I am excited to share with you the success of being one of the laureates of the L'Oréal - UNESCO private scholarship program "For Women in Science", now in its 14th edition, and to be the first historical winner of the Computer Science category, a premiere of the 2023 program, with the project "Human-centric Artificial Intelligence for Internet of Things Applications in Search and Rescue Operations". I am very grateful to L'Oréal and UNESCO for its commitment in supporting women in science and to L’Oréal Romania team for all this gripping journey since the application until now, a trip revealing the important role of women in Computer, Earth and Life Sciences. I thank to Salvamont Romania-Dispeceratul National Salvamont team and, in particular, to Mr. Cornoiu Sabin for the support during my applications and, of, course, for all the activities we will perform together from now on. Last but not least, I thank to my AIMultimediaLab colleagues and to those valuable people - sorry for not being able to tag all of them - that helped me develop this wonderful career in science and technology.
In the context of numerous natural and anthropogenic disasters and given the current conflictual situations, the winning project aims to develop and implement human-centric Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things technologies (Artificial Intelligence of Things, AIoT) focusing in particular on removing gender and age-related barriers and biases in searching, detecting and rescuing affected individuals.
At the core of the project lies an AIoT platform that will collect telemetry and image data, creating datasets and algorithms for real Search and Rescue (SAR) scenarios, such as operations in mountains, floods, drownings, earthquakes or fires, with the ultimate goal of improving SAR operations, helping to minimize delays and accelerate rescue efforts.
Last week I spoke passionately about #AIoT and #SAR #ArtificialIntelligence on International Women in Science Day during #WomenInScience: Get Inspired by Leaders in Science Conference.
I was very honoured to hear the touching confession of Prof. Anne L'Huillier, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023 and of the L'Oréal-UNESCO International Program "For Women in Science" 2011 edition and mother of two children, like me. Through her statement, Prof. L'Huillier inspires young women to courageously follow their passion for research and science and meet the challenge of combining dedication to scientific knowledge with roles in the family and society.
I carry forward in my communities the message that women still need support to be equal voices with men in advancing scientific knowledge, in patiently and persistently dedicating themselves to meeting the unknown, in serving societies innovation, while also taking care of them and of their loved ones.
My success is the bearer of gratitude to those who have supported and guided me on the path of research to which I have dedicated myself in recent years.