las Muñecas Tiresias, attended the ceremony as a special guest and praised the importance of recognizing young people whose work is creating positive change in their communities.
During the ceremony at Los Arcos del Malecón, Cuevas emphasized the importance of recognizing youth leadership and visibility, saying many young people have historically been “made invisible” despite their contributions to society.
She told attendees that the awards represented more than public recognition, describing them as the beginning of a larger responsibility for recipients to inspire future generations and continue creating opportunities for other young people in Puerto Vallarta.
Ojeda Villa, a biologist currently pursuing a master’s degree in geophysics, was recognized for his scientific research, environmental advocacy and educational outreach. His work includes research on marine biodiversity in Bahía de Banderas, participation in international environmental programs and science education initiatives that have directly impacted students in Puerto Vallarta. His research included a study analyzing the trophic spectrum of dolphinfish, or dorado (Coryphaena hippurus), connected to sport fishing tournaments in Playa Los Muertos and Marina Vallarta. The findings were later presented at the XVII National Congress and IX Latin American Symposium of Ichthyology in La Paz, Mexico.
Organizers highlighted his participation in research projects, scientific publications and international representation of Mexico through the Tunza Eco-Generation program supported by the United Nations Environment Programme. They also noted his ongoing efforts to promote scientific thinking and environmental education among youth and local communities.
Ojeda Villa said in his award application that he “believes scientific knowledge reaches its greatest value when it is used to transform the community where it is generated”.
He added that his goal is to continue developing scientific solutions that contribute to sustainability, public safety and the education of future generations.
One of the defining experiences in his academic career was a research stay at the University of Camagüey in Cuba during June and July 2023. There, he worked on biodiversity conservation and environmental education projects centered on native plant species from both Cuba and the northern coast of Jalisco. According to his application, the collaboration promoted international scientific cooperation and resulted in the publication of a scientific article with educational applications.
His résumé identifies that publication as “Movilidad estudiantil al servicio de educar en la conservación de la fitodiversidad,” published in Revista Monteverdia in February 2023 and co-authored with Espada-Gomez and Mendez-Santos.
The Cuba research experience also involved analyzing plant samples, working with a university herbarium and developing environmental education strategies designed for classroom use.
In addition to his scientific work, organizers noted that Ojeda Villa has focused on bringing science directly into the community through environmental workshops, science fairs and educational outreach programs in Puerto Vallarta. He has directly impacted more than 250 students through science education and environmental awareness initiatives.
Ojeda Villa’s academic and scientific work continued to expand this year as he completed his first semester in the Master’s in Geophysics program at the University of Guadalajara’s Centro Universitario de la Costa, where his research focuses on earthquake engineering and structural safety.
His graduate research examines the dynamic behavior of reinforced concrete structures using seismic records collected from instrumented buildings. The project seeks to identify the fundamental frequency and higher vibration modes of real structures while evaluating the effectiveness of different spectral analysis and signal processing methods used in structural characterization.
According to Ojeda Villa, “the research is rooted in understanding how buildings respond during seismic events. In earthquake engineering, the fundamental frequency of a structure plays a critical role because resonance can occur when a building’s natural vibration frequency approaches the dominant frequency of the ground during an earthquake, potentially amplifying structural damage.”
To study these effects, Ojeda Villa analyzes seismic records through digital signal processing techniques including power spectra, autocorrelation functions and cross-correlations between sensors placed at different levels of buildings. The work is designed to identify repetitive patterns and dominant peaks associated with natural vibration frequencies in structures.
His research also compares methodologies commonly used in structural dynamic analysis — including HVSR, HHSR and FSR techniques — to evaluate the reliability and consistency of each approach in identifying structural vibration modes.
Ojeda Villa said the broader goal of the project is to improve the understanding of how real buildings behave during earthquakes and contribute information that could help reduce seismic vulnerability and improve public safety.
Organizers of the Premio Juventud Renace 2026 said Ojeda Villa’s trajectory stood out for combining scientific research, international academic collaboration and community education efforts that have directly impacted students and young people in Puerto Vallarta.
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