Ian Valentin Gottlieb Godoy Garraza

Ian’s chief goal is to create practical and scientific solutions to problems that affect the world we live in. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to participate in global conferences, courses and seminars to develop his problem-solving skillset and acquire the tools to conceptualise and address large-scale challenges. After the pandemic receded, Ian began to encourage his fellow students to take action and work alongside him – helping them explore new areas and create projects that could contribute to a better world.  

Many students responded to Ian’s efforts with interest, and as a result he was able to form working groups that focused on generating solutions to various practical challenges. To date, a number of these have won recognition in both national and international competitions. For instance, one team created a model to improve sustainability in the Argentinian energy sector through the use of thorium – a proposal that was shortlisted in an international student competition organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency on the role of nuclear technology in the fight against climate change. In the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2022 hackathon, Ian’s group – together with a group of high school students and graduates – designed a model of energy generation and storage according to a biomimetic approach that would help a rover vehicle operate on the planet Venus. This design won the local contest and qualified for the global stage of the competition. In the most recent NASA Space Apps Challenge hackathon in 2023, Ian’s team – with students from three La Plata schools – designed a model for monitoring and detecting fires in the Paraná delta area, and again won the local stage to qualify for the world championship. 

Ian is also keenly aware that due to poverty, many young people in Argentina now live with an uncertain future. In response, and as a source of encouragement, Ian created Inspirar Futuro – a show on Radio Universidad Nacional de La Plata that brings inspirational stories to listeners and demonstrates that, with hard work and passion, one can help build a better world. This is just one way in which Ian is working to build a future that is fairer than the present – one where human wellbeing is paramount. 

If Ian wins the Global Student Prize, he will use the funds to create a space for promoting education, innovation and work towards social growth. This would be a physical space in which to hold meetings, discussions, seminars and workshops – a space that encourages teamwork and the exchange of ideas. Not only that – it would attract and bring together leading professionals from different fields in pursuit of education, development and aspiration for all.