Malena García is a UNSAM student who won an incredible scholarship
Malena García Vildoza is an Argentine student of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the National University of San Martín (UNSAM) who gained international recognition for her innovative project to detect drinking water wells using artificial intelligence.
In 2023, Malena participated in the Pale Blue Dot Challenge, a global competition that promotes technological solutions to address social problems aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He formed an interdisciplinary team with an American aerospace engineer, a Senegalese geologist, and an Argentine data science expert. Together, they developed a machine learning-based tool capable of locating underground drinking water wells.
MalenaNASA
What is the tool that Malena designed to find drinking water?
Malena’s project focused on Gambiaan African country where 70% of the population depends on wells due to contamination of other water sources. The tool uses free and open data to determine the depth at which drinking water is found, making it applicable in various regions of the world.
Currently, Malena’s team continues working to develop this tool, which seeks to improve and be more precise so that in the future it can be used in more places that need it.
García’s arrival at the agency was an excellent opportunity to develop new skills and gain perspectives in the space field. Your achievement is an inspiration for Argentine students and professionals who seek to make a difference in the world and dream of being able to work at NASA.
Source: Ambito
