Baltasar Mena Iniesta (born 1942) is a Spanish-born Mexican mechanical engineer specialized in

Rheology Rheology (; ) is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a fluid ( liquid or gas) state, but also as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an appl ...

. He has been laureated with Mexico's

National Prize for Arts and Sciences The National Prize for Arts and Sciences ( es, Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes) is awarded annually by the Government of Mexico in six categories. It is part of the Mexican Honours System and was established in 1945. The prize is a gold medal a ...

(1997),

UNESCO Science Prize The UNESCO Science Prize is a biennial scientific prize awarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to "a person or group of persons for an outstanding contribution they have made to the technological d ...

(2001), and has chaired both the International Committee on Rheology (1984–88) and the Mexican Society of Rheology (1976–97). Mena graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

(UNAM, 1964); specialized in

Fluid Mechanics Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and bio ...

at the

University of Toulouse The University of Toulouse (french: Université de Toulouse) was a university in the French city of Toulouse that was established by papal bull in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the Frenc ...

(France, 1967); and earned both a master's degree and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in mechanical engineering from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

(United States, 1969–1973), where he also received the Brown Engineering Alumni Medal in 2000. He has developed several patents, including an oscillatory die for polymer extrusion used by the

henequen Henequen (''Agave fourcroydes'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is reportedly naturalized in Italy, the Canary Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Cayman Islands and ...

industry in the Yucatan peninsula and an hexagonal solar-powered

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

used in Mexico, India and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. According to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, such design has saved millions of dollars yearly by preventing post-harvest losses. Aside from his academic activities, Mena is also a veteran

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musician, having toured since 1959 with ''Los Sonámbulos'', ''Los Sinners'' and ''Tequilas''. Since 1976 he is the lead singer and guitarist of ''Naftalinas'', a band with seven albums and over a hundred live performances.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mena Iniesta, Baltasar UNESCO Science Prize laureates Rheologists Mexican mechanical engineers Spanish engineers Mexican rock musicians Musicians from Mexico City Brown University School of Engineering alumni National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Mexico University of Toulouse alumni 1942 births Living people