Written by: Basant Al-Farmawi
Researcher Ambar Peris-Garcia, an Assistant Professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), won first prize in the "My Research in Five Minutes" competition as part of the Isla 2026 Science Communication Festival, for a project aimed at monitoring small oil spills in ports using drones equipped with low-cost multispectral cameras.
Low-cost technology for monitoring small spills
The project focuses on developing multispectral cameras that are less expensive than hyperspectral cameras, to be installed on drones that monitor ports and quickly identify small fuel patches, allowing for intervention before pollution reaches the coasts. The researcher explained that the Canary Islands face the challenge of controlling oil spills, as the volume of spills has decreased but the number of small spills, which pose a risk to human health and ecosystems, has increased.
Broader applications for the technology
Peris-Garcia noted that the technology could also be employed in tracking microplastics on coasts and rivers, monitoring fires via satellite imagery, building management, and analyzing coral reef development. The winner received a cash prize of 1,000 euros provided by "The Conversation" and the Gabinete الأدبي, which may fund a research stay at an Australian university to study the application of the technology to coral reef monitoring; she will also publish her research in "The Conversation Spain".
Other participants in the competition
Second place was awarded to Umberto Garcia, a linguist and PhD from ULPGC, for a study on the "seseo" sound in the Canarian dialect. Third place was awarded to Victor Machado, a lawyer and research associate at ULPGC, for a thesis on liability for damages caused by artificial intelligence. Maria Magdalena Rodríguez Linares also participated with 3D printing technology for personalized medicine, Matias Vedachi on linguistic dubbing variations, and Iraida Lydia Artiles on the relationship between sleep quality and suicidal ideation among university students.
